Economic and Social Council

 Distr. GENERAL
17 January 1997
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH

COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Fifth session
7-25 April 1997


           Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable
                  Development of Small Island Developing States *

                          Report of the Secretary-General

(* The present report reviews progress made in the implementation of the
objectives set out in the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of
Small Island Developing States, taking into account the decisions taken by the
Commission on Sustainable Development on this subject at its fourth session,
in 1996.  The report was prepared by the Department of Policy Coordination and
Sustainable Development of the United Nations Secretariat, as task manager, in
accordance with arrangements agreed to by the Inter-Agency Committee on
Sustainable Development.  It is the result of consultation and information
exchange between United Nations agencies, international and national
organizations, interested government agencies, and a range of other institutions
and individuals.)


                                     CONTENTS

                                                              Paragraphs  Page

INTRODUCTION ................................................     1         2

  I.  MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS AND UNFULFILLED EXPECTATIONS ........   2 - 15      2

      A.  Areas reviewed by the Commission on Sustainable
          Development .......................................   2 - 12      2

      B.  Other priority areas ..............................  13 - 15      6

 II.  PROMISING CHANGES .....................................  16 - 21      6

III.  EMERGING PRIORITIES ...................................  22 - 27      8

 IV.  RECOMMENDATIONS........................................  28 - 29      9


                                INTRODUCTION


1.   The present report provides a brief account of the progress made, or
lack thereof, in addressing the particular sustainable development concerns
of small island developing States since the conclusion of the Global
Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States
(Bridgetown, Barbados, 25 May-6 June 1994).  The report identifies areas
calling for priority attention, reviewing the state of implementation
principally - although not exclusively - in a number of key priority areas
reviewed by the fourth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development
on the basis of reports prepared by Inter-agency Committee on Sustainable
Development (IACSD) task managers.  Those key areas are:  coastal area
management, tourism, energy resources, air transport, maritime transport,
telecommunication development, management of natural and environmental
disasters, resource flows and international trade of small island
developing States.  The report highlights the salient features of reports
of the Secretary-General presented to the General Assembly since the
Conference on action taken, particularly by the United Nations system, to
implement the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small
Island Developing States.  The report also highlights the relevant
resolutions and decisions of the Commission and the General Assembly.  In
addition to the present report, reports on implementation of the Programme
of Action in the Pacific and the Caribbean are expected to be submitted for
the consideration of the Commission and the General Assembly at its special
session.


             I.  MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS AND UNFULFILLED EXPECTATIONS

       A.  Areas reviewed by the Commission on Sustainable Development

2.   Since only a short time has elapsed since the adoption of the
Programme of Action by the Conference and its endorsement by the General
Assembly in 1994, the present review is a mid-term exercise only.  A full
review of the Programme of Action is scheduled for 1999.  For that
exercise, a more thorough assessment of the impact of policies and measures
implemented since the Conference will be undertaken.

3.   The importance attached to disaster mitigation by small island
developing States at the national and regional levels, coupled with the
importance attached to natural and environmental disasters in both the
Programme of Action and the Yokohama Strategy and Plan of Action have led
to concerted action to deal with natural disasters.  Small island
developing States have sought to build and strengthen institutional and
human resource capacities in disaster preparedness and mitigation at the
national and local levels, supported by actions at the regional level. 
Several small island developing State Governments have adopted legislation
and planning policies to better manage habitat development in disaster-
prone areas.  A set of hurricane resistant building codes and standards,
initially prepared for the small island States of the Eastern Caribbean,
was introduced to other States of that region and other small island
developing State regions.  Significant support has been provided in
disaster mitigation, preparedness and emergency relief management to
countries of the Caribbean and the Pacific, through the Caribbean Disaster
Mitigation Project (CDMP) and the South Pacific Disaster Reduction
Programme (SPDRP). International support has been provided in a number
of areas, mainly through technical assistance and emergency aid.
Some assistance has been provided by bilateral sources, mainly for
funding regional disaster mitigation programmes.

4.   The efforts of small island developing States in this area are
hampered by critical shortcomings, the most important of which is their
inability to adequately finance disaster preparedness and mitigation
efforts on their own.  National efforts remain critically underfunded, with
few countries having in place any form of national emergency fund.  And
such progress as has been made to date is generally restricted to natural
disaster preparedness, mitigation and relief.  Little progress has been
made in putting in place measures for coping with major environmental
disasters.  The potential danger posed by the frequent passage of
commercial vessels, and on occasion vessels carrying hazardous, toxic and
radioactive wastes through the high seas surrounding a number of small
island developing States, continues unattenuated.

5.   Small island developing States have made some progress in transport
and communication, but such progress is not evenly spread across all
countries and regions.  Some regions, such as the Caribbean, appear to be
moving in the right direction in terms of regional cooperation in air
transport.  Small island developing States of that region, in collaboration
with some continental States, have agreed to examine the existing
regulatory and operational frameworks for air transport, as well as the
scope for group negotiation of air services agreements.  The Caribbean
Economic Community (CARICOM) has established a multilateral air services
agreement among its member States, and plans to conduct a comprehensive
study with a view to the preparation of a strategic development plan for
the sector.  In the African region, small island developing States continue
to maintain separate arrangements in air transport.  Some have either
international services of their own or are serviced by major international
carriers, but often with infrequent schedules.  While consideration has
been given to dealing with the air transport problems of the Pacific,
specific proposals are yet to emerge.  The withdrawal of major
international airlines from serving that region has resulted in increased
cooperation among some national airlines, which are mostly
government-owned, and between them and the airlines of New Zealand and
Australia.  Heads of State in the region have identified this as an area
for future cooperation.  According to available financial information, the
majority of national airlines of small island developing States appear to
be unprofitable and rely on State subsidies for operation.  A matter of
concern is that many small island developing States have not indicated
their compliance with or differences from the International Standards and
Recommended Practices annexed to the Convention on International Civil
Aviation.

6.   In maritime transport, most small island developing States have yet to
acquire national shipping lines.  A number of them function as registry
States.  While that arrangement contributes to foreign-exchange earnings
and employment, it does not adequately serve their trading requirements. 
In general, small island developing States continue to face considerably
higher per-unit shipping costs, and suffer from infrequency of services
because of their remoteness and relatively smaller cargo volumes.  Most
small island developing States are lagging in the development of port
infrastructure and in the use of modern shipping fleets equipped with
containers, because of the high outlays involved.  However, inter-island
shipping on a smaller scale, mostly privately owned, is progressing at a
reasonable pace in some archipelagic small island developing States.

7.   In the area of telecommunications, several small island developing
States still have only rudimentary networks and services.  However, a
number of others had established reasonably well developed
telecommunication networks and services even prior to the Conference.  But
this achievement has generally not been replicated in rural areas and outer
islands.  The large outlays necessary for the development of infrastructure
continue to hinder the development of telecommunications in some, and the
extension of services to rural areas and outlying islands in others. 
Generally, small island developing States face inordinate operational
difficulties because of inadequate technically qualified human resources,
poor infrastructure and installation, and deficient planning.  Those that
are prone to natural disasters experience even greater difficulties.  The
occurrence of a single major disaster has been known to cause wholesale
damage to telecommunication infrastructures, severely setting back
progress.  In terms of the use of and access to new communication services,
several small island developing States have connected to the Internet and
others are in the process of doing so.  However, extensive access by
residents to Internet services is constrained by the high cost of computers
and high user fees.  The ability to exchange information and data among
small island developing States and between small island developing States
and other countries has yet to become a reality.  The progressive
development of the Small Island Developing States Network (SIDSNET) will,
it is hoped, speed up that process.

8.   In recent years, the tourism sector of small island developing States
has grown perceptibly, but efforts to promote sustainable tourism have only
just begun.  Some countries with mature tourism sectors have experienced
severe environmental stress as a result of unregulated developments in the
past.  Several of those countries have taken initiatives to effect greater
controls, particularly in spatial planning and development, in order to
cope with problems of pollution, waste and coastal area management.  Some
have also explored the possibility of promoting eco-tourism.  However,
despite improvements in legislative and institutional frameworks and the
institution of mandatory requirements for environmental impact assessments
for new tourism investments in some, small island developing States
continue to face considerable difficulties in dealing with problems of
waste management and pollution due to poor infrastructural, technological
and human resource capacity.  Inadequate port reception facilities for
handling ship-generated waste from cruise ships and oil spills by oil
tankers, and pollution from both land-based and marine sources remain areas
of great concern.  A total of 15 small island developing States are parties
to the Protocol of 1978 Relating to the International Convention for the
Prevention of Pollution from Ships.  They thus have obligations under the
Convention to establish port reception facilities for the collection of
waste, but are hampered by lack of resources for establishing such
facilities.

