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Small Island Developing States Partnership Framework
Partnerships
Please make sure your partnership is updated with atleast one progress report.

A key request from the outcome of the 2014 Third International Conference on SIDS - the SAMOA Pathway - was the establishment of the SIDS Partnership Framework, designed to monitor progress of existing, and stimulate the launch of new, genuine and durable partnerships for the sustainable development of SIDS.

Guided by a member States driven Steering Committee, the framework has since its launch ensured that SIDS partnerships have remained high on the UN’s agenda, providing a multi-stakeholder platform for reviewing progress made by SIDS partnerships, and for sharing of good practices and lessons learned among all stakeholders, on an annual basis.

In September 2019, member states will (A/RES/72/217) convene a one-day high-level meeting to review progress made in addressing the priorities of SIDS through the implementation of the SAMOA Pathway.

A robust member States driven preparatory process is currently underway, with three regional meetings of SIDS in their respective regions, as well as one interregional meeting for all SIDS.

With generous funding support provided by the government of Italy, and under the overall guidance of the Steering Committee on SIDS Partnerships, UN DESA is undertaking a capacity development project Strengthening the capacity of SIDS in developing, monitoring and reviewing durable Partnerships.
Partnerships & Reporting
At the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS Conference), around 300 Small Island Developing States (SIDS) partnerships were announced.

All partnerships for SIDS are available through the SIDS Action Platform at: http://www.sids2014.org/partnerships/

As mandated by the SIDS Partnership Framework, DESA, in collaboration with the Steering Committee on Partnerships for SIDS, has developed a standardized reporting template and process for SIDS partnerships, for the purpose of informing all stakeholders on the progress of SIDS partnerships. All focal points of SIDS partnerships are encouraged to engage and share their partnership updates through the established template, once a year until their partnership is completed.

Inputs will be used to prepare relevant reports by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, as well be regularly featured in UN websites, social media channels, and newsletters.

Background
The Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS Conference) was held from 1 to 4 September 2014 in Apia, Samoa under the overarching theme of "The sustainable development of small island developing States through genuine and durable partnerships". The Conference resulted in an intergovernmental agreed outcome document – the SAMOA Pathway - and the announcement of 300 multi-stakeholder partnerships devoted to the sustainable development of SIDS.

At the Conference, member States emphasized that international cooperation and partnerships of various kinds and across a wide variety of stakeholders are critical for the implementation of the sustainable development of SIDS. This notion was enshrined through a formal request by member States, through the SAMOA Pathway, for establishing a SIDS Partnership Framework - designed to monitor progress of existing, and stimulate the launch of new, genuine and durable partnerships for the sustainable development of SIDS.

The Framework, formally established in December 2015 by General Assembly resolution 70/202, consist of 1) a member States driven Steering Committee on SIDS Partnerships (as of 2018, chaired by Belize and Ireland, appointed by PGA), 2) the organization of an annual action-oriented and results-focused Global Multi stakeholder SIDS Partnership Dialogue, 3) a standardized partnership reporting process of all stakeholders (to date, 65 progress reports have been submitted by partnership focal points since the reporting template was launched in 2016, about a mere 20% of all partnerships) , and 3) the organization of regional and 4) national SIDS partnership dialogues with support from the United Nations system and the international community.

The SIDS Partnership Framework – to date's the only intergovernmental framework devoted to reviewing and monitoring partnerships - has ensured that SIDS issues have remained high on the UN’s agenda, and provided a broad multi-stakeholder platform for reviewing progress of SIDS partnerships, sharing of good practices and lessons learned among all relevant stakeholders, and for launching new initiatives devoted to SIDS. Since the Conference in 2014, sixteen (16) new partnerships have been registered in the SIDS partnership database. In addition, 209 voluntary commitments from The Ocean Conference are directly related to Small Island Developing States.

