Organised by the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry for the Environment, Malta
together with the
Islands and Small States Institute of the Foundation for International Studies, University of Malta
in collaboration with the
United Nations Environment Programme
 

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE IMA-SIDS CENTRE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
 
 

Project Proposal 
submitted for funding
to
the Meeting of Prospective Donors and Representatives 
of Small Island Developing States 
New York, 24-26 February 1998

by 

the Government of Malta
in collaboration with the 
Islands and Small States Institute of the University of Malta
and supported by the 
Ministerial Meeting on the Sustainable Development of the Small Island States 
of the Indian Ocean, Mediterranean and Atlantic regions
held in Malta on 24-27 November 1998
 
 
 
 

November 1998
 CONTENTS
SUMMARY 2
JUSTIFICATION OF THE PROJECT 3
NAME AND OBJECTIVES OF THE ORGANISATION 4
ORGANS OF THE IMS-SIDS CENTRE 4
1. The Governing Board 4
2. The Bureau 5
3. The Secretariat 5
THE OFFICIALS OF THE IMA-SIDS CENTRE 6
ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS 6
PROJECT PLAN 6
Phase 1: Preparation 7
Phase 2: Commencement of Operations 7
Phase 3: Consolidation & Development of self-financing capabilities 7
COST OF THE IMA-SIDES CENTRE  8
Contribution by the Maltese Government 8
Contribution by Donors 8
Long Term Financial Sources 8
 

SUMMARY 

Project title: The Establishment of the IMA-SIDS Centre for Sustainable Development

Proposed by: The government of Malta. The project proposal was discussed and supported by the participants of the Ministerial Meeting on the Sustainable Development of the Small Island States in the Indian Ocean, Mediterranean and Atlantic regions (IMA-SIDS) held in Malta on 24-27 November 1998. 

Object: Promotion of sustainable development in the IMA-SIDS.

Project duration: Six years (1999 to 2004)

Commencement: June 1999

Long term aim: To develop capacity to promote sustainable development in the IMA-SIDS regions, initially depending on donor funding, and eventually self-funded through the development of research, training and consultancy capabilities.

Initiation and The project will be initiated and implemented by the Islands and Small
Implementation: States Institute of the University of Malta. Subsequently the Centre will have its own coordinating structure.

Location: The secretariat of the IMA-SIDS Centre for Sustainable Development will be located in Malta, but the personnel will be recruited from different IMA-SIDS.

Requested  US$ 1.5 million
Funding: shared as follows:
? 10% contribution from the Government of Malta through the Islands and Small States Institute of the University of Malta; and 
? 90% contribution by donors.
 

 THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE IMA-SIDS CENTRE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

JUSTIFICATION OF THE PROJECT 

The forty or so small island developing states, situated in different parts of the world, can be classified geographically into three groups, namely the Pacific Region SIDS, the Caribbean Region SIDS and the others situated around the African continent (Indian Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean). 

The Pacific Region SIDS have a number of regional organisations, such as SPREP through which these SIDS can cooperate and act collectively to promote their interests and to take common stands in international fora. Similarly the Caribbean SIDS have a regional umbrella organisation, namely CARICOM, through which they could express their common concerns. Both these organisations were instrumental, for example, in promoting the interests of their regional SIDS grouping for the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States.

The Indian Ocean, Mediterranean and Atlantic Ocean SIDS (to be referred to as IMA-SIDS), on the other hand, do not have an umbrella organisation to represent their interests, and they sometimes find themselves grouped with the Pacific or Caribbean SIDS, where they do not fit well. This was the case, for example, in the technical meetings in preparation of the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States. 

There is therefore the need to establish an organisation, which will assess the sustainable development needs and promote such development in the IMA-SIDS. This document contains a proposal for the setting up of a regional centre  for sustainable development,  with the potential of developing into an intergovernmental organisation for promoting regional cooperation and strengthen the capacity of the IMA-SIDS to respond to their sustainable development needs.

This is in line the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS-PoA) which in article 129 states that “regional and sub-regional co-operation will be an important part in the implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small island Developing States” In addition, in Section XI “Regional Institutions and Technical Cooperation”, the same document states that the limited human resources and small size of small island developing states makes it especially important to pool these resources through regional cooperation and institutions, and  calls for international action to (a) improve co-ordination with relevant regional/subregional bodies to implement agenda 21 and the decisions of the Global Conference; and (b) strengthen regional bodies in order to improve their capacity to respond to the sustainable development needs of small island developing states.

NAME AND OBJECTIVES OF THE ORGANISATION
The name of the proposed Centre is the IMA-SIDS Centre for Sustainable Development. 