9.   The goals of the Programme of Action for developing renewable energy
resources remain largely unfulfilled.  Fossil fuels at higher unit cost
than in larger countries account for more than 50 per cent of the energy
needs of small island developing States.  While the use of renewable
sources of energy has increased in a number of small island developing
States, the share of renewable sources in total energy supply remains
significantly below potential.  The disappointing results in the
utilization of renewable energy sources are attributable mainly to a lack
of information on the economic and technical viability of the technologies
in small island developing States, and unaffordable prices of existing
technologies, especially solar energy technology.  There is little evidence
of the provision of international support for the development of
alternative sources of energy in small island developing States. 
Information on the extent to which small island developing State
authorities have emphasized this area as a priority in their sustainable
development policy is also very limited.

10.  In the area of trade, small island developing States are concerned
about the impact on their exports of the widespread adoption of economic
systems based on market forces, the emergence of regional trading blocs,
and the erosion of trade preferences as the outcomes of the Uruguay Round
of multilateral trade negotiations are gradually implemented.  There is
still little evidence of policy reorientation towards developing new areas
of export growth by most small island developing States.  Most continue to
rely on agriculture, tourism, and in a few cases textiles and mining.  In
view of their limited human resources, considerable efforts will be needed
to adapt export production to changing market conditions.

11.  Overall, financing for implementation of the Programme of Action
through bilateral or multilateral resource flows has declined over the
period 1991-1994.  In terms of distribution, multilateral flows have been
more evenly spread among small island developing States than bilateral
flows, which over the same period have tended to favour a smaller number of
countries.  External resources have been channelled predominantly to the
areas of human resource development, national institutions and
administrative capacity, land resources, and transport and communication. 
For their part, most small island developing States face the reality of
constrained domestic savings and public revenue potential due to a number
of factors, notably the small size of their economies and the imperative of
granting tax holidays and exemption from import and export duties to
foreign investors in order to attract and retain foreign capital, which
accounts for significant proportions of investments in major sectors, such
as tourism, textiles and in some cases mining.

12.  A significant achievement at the international level has been the
establishment of new mechanisms by most of the relevant organizations of
the United Nations system, in response to the call of the General Assembly
in its resolution 49/122 to oversee and coordinate the implementation of
the Programme of Action.  Equally significant has been the extension by
IACSD of the system of task managers for carrying out in-depth studies on
substantive areas of the Programme of Action for the benefit of the
Commission on Sustainable Development.


                          B.  Other priority areas

13.  The present section gives a brief assessment of progress in the
programme areas that have not yet been separately reviewed by the
Commission in the context of the Programme of Action.  It is based on
information contained in the reports of the Secretary-General to the
General Assembly on action taken mainly by agencies of the United Nations
system to implement the Programme of Action.  Other areas in that category
not mentioned here are dealt with in section III below.  Since those
programme areas have not been separately reviewed by the Commission in the
context of the Programme of Action, no policy recommendations for future
action specific to small island developing States have been made by the
Commission.  However, many of the decisions of the Commission apply to
small island developing States as well.

14.  The available information indicates that a number of small island
developing States have benefited over the past three years from assistance
by a number of international agencies in several areas.  Some United
Nations agencies have promoted projects and programmes in capacity-building
and human resource development in their activities under the Programme of
Action.  Several training programmes and workshops have been held and
various forms of assistance provided in institutional capacity-building in
small island developing States.  In the area of waste management,
assistance has been targeted at improving human resources and institutional
capacity.  Some of the projects have taken the form of imparting knowledge
of best practices in pollution control and assessment, aimed at mitigating
coastal and marine pollution problems. 