The Steering Committee of the SIDS Partnership Framework has guided the organization of several Global Multi-stakeholder SIDS Partnership Dialogues since the establishment of the SIDS Partnership Framework. The framework has also produced the establishment of the SIDS partnership reporting template, and a publication on SIDS partnerships. Efforts have also been made to promote the engagement of the private sector in the implementation of the SAMOA Pathway and the achievement of the SDGs in SIDS. UN-OHRLLS, in partnership with the Government of Samoa and the Samoa Chamber of Commerce, convened a Private Sector Partnerships Forum in the margins of SIDS Conference in 2014. A key outcome of the Forum was the establishment of the SIDS Global Business Network (SIDS-GBN) which aims to provide an important bridge to enable closer private sector ties between the three SIDS regions but also with the international business community.
SIDS Partnership Dialogues

2021 Annual Global Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on SIDS Partnerships

The Annual Global Multi-Stakeholder Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Partnership Dialogue (the “Global Dialogue”), is an Event organized annually under the auspices of the SIDS Partnerships Framework. The 2021 Global Dialogue will be the 7th of such gathering and it will take place on 9 July 2021, 3pm to 6pm, via WebEx, in the margin of the 2021 session of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).


2020 annual Global Multi-Stakeholders SIDS Partnerships Dialogue

The Annual Global Multi-Stakeholder Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Partnership Dialogue (the “Global Dialogue”), is an Event organized annually under the auspices of the SIDS Partnerships Framework and co-chaired by the Co-Chair of the UN Steering Committee on SIDS Partnerships. The 2020 Global Dialogue will be the 6th of such gathering since the establishment of the Framework in 2016. The Event will take place on 10 July 2020, 3:00pm to 6:00pm, via an online platform, in the margin of the 2020 session of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).


2019 annual Global Multi-stakeholder SIDS Partnership Dialogue

The annual Global Multi-stakeholder Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Partnership Dialogue took place on 10 July 2019, on the margins of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. The event focused on effective partnerships for addressing gaps and priority areas of the SAMOA Pathway.

The SIDS Partnership Dialogue is part of the SIDS Partnership Framework, launched in 2016, as a follow-up to the SAMOA Pathway. It is intended to launch new partnerships and follow-up on existing partnerships through sharing of best practices, challenges and successes

Read more here


2018 annual Global Multi-stakeholder SIDS Partnership Dialogue, 12 July 2018

Theme: Partnerships for sustainable and resilient societies in Small Island Developing States

The 2018 Global Multi-stakeholder Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Partnership Dialogue (the “Dialogue”) took place on 12 July 2018, in the ECOSOC Chamber at United Nations Headquarters, New York.

The Dialogue, held in the margins of the the 2018 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), was organized by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and the Office of the High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (OHRLLS), in close consultation with the Steering Committee on Partnerships for SIDS, co-chaired by Belize and Ireland.

In line with the theme of the 2018 HLPF, “Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies”, the Dialogue focused on how partnerships can support SIDS in their transition towards more sustainable and resilient cities and communities.


2018 regional and inter-regional SIDS Partnership Dialogues

With generous funding support provided by the government of Italy, and under the overall guidance of the Steering Committee on SIDS Partnerships, currently chaired by Belize and Ireland, UN DESA is undertaking a capacity development project to support the work of the SIDS Partnership Framework and the preparatory process related to the SAMOA Pathway mid-term review.

Read more here


2nd annual Global Multi-stakeholder SIDS Partnership Dialogue, 7 June 2016, UNHQ, New York

The second annual Global Multi-stakeholder Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Partnership Dialogue took place on 7 June 2017, 1.15-2.30 PM in ECOSOC Chamber, organized by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and the Office of the High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (OHRLLS) in consultation with the Steering Committee on Partnerships for SIDS, co-chaired by Maldives and Italy.


1st annual Global Multi-stakeholder SIDS Partnership Dialogue, 22 September 2016, UNHQ, New York

Italy and Maldives, in their capacities as Co-Chairs of the Steering Committee on Partnerships for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), will be hosting the first annual Global Multi-stakeholder SIDS Partnership Dialogue during the upcoming high level session of the General Assembly. This High Level Breakfast Event took place on 22 September, 2016 from 8am to 9:30am at the 4th floor Private Dining Rooms 6-8, United Nations General Assembly Building, UNHQ, New York.