The IMA-SIDS Centre for Sustainable Development will have as its objectives: 
(1)  Assess the sustainable development needs and requirements of IMA-SIDS;
(2)  Monitoring and evaluating successful sustainable development initiatives and practices for possible application in IMA-SIDS;
(3)  Promoting exchange of information between the IMA-SIDS, and encouraging collaboration between institutions involved in the fostering of sustainable development within the region;
(4)  Carrying out research and making information available to IMA-SIDS to enable them to enhance their engagement in international fora.
(5)  Providing training and consultancy services in matters related to the sustainable development to IMA-SIDS and other clients.
(6)  Promoting  good management practices and development of appropriate legislation in matters relating to the environment and economic development;

The Centre may periodically report its progress to the IMA-SIDS meetings for their consideration with the aim eventually expanding the Centre’s mandate to become a regional inter-governmental organisation. This function of this expanded mandate could include the co-ordination of policy and related action among the IMA-SIDS in matters of interest to the individual IMA-SIDS and to the region as a whole, including the environment, ocean affairs, international trade, human resources development, transport and communications. 

ORGANS OF THE IMS-SIDS CENTRE

The principal organs of the IMA-SIDS Centre for Sustainable Development will be:
1. The Governing Board  which meets at least once every two years.
2. The Bureau which meets at least once a year.
3. The Secretariat 
1. The Governing Board
The Governing Board will be the highest authority of the IMA-SIDS Centre for Sustainable Development. The Governments of each of the eleven IMA-SIDS will be invited to appoint a representative to sit on the Board. The chairman of the board will be the Maltese representative.

The primary responsibilities of the Governing Board will be:
? To determine and to provide the policy direction for the IMA-SIDS Centre for Sustainable Development. 
? To oversee the financial management of the Centre 
? To review and evaluate progress of the Centre.
? To appoint a full time Executive Director 
? To appoint three members of the bureau.
? To review and evaluate the achievements of the Centre

2. The Bureau 
The bureau will consist of 
? The Executive-Director, appointed by the Governing Board. 
? Three members also appointed by the Governing Board, one of which should preferably  be a national of an Indian Ocean SIDS, another of a Mediterranean SIDS and the third of an Atlantic SIDS. 

The Bureau will be responsible for the implementation of the policy directions set by the Governing Board. The main functions of the Bureau will be:
? To ensure that the policy directions set by the Governing Board are implemented
? To prepare an action plan for this purpose for approval by the Governing Board
? To plan and co-ordinate the activities of the Centre 
? To determine the subjects of research activity for the Centre

The Bureau may set up sub-committees to cater for specific area of activity.

3. The Secretariat
The Secretariat of the Centre shall be located in Malta. 

The main function of the Secretariat will be to perform the day to day administration of the Centre and to implement the decisions of the Bureau. It will also keep liaise with the SIDS focal point in the IMA-SIDS.

The Secretariat will be headed by the Executive director working full time. This officer will be appointed by the Governing Board for a period of three years, with possibility of one extension for a period of three years.

The Executive director will engage the services of:
? An Administrative officer working full time. This officer must be able to speak and write fluently in French and English. This officer will be engaged on a contractual basis.
? A Finance Officer, employed on a full-time or part-time basis, depending on the work-load. This officer will be engaged on a contractual basis.
? Two secretaries working full time one of which  must be able to speak and write English and French fluently, and be able to translate technical documents from English to French and from French to English. The secretaries will be appointed  on a contractual basis.
? A Research Officer whose main function will be to provide research support for all activities of the Centre, and to develop a library of documentation with material of interest to the IMA-SIDS region. The Research office could engage research assistants working part time or on consultancy basis, depending on the financial resources of the Centre. 
 THE OFFICIALS OF THE IMA-SIDS CENTRE
 

The main officials of the Centre will be:
1. The Chairman of the Governing Board.
2. The Executive Director
3. The Administrative Officer in charge of the Secretariat
4. The Finance Officer
 

ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

The long term beneficiaries of the project will be the eleven members of the IMA-SIDS Centre for Sustainable Development. 

Economic benefits. A major constraint faced by small states relates to the problem of indivisibilities. A small state, working on its own, is likely to find it very expensive to run a specialised office which keeps track of meetings of interest to SIDS, prepare documentation and position papers, and send experts to attend meeting, so on. In addition, monitoring and review of programmes intended to promote the sustainable development of small island states often requires a coordinated approach. Through the IMA-SIDS Centre for Sustainable Development,  the national capacities of SIDS to manage their involvement in international meetings will be greatly enhanced.

