Local2030 Islands Network 3rd Island Leaders Summit at SIDS4
Summary of the Meeting
On Wednesday, May 29, 2024, the Local2030 Islands Network convened the 3rd Island Leaders Summit at the 4th Small Island Developing States Conference (SIDS4) hosted by Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne, Palau President Surangel S. Whipps, Jr., and United States Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. The co-hosts opened the meeting by framing a shared vision for the Network as a forum for candid dialogue and concrete action that builds lasting relationships and advances island leadership on the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Local2030 Islands Network supports members in developing impact Dashboards to track progress on the SDGs, building on local priorities in an island context. The Green Growth Initiatives, including Hawaii Green Growth, Guam Green Growth, Palau Green Growth, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Green Growth represent innovative public-private partnerships that support stakeholder engagement for consensus building and identify priority metrics to track on the Dashboard, reflecting a growing movement of locally-led, data-driven efforts guided by island values.
Localized Data and Capacity Building
Leaders reaffirmed the importance of data for decision-making, noting the challenge of accessing adequate data, and identified key barriers facing SIDS, including finance, human resources capacity, and technology access. Leaders emphasised priority actions such as investing in data infrastructure; strengthening local capacity in data analysis; empowering local communities by supporting citizen science and data transparency through Dashboards and other public reporting mechanisms; engaging in collaborative platforms for data sharing with other island communities, like the Local2030 Islands Network’s Communities of Practice; and fostering public-private partnerships that utilise data management platforms and systems to improve efficiency and reliability.
Antigua and Barbuda, as the co-host of the Summit and the SIDS4 Conference, highlighted the newly launched SIDS Centre of Excellence and SIDS Global Data Hub, recognising the Local2030 Islands Network as a key stakeholder and implementing partner in establishing and mobilising SDG Dashboards. The United States announced an additional USD $5 million to support the implementation of network priorities that build climate resilience. In partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Ocean Foundation, the Network launched a Regenerative Tourism Catalyst Grants Program to support island communities in implementing regenerative tourism projects and approaches. The Network also rolled out the Virtual Island Platform, an island-led online space facilitated by the Local2030 Islands Network for technical training, community, workshops, networking, courses, and knowledge management of island solutions for sustainable development.
Innovation to Build Community Resilience
The roundtable discussion focused on innovation across the clean energy transition, ocean conservation, coastal zone management, water resilience and waste management (including desalination efforts), data capacity development, regeneration, youth engagement and the future of education, identifying these as key priorities for islands in the near term and for future generations, and underscoring the importance of partnerships for implementation.
The Leaders noted that island economies face increasing risks, particularly those in low-lying atolls, including food and water insecurity, sea-level rise, and increasing economic and trade disruption. They highlighted the challenge of prioritising resilience given financial shocks and multifaceted challenges across economic, social, and environmental sectors. The members discussed innovative finance as critical to building resilience and supporting adaptation efforts in islands, which requires rethinking traditional approaches. Some leaders suggested that oceans are a key asset-base with a clear economic value, which should open up new financial possibilities for SIDS given islands are custodians of roughly one-third of the world’s oceans. It was suggested that innovative mechanisms that have historically proven successful in SIDS be expanded, such as environmental levies and Conservation Trust Funds.
Peer-to-Peer Solutions
The Local2030 Islands Network hosts peer-to-peer Communities of Practice that champion locally driven, culturally appropriate solutions on topics related to Data for Climate Resilience, Sustainable and Regenerative Tourism, Clean and Resilient Energy Systems, and Resilient Water Systems in islands, which seek to elevate, celebrate, share, and scale island-led best practices for sustainable development. Members acknowledged the benefit of participating in the peer-to-peer technical discussions at the 2023 and 2024 Local2030 Islands Network’s Communities of Practice in Honolulu, Hawaii, supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
Members agreed that the Network’s Communities of Practice should continue to expand and further enable island collaboration, sharing of local solutions and alignment of local efforts with broader policy goals ensuring that the voices of island communities are reflected at the highest levels of government. Leaders suggested that islands provide innovative solutions to key challenges applicable not only to islands, but to the entire world. Leaders further noted that fora like the Local2030 Islands Network are essential to amplifying island solutions and leadership.
Network Growth and A Regenerative Future for Island Earth
Since the 2nd Islands Network Leaders Summit in September 2022, the Network welcomed new members including: Niue, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Seychelles, Saba, St. Eustatius, and St. Maarten as members, and the Union for the Mediterranean Center for Music Ecosystems, ICLEI, Caribbean Climate Adaptation Network, Greening the Islands Foundation, Smithsonian Institution, Climate Strong Islands Network, Kring of Coastal Engineers, and UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
Participants voiced support for the Local2030 Islands Network as a platform and space for partnerships and collaboration for the implementation of island-led resilience and prosperity by providing direct technical assistance, emphasising best practices related to localisation, resilience, and regeneration, and supporting public-private partnerships and strengthening data capacity as key enablers for transformation. It was further noted that the meeting outcomes will contribute to the implementation of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS) - a Declaration for Renewed Prosperity which highlights a new ambitious pathway for SIDS' sustainable development for the next ten years.
_____
Members:
H.E. Gaston Browne, Prime Minister, Antigua and Barbuda
H.E. Surangel S. Whipps Jr., President, Republic of Palau
Hon. Deb Haaland, Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, United States of America
Dr. Hon. Natalio D. Wheatley, Premier, British Virgin Islands
Hon. Gilmar Pisas, Prime Minister, Curaçao
Hon. Joshua Tenorio, Lieutenant Governor, Guam
Hon. Patrice Gumbs, Minister Plenipotentiary, Sint Maarten
H.E. Ambassador Fergal Mythen, Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations, Ireland
Mr. Edison Rijna, Special Envoy BES-islands to the EU, UN and Economic Development with Latin America and the Caribbean, Bonaire, Saba and Statia
HRH Prince Jaime de Bourbon de Parme, Climate Envoy, Netherlands
Ms Tina Stege, Climate Envoy, Republic of the Marshall Islands
Ms Ghislaine Nicolaas, Senior Policy Advisor of Foreign Affairs, Aruba
Partners:
Nicole LeBoeuf, