UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks at the inauguration ceremony of the fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States in St. John's, capital of Antigua and Barbuda, May 27, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)
ST. JOHN'S, Antigua and Barbuda, May 27 (Xinhua) -- The fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States opened Monday in Antigua and Barbuda, aiming to build resilience, tackle the world's most pressing challenges and achieve sustainable development goals.
According to the United Nations (UN), the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are facing a climate emergency, spiralling debt and health crises.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the inauguration ceremony that the international community has a duty to support the vulnerable states led by the countries that have greatest responsibility and capacity to deal with the challenges they face.
The event, held by UN and attended by world leaders, representatives from the private sector, civil society, academia and youth, will last four days, from May 27 to 30.
Under the theme "Charting the course toward resilient prosperity," the conference aims at assessing SIDS's ability to achieve sustainable development, including the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals. It will result in an intergovernmentally agreed, focused, forward-looking and action-oriented political outcome document.
The SIDS comprise 37 UN member nations and 20 associate members of UN regional commissions.
The International Conference on SIDS is held every 10 years. The first three conferences were held in Barbados, Mauritius and Samoa in 1994, 2005 and 2014 respectively. ■
This photo taken on May 27, 2024 shows a scene at the fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States in St. John's, capital of Antigua and Barbuda. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)
