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About the SIDS Unit
Following the adoption of the Barbados Programme of Action (BPOA), General Assembly resolution A/RES/49/122 in 1995 requested the establishment of the SIDS Unit. The mandate of the SIDS Unit is to promote and facilitate the SIDS’ efforts to implement the BPOA and the Mauritius Strategy (MSI) by:
- Providing technical assistance and advice.
- Mobilizing the necessary support of the UN system and the international community.
- Providing secretariat support for both intergovernmental and inter-agency coordination mechanisms, including by strengthening information activities for decision-making by SIDS and facilitation of networking among SIDS stakeholders.
- Monitoring and reporting on progress made in implementation of the BPOA and MSI, including through the biennial cycle of the Commission on Sustainable Development.
Internally, the work of the SIDS Unit is organized into the following broad categories, for which selected examples are provided in the following:
- Normative functions including support to SIDS delegations in intergovernmental processes. The SIDS Unit works closely with and provides support on issues related to SIDS to all delegations, including SIDS delegations and the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) in intergovernmental processes, such as the CSD, CBD, and UNFCCC.
- Technical and advisory services. While the SIDS Unit is not a funding organization, it has been facilitating, promoting and also implementing a number of technical cooperation activities. These were typically being carried out in collaboration with colleagues of the Division for Sustainable Development and other substantive divisions of DESA, in order to ensure adequate expertise on specific themes and sectors.
- Coordination, consultation and think-tank functions. The SIDS Unit chairs and convenes the Inter-Agency Consultative Group (IACG) on SIDS.
For further information please contact us.