The first Global Publication on Partnerships for SIDS was launched at the event.
Steering Committee on SIDS Partnerships
The Steering Committee is open to all States Members of the United Nations or members of the specialized agencies, and is supporting the follow-up of existing, and promotes and advocates the launching of new, partnerships that advance the sustainable development in SIDS.
Contacts
Belize
Janine Felson
Ambassador, Deputy Permanent Representative
Permanent Mission of Belize to theUnited Nations
Email: jfelson@belizemission.com

Ireland
Email: Micheal.Tierney@dfa.ie

United Nations Secretariat
Mr. Ola Goransson, Division for Sustainable Development Goals, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Email: goranssono@un.org

Ms. Shifaana Thowfeequ, United Nations Office of the High Representative for LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS (UN-OHRLLS)
E-mail: thowfeequ@un.org

Mr. Rene Holbach, Secretary of the Committee
Email: holbach@un.org
On 6 February 2018, the President of the 72nd session of the United Nati0ns General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Miroslav LAJČÁK, appointed H.E. Ms. Lois M. Young, the Permanent Representative of Belize to the United Nations, and H.E. Mrs. Geraldine Patricia Byrne Nason, the Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations, as co-chairs of the Steering Committee on partnerships for SIDS.

H.E. Ms. Lois M. Young, Permanent Representative of Belize to the United Nations
H.E. Ms. Lois M. Young, was appointed as Belize’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in August 2012. Prior to her appointment, Ambassador Young ran a large law practice with local and international clients. She is also a Senior Counsel at the Belize Bar and has appeared several times before the Privy Council and the Caribbean Court of Justice while serving as of counsel to the Government of Belize.

H.E. Mrs. Geraldine Patricia Byrne Nason, Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations
Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason is the Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations. Geraldine is a career diplomat who has served in Brussels, New York, Paris, Vienna and Helsinki during her career. As Secretary-General in the Prime Minister’s office from 2011-2014, she was the highest ranking female public servant in Ireland.

While Geraldine began her career at the UN, subsequently much of her service has been focused on Europe where she served as Ambassador to the EU, 2007 - 2011. She also headed Ireland’s National Forum on Europe and more recently was SG responsible for EU affairs. From 2014 to 2017, she served as the Ambassador to France and Monaco. In 2013 Geraldine was named in the Irish media one of Ireland’s Most Powerful Women.

In 2014, she was elected a Member of the Royal Irish Academy, Ireland’s highest academic honour. She holds an Honorary Doctorate of Law from Maynooth University as well as Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Literature from Saint Patrick’s College in Maynooth. Ms. Byrne Nason is married and has one son.

H.E. Dr. Walton Alfonso Webson, Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda to the United Nations.
H.E. Dr. Walton Alfonso Webson, Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda to the United Nations.

Co-chair Steering Committee on SIDS Partnerships.

Ambassador Webson had a long career with Perkins International, serving as its Director since 2011. Prior to that, he was the organization’s Director of Institutional Development and Coordinator of Education Programs for Africa and the Caribbean.

Before joining Perkins International in 1992, Mr. Webson was the Caribbean Regional Representative for Sight Savers International for two years, beginning in 1990. From 1981 to 1986, he was the Executive Director of the Caribbean Council for the Blind.

He has also been teaching Leadership and International Management at Assumption College, Worcester, Massachusetts, since 2006. He has authored books on empowering persons with disabilities and academic papers on development, education and aspects of disability.

Mr. Webson holds a doctorate in management from Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, United States. He earned his Master of Science in management of non-profit organizations and his Bachelor of Science from the New School for Social Research, New York, United States.

Ambassador Webson is married with three children.


H.E. Ms. Vanessa Frazier, Permanent Representative of Malta to the United Nations
H.E. Ms. Vanessa Frazier, Permanent Representative of Malta to the United Nations

Co-chair of the Steering Committee on SIDS.

Ms. Frazier’s most recent previous appointment was in 2013, when she was named her country’s Ambassador to Italy, with concurrent accreditation to San Marino and to the Rome-based United Nations agencies.

