Jamaica: SIDS Roundtable - Presentations & Speeches

Statement by
H.E. Mr. Jérémie Bonnelame
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Government of Seychelles

Chairman
Honourable Ministeers
Colleagues and Participants,

I wish to start by thanking the Government of Jamaica and the people of Jamaica for their warm and hospitable welcome to your beautiful country.

We would also like to thank UNDP for organizing this very important partnership meeting for Small Island States. I want to focus my intervention on several important issues faced by SIDS.

1. The work on the vulnerability index should now reach a conclusion, especially since there has been various reports and studies undertaken since Barbados in 1994. We have over these two days considered another series of reports focuses on the economic, social and environmental vulnerability of SIDS, reminding us of the issues that we so fervently debated in Barbados which resulted in the BPoA. We now need to move from talk to action.

This meeting is opportune, especially so close to the WSSD Summit to be held in Johannesburg but I do not see many partners, we are all mostly coming from Governments.

2. Approaches to disaster mitigation and reduction of vulnerability is not only a national effort but a collective international effort…hence we need to see what action other developed countries are taking especially to reduce GHG's and also providing critical support needed for adaptation in Small Island States.

3. The issues of trade is naturally a complex one, but we need to continue to pursue for special recognition of our special needs and circumstances. It is vital that a special forum for SIDS-WTO is set-up so that on views are clearly and adequately represented at the WTO. We are aware that we cannot avoid joining the WTO, but we should not give up our efforts to get a better and more equitable deal for Small Island States.

Thank you.

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