Global Island Partnership

The Global Island Partnership (GLISPA) assists islands in addressing one of the world’s greatest challenges: to conserve and sustainably utilize the invaluable island natural resources that support people, cultures, and livelihoods in their island homes around the world. It brings together island nations and nations with islands — small and large, developing and developed — to mobilize leadership, increase resources and share skills, knowledge, technologies and innovations in a cost-effective and sustainable way that will catalyze action for conservation and sustainable livelihoods on islands.

GLISPA is recognized as a mechanism to implement the Convention on Biodiversity’s Programme of Work on Island Biodiversity and a Commission on Sustainable Development Best Practice Partnership to advance the implementation of the CBD 2010 biodiversity target, to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss, and the programs of work on island biodiversity and protected areas.

Since it was first called for in Mauritius (January 2005) and launched at the eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD in Brazil (March 2006), GLISPA has grown rapidly as an informal network advancing island conservation and sustainable livelihoods, with seven major strategies:

• Inspire and recognize leadership and commitments to action for island conservation and sustainable livelihoods;
• Strengthen partnerships to support implementation of commitments and to build local long-term conservation capacity;
• Facilitate increased public and private funding for island priorities;
• Promote targeted and cost-effective collaboration and exchanges among islands;
• Engage in effective communication strategies on island issues;
• Build linkages between all islands, regardless of political status;
• Track progress on GLISPA commitments.