The resilience of Small Island Developing States in the focus at the Second Global SIDS Solutions Dialogue

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) remain strongly affected by climate change, natural disasters and other external shocks including the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing global food prices. That was the main message conveyed by the participants of the second Global SIDS Solutions Dialogue jointly organized by the FAO Liaison Offices in Brussels, Geneva and New York and the FAO Office of Small Island Developing States, Least Developed Countries and Landlocked Developing Countries.

This second edition within the Dialogue series highlighted the need to improve SIDS’ ability to cope with an increasing amount of environmental threats and man-made disasters by building the resilience of agricultural livelihoods and agrifood systems.

In his opening remarks, EU Ambassador for the Pacific, Sujiro Seam made clear that for the European Union “building agricultural resilience in Pacific Small Island Developing States remains a key priority, in response to climate shocks, to build back better in the post-COVID-19 recovery and to cushion the increase in food prices as a result of the war in Ukraine". He highlighted the Blue-Green Alliance between the EU and the Pacific States as a key milestone in this regard.

Presenting FAO’s approach to resilience in SIDS, FAO Deputy Director, Office of Emergencies and Resilience, Daniele Donati stressed the need to “urgently build climate-resilient development pathways that combine emission reduction with adaptation and resilience, while restoring ecosystems, protecting the livelihoods and leaving no one behind”.

During the panel discussion that followed Representatives from Saint Lucia, Dominica and Tonga shared their respective Disaster Risk Reduction Strategies for agrifood systems. They emphasized the importance of adopting good agricultural practices and supporting climate change adaptation while showcasing practical examples from their countries.

FAO Representative in Haiti, José Luis Fernandez highlighted the particularly challenging situation in the country due to severe food crises caused by the combination of economic challenges, decreased agricultural production and severe weather shocks. Fernandez alluded to FAO’s approach in building resilience for disaster risk management in Haiti by focusing on adaptation to climate change, strengthening the sustainable management of natural resources and improving food security.

FAO Director of the Markets and Trade Division, Boubaker Ben-Belhassen, took the floor to present an overview of SIDS’ food security and nutrition situation as well as the implications of the current global geopolitical situation. "As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and of the war in Ukraine, we have experienced a significant rise in the prices of all food commodities. In fact, the FAO food price index reached an all-time high in March 2022, a month after the start of the war in Ukraine,” he noted. “At this time, the world also faced the aftermath of the pandemic, which caused a lack of availability of containers and extended waiting time at ports," he continued.

The dialogue was moderated by Angélica María Jácome Daza, Director of the FAO Office of SIDS, Least Developed Countries and Landlocked Developing Countries.

You can watch the recording here.