She was previously Malta’s Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) until October 2013. Ms. Frazier’s first diplomatic appointment was as First Secretary in 1994, when she served as a Desk Officer for the United States and the Americas, as well as the Mediterranean Department.

Having begun her career as a student diplomat in 1992, Ms. Frazier was subsequently posted to Malta’s Embassies in Washington, D.C., Rome, Brussels and London.

Ms. Frazier holds a master’s degree in diplomatic studies from the University of Malta, as well as a bachelor’s degree in business management and French from Luther College in the United States.

She is married and has two children.


H.E. Mr. Ahmed Sareer, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Maldives to the United Nations
His Excellency Mr. Ahmed Sareer presented his Letters of Credence to His Excellency Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, as Ambassador / Permanent Representative of the Republic of Maldives to the United Nations on 20 December 2012.

Mr. Sareer is also concurrently serving as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Maldives to the United States of America having presented his Letters of Credence to His Excellency President Barack Obama on 14 January 2013.

From December 2009 until his appointment as Ambassador / Chargé d'Affaires to the Permanent Mission of Maldives to the United Nations in February 2012, Mr. Sareer served as the High Commissioner of Maldives to the People's Republic of Bangladesh. He was Deputy High Commissioner in London, United Kingdom from June 2008 to May 2009, and served as the Charge d'Affaires, Maldives Mission to the European Union, Brussels from March to June 2008. He was the Counsellor and later the Deputy High Commissioner in Colombo, Sri Lanka from July 2006 to March 2008.

As a career foreign service officer, he began his service at the Ministry Foreign Affairs in February 1986 and held various positions including Director General, Foreign Relations Department.

Mr. Sareer was Director representing the Maldives at the Secretariat of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Kathmandu from June 2000 to May 2003.

Mr. Sareer served as the Second Secretary/ Charge d'Affaires at the Permanent Mission of Maldives to the United Nations, New York from September 1992 to December 1993. He also served as Third Secretary at the High Commission of Maldives in Colombo, Sri Lanka from April 1988 to February 1989.

He was a representative of the Maldives Delegation to the 47th (1992), 48th (1993), 52nd (1997), 63rd (2007), 66th (2011), 67th (2012), 68th (2013), 69th (2014) and 70th (2015) Session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York.

Since January 2015, the Maldives has assumed Chairmanship of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), a coalition of 44 small island and coastal nations from around the world, and Mr. Sareer has been leading the process on behalf of the Government of Maldives.

Since January 2016, Mr. Sareer has been serving as Co-Chair of the Steering Committee on Partnerships for Small Island Developing States on behalf of the President of the United Nations General Assembly, constituted by the latter under UNGA resolution 70/202.

After completing his secondary education in the Maldives, Mr. Sareer has undertaken further studies in Australia, where he attained a bachelor's degree in Social Sciences from the University of Canberra and a master's degree in Foreign Affairs and Trade from Monash University. He also attended a Foreign Service Training Programme conducted by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia.

Born in Malé, Maldives on 28 August 1965, he is married and has four children.

H.E. Mr. Sebastiano Cardi, Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations
Sebastiano Cardi was appointed as Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations in New York on 19 July 2013, and is currently one of the Vice-Presidents of the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. He also was the Chairman of the Second Committee at the 69th session of the General Assembly.

A career diplomat with over thirty years of experience both at home and abroad, he arrived in New York after serving as Deputy Secretary-General of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Rome (September 2010 to September 2013).

Prior to this, his post was at the Italian Embassy in Washington as Deputy Chief of Mission (May 2007 – September 2010). In August 2006 he was appointed Special Envoy of the Foreign Minister for the Reform of the United Nations Security Council.

Promoted to the rank of Minister Plenipotentiary in 2004, Cardi served at the General Directorate for Multilateral Political Affairs and Human Rights at the Foreign Ministry in Rome. In November 2001 he became Diplomatic Adviser to the President of the Italian Senate. After his promotion to the rank of First Counsellor, in 2000 he was appointed Deputy Head of the Press and Information Department of the Foreign Ministry.

From July 1994 to December 1998 Mr. Cardi was Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations in New York, where he served as a political officer and Mission spokesperson. He was a member of the Italian delegation to the UN Security Council during Italy’s two-year term as a non-permanent member (1995-96).

In January 1991 he was appointed to the General Secretariat of the Ministry in Rome. Previously he served as Deputy Consul at the Consulate General of Italy in Paris (1987-1991). In October 1984 he was appointed First Secretary (Economic and Commercial) at the Embassy of Italy in Beijing.

Mr. Cardi attended an advanced training course at the Diplomatic Institute (December 1992 to December 1993), where he had also done his first training (October 1982 to April 1983) as an appointee to the Department for Development Cooperation.

Mr. Cardi joined the Foreign Service in 1981, and took a leave of absence in 1981-1982 to fulfil military service obligations.

While in the military, he held the rank of Second-Lieutenant, Cavalry (1981). He was awarded the decoration of Commander of the Order of Merit of the Republic in 2008.

Born in Rome on 15 November 1956, Sebastiano Cardi received his degree in Political Science from the University of Rome on 11 July 1980.

Documents
Mandate
On December 2015, the General Assembly decided (A/70/472/Add.2 - paragraph 11) to establish the Small Island Developing States Partnership (SIDS) Framework, in accordance with paragraph 101 of the SAMOA Pathway, to monitor and ensure the full implementation of pledges and commitments through partnerships for small island developing States.

A/70/472/Add.2

11. Decides, in accordance with paragraph 101 of the Samoa Pathway and in line with the priorities of small island developing States, to establish the Small Island Developing States Partnership Framework, to monitor and ensure the full implementation of pledges and commitments through partnerships for small island developing States, in order to promote the effective and efficient follow-up to the existing partnerships, in particular new partnerships launched at the third International Conference on Small Island Developing States, and to encourage new, genuine and durable partnerships for the sustainable development of small island developing States, and in this regard:

(a) To form a Steering Committee on partnerships for small island developing States that shall be open to all States Members of the United Nations or members of the specialized agencies, chaired by one Member State that is a small island developing State and one Member State that is not a small island developing State, to be appointed by the President of the General Assembly, which shall meet on a regular basis, with interpretation services provided on an as available basis, to support the follow-up of existing, and promote and advocate the launching of new, small island developing States partnerships; entities of the United Nations system, international and regional organizations, major groups and other stakeholders will be invited to contribute, as appropriate; the Secretariat, in particular the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, will provide a supporting role to the Steering Committee; the first meeting of the Committee should be held as soon as possible, and no later than February 2016, when it will discuss, inter alia, the working methods of the Committee;

(b) To request the Secretariat, in consultation with the Steering Committee, to organize, on an annual basis, an action-oriented, results-focused, global multi stakeholder small island developing States partnership dialogue, with interpretation services provided on an as available basis, which will provide opportunities for reviewing progress made by existing partnerships, including, where applicable, inputs from regional and national partnership dialogues, and for the sharing of good practices, lessons learned and challenges and solutions from small island developing States partnerships, and encourage the launch of new partnerships for small island developing States in line with their priorities;

(c) To request the Department of Economic and Social Affairs to finalize a standardized partnership reporting template and process, in consultation with the Steering Committee, which takes into account existing reporting mechanisms and the need to minimize the reporting burden and ensures reporting coherence;

(d) To encourage regional multi-stakeholder small island developing States partnership dialogues through existing forums and meetings, where applicable, and notably through the regional commissions, in close collaboration with small island developing States and partners, for reviewing and providing policy recommendations at the regional level;

(e) To encourage small island developing States to organize national multi-stakeholder small island developing States partnership dialogues, which could contribute to the regional and global dialogues outlined above, on a voluntary basis, according to their needs, priorities and circumstances, and invite the United Nations system and the international community, upon request, to support the efforts of small island developing States in this regard;

(f) To encourage small island developing States partnerships to share experiences, including through the established partnership reporting template and process, and to participate on a voluntary basis in national, regional and global multi-stakeholder small island developing States partnership dialogues;
United Nations