Environmental benefits. The main thrust of sustainable development initiatives which will feature on the agenda of the IMA-SIDS Centre for Sustainable Development emanate the Programme of Action on the Sustainable Development of Small island Developing States, where environmental concerns take centre stage, and issues such as climate change, natural disasters, energy resources, management of wastes, coastal marine resources, Biodiversity resources, fresh water resources feature prominently.

The IMA-SIDS Centre for Sustainable Development will be mostly concerned with matters arising from the SIDS PoA and from its review within the UN system, due to take place in 1999, and environmental issues will therefore take an important place in the IMA-SIDS Centre for Sustainable Development agenda.

PROJECT PLAN

The project will have three phases. 

Phase Duration Task
Phase 1  1 year (1999)   Preparation
Phase 2: 2 years (2000-2001) Commencement of Operations
Phase 3: 3 years (2002-2004) Consolidation & Development of self-financing capabilities

Phase 1: Preparation
This phase will be coordinated by the Islands and Small State Institute of the Foundation for International Studies, working in close collaboration with the Department of Economics and the International Environment Institute of the University of Malta. The preparation will involve:
? Appointing the Executive director and recruiting the officials of the secretariat  with the agreement and participation of the governments of the IMA-SIDS;
? Renting and equipping of offices;
? Convening the first meeting of the Governing Board 
? Identification of main issues and priorities, and preparation of a five year plan in consultation with the governments of the IMA-SIDS.
 

Phase 2: Commencement of Operations
During this phase the Director-general will be in charge of the day-to-day running of the Centre In Phase 2, the office will commence operations, including the following:
? Ongoing exchange of information between the IMA-SIDS; 
? Preparation of documentation and other material on behalf of the IMA-SIDS, for presentation in international and regional fora;
? Co-ordination of policy and related action among the IMA-SIDS in matters of interest to the individual IMA-SIDS and to the region as a whole,  including the environment, ocean affairs, international trade, human resources development, transport and communications;
? Convening two meetings of the Governing Board in the year 2001 and 2003;
? Convening three meetings of the Bureau, in the years 2000, 2002 and 2004;
? Publishing the first two editions of the annual report, with information about the operation of the Centre, environmental and economic information about each member state, and a statistical appendix; 
? Establishing a research office 
 

Phase 3: Consolidation & Development of self-financing capabilities
? Consolidating and continuing with the tasks listed in Phase 2 
? Development of research, training and consultancy capabilities with the aim of eventually enabling the Centre to be self-financed. 
 COST OF THE IMA-SIDES CENTRE

The costs of project the following: 

 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Total
 Prep. Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 6 Years
Wages, Salaries and Consultancy fees 10,000 140,000 142,800 145,656 148,569 151,541 738,566
Communications 1,000 10,000 10,200 10,404 10,612 10,824 53,040
Annual  report1  25,000 26,100 27,222 28,366 29,534 136,222
Operating costs2 12,000 80,000 81,000 82,020 83,060 84,122 422,202
Travel and per diem3 31,000 8,000 32,339 8,320 33,736 8,653 122,048
Other 1900 5,000 5,100 5,202 5,306 5,412 27,920
Total 55,900 268,000 297,539 278,824 309,650 290,085 1,499,998

1  covers writing of texts , translation services (English to French and French to English), editing, typesetting, printing and dispatching.
2 includes translation services (English to French and French to English).
3  includes travel and per diem for  members of the governing board (years: 1999, 2001 and 2003) and  for members of the  bureau (years: 2000, 2002, 2004).
Contribution by the Maltese Government
The contribution by the Maltese government will be in 10% amounting to US$150,000 over six years, in cash and in kind, through the Islands and Small States Institute of the University of Malta. Most of this contribution will be in the form of a provision of office space, office equipment and secretarial services.

Contribution by Donors
The requested contribution by donors is US$1.35 million over a period of six years, or US$225,000 annually. This contribution will be solicited during the Meeting for Prospective Donors and Representatives of SIDS to be held in New York on 24-26 February 1999. 

Long Term Financial Sources
It is envisaged that the IMA-SIDS Centre for Sustainable Development will eventually be self-financed through the development of research, training and consultancy capabilities, which will be “sold” to clients within the IMS-SIDS region and elsewhere. The clients will include the government of the IMA-SIDS, international organisations, and private sector organisations. 

These “self-financing” capabilities will be introduced in stages and strengthened during Phase 3 of the project. 

The donor funding during the first six years can therefore be regarded as seed money, to enable the IMA-SIDS Centre for Sustainable Development to develop into a self-funded institution.