15.  In the area of freshwater resources, technical assistance has been
provided to several small island developing States of the Pacific and the
Caribbean for training in water quality assessment and monitoring, for
collection and analysis of data, and for establishing guidelines for water
resources management.  In the area of land resources, agricultural advisory
services and credit facilities have been provided, particularly for the
benefit of rural women, as well as training in land resource management in
a number of small island developing States.  Several small island
developing States have collectively or individually developed programmes
and projects in biodiversity resource assessment, protection and
conservation.  Some assistance has also been provided through external
sources in those endeavours. 


                           II.  PROMISING CHANGES

16.  One area of promising change is the degree to which regional
intergovernmental bodies have engaged themselves in the process of
implementation.  The intergovernmental bodies of the Pacific region have
embarked on a number of specific initiatives, such as the South Pacific
Biodiversity Conservation Programme; the Regional Marine Turtle
Conservation Programme; and the adoption in 1995 of the Waigani Convention
on Hazardous Wastes.  The South Pacific Forum, at its meeting in September
1996, adopted a decision to convene meetings of Forum economic ministers in
order to further strengthen regional cooperation for accelerating
sustainable development.  Transport issues have been identified for
consideration by the Forum and could lead to major new initiatives for
regional cooperation in that area.  Tourism development in the region is
likely to benefit from regional policy developments in air transport.

17.  Caribbean small island developing States, as well as small island
developing States that are members of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC),
have taken several actions in priority areas for those regions.  In
particular, joint proposals by the Economic Commission for Latin America
and the Caribbean and CARICOM for creating regional mechanisms for
cooperation in implementation and monitoring are promising signs.  Regional
air transport initiatives, particularly those mentioned above in the
Caribbean, are likely to support achieving the goals of the Programme of
Action in that area.  Small island developing States that are members of
the IOC have begun to deal collaboratively through programmes in coastal
area management, pollution control and waste management.  

18.  Furthermore, initiatives have been taken at the regional level by
ECLAC subregional headquarters for the Caribbean for the establishment of
an information database to service small island developing States in that
region.  In the Pacific, the Pacific Operations Centre of the Economic and
Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific has also begun to set up a
Regional Monitoring Information System for Pacific small island developing
States, based in Vanuatu, which will be designed to improve the collection,
storage and retrieval of data on social, economic, environmental and other
developments.  Those initiatives promise to narrow the gap in information
needs.

19.  Developments in a number of major international processes in the area
of environment also augur well for future progress in implementation of the
Programme of Action.  The Convention on Biological Diversity, the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Agreement for the
Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention of the
Law of the Sea relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling
Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, the International Coral Reef
Initiative, and the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the
Marine Environment from Land-based Activities are all developments that
could bring about major benefits for small island developing States.

20.  The adoption of the Programme of Action has itself resulted in the
promotion of greater awareness, within and outside small island developing
States, of the extent of the environmental challenges confronting those
States.  That awareness has begun to stimulate Governments and communities
in small island developing States, including young people, the private
sector and other major groups, to take sustainable development initiatives.

21.  The Department for Policy Coordination on Sustainable Development of
the United Nations Secretariat has begun work on the development of a
vulnerability index for small island developing States, in close
consultations with various United Nations and non-United Nations bodies,
representatives of member States of the Alliance of Small island States
(AOSIS) and relevant experts.  A draft background paper on various
conceptual aspects of the vulnerability issue has been prepared by the
Department.  A revised version of that paper, together with separate
reports on the economic and ecological vulnerabilities of small island
developing States to be prepared by consultants, will form the basis for
discussions by an expert group meeting scheduled for the second half of
1997.


                          III.  EMERGING PRIORITIES

22.  Future priorities in implementation will vary from one country to
another and from one region to another.  Across all small island developing
States, however, a major area of concern will continue to be the impact of
climate change and sea level rise on coastal areas, and the consequent need
for costly remedial and protective measures.

23.  The years since the conclusion of the Conference have witnessed an
increasing expression of those concerns by small island developing States
Governments.  Some have embarked on reorienting policies and programmes,
either unilaterally or in collaboration with regional partners, in attempts
to deal with the consequences of sea level rise and to preserve important
coastal and marine resources.  But the individual and collective efforts of
small island developing States have so far made little or no real impact on
the magnitude of the problems facing them, including the more frequent
occurrence of hurricanes, storm surges and coastal inundation, and the
resulting loss of valuable economic resources and marine biodiversity
stocks.  As a longer-term solution, AOSIS has proposed a protocol to the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that calls for the
adoption of stricter targets for emissions control by the year 2005.

24.  Cutting across all areas of the Programme of Action will be the need
to ensure greater collaboration among small island developing States and
between small island developing States regions, especially in the exchange
of experiences and information and in the development of common approaches
to solving problems.  The strengthening of regional cooperation mechanisms
in all small island developing States regions, especially focused on
furthering implementation, will be critical.  The early operationalization
of the small island developing States Technical Assistance Programme and
small island developing States/NET is of utmost importance.  

25.  Other areas that call for priority attention include waste management,
given the absence in most small island developing States of the
infrastructure, technology and space for dealing with solid wastes,
including sewage, industrial effluents and ship-generated waste; land
resources, in view of the mounting competition for the very limited
terrestrial space among a variety of activities, notably human settlements,
agriculture, industry and tourism and their impact on the environment;
freshwater resources, particularly because of the grave shortages that
small island developing States already face in that area; and the
enhancement of national institutions and administrative capacity.  Greater
attention to enhancing small island developing States capabilities in
science and technology will also be critical for the effective
implementation of the Programme of Action.  There is currently little
evidence of the transfer of environmentally sound technologies to small
island developing States.

26.  The need to re-examine the trade policy orientation of the majority of
small island developing States will assume ever greater importance given
the rise in competition for markets as a result of globalization and the
simultaneous dismantling of preferential market access arrangements.  The
consideration of environmental issues in international trade will
constitute an added dimension of their trade policy concerns.  Despite
constraints in developing feasible alternatives, many small island
developing States will nevertheless have to seek new areas of export in
which would they have potential comparative advantages.  For small island
developing States with a well developed tourism base, the development of
quality tourism products will become increasingly important as they try to
reduce reliance on mass tourism.  In addition to local problems of land
rights in the case of the Pacific island countries, a number of small
island developing States face problems of infrastructure and inadequate air
transport links with the main tourist generating centres, all of which will
need to be addressed in the short and medium terms.

27.  At its fourth session, in 1996, the Commission adopted a number of
important policy recommendations to cope with the immediate priorities of
small island developing States, in particular calling for the establishment
of an informal open-ended working group in the context of the International
Framework of Action of the International Decade for Natural Disaster
Reduction, to examine the mapping of strategies for disaster reduction in
small island developing States; targeted research in several critical
areas, including the role of telecommunications and insurance in disaster
mitigation; assistance in improving basic infrastructures in small island
developing States; financing of telecommunication development; and the
development of sustainable commercial energy in small island developing
States.


                            IV.  RECOMMENDATIONS

28.  At its fourth session, the Commission carried out an in-depth review
of a number of issues that are covered by chapters II, IV, VII, VIII and
XII of the Programme of Action and by section C, subsections 1 and 2
(Finance and Trade) of chapter XV.  At its sixth session, in 1998, the
Commission may wish to consider conducting a review of all the remaining
issues.  To that end, the Commission may wish to request the Secretary-
General to prepare reports on those issues through the system of IACSD task
managers. 

29.  In paragraph 117 (b) of the Programme of Action, the Commission has
been requested to recommend specific modalities for the full review of the
Programme of Action in 1999.  The Commission may wish to recommend that: 

     (a)  The Commission itself carry out the full review;

     (b)  Immediately after the sixth session of the Commission, national
authorities, regional intergovernmental bodies and the United Nations
system commence preparations for the full review by updating the previous
reviews of all chapters of the Programme of Action with the aim of
undertaking a comprehensive assessment of progress in implementation since
the Conference;

     (c)  The meeting of the Commission's Ad Hoc Inter-sessional Working
Group in 1999 begin the process of the full review, should the work of that
body continue after 1997.

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Date last posted: 10 December 1999 17:25:35
Comments and suggestions: DESA/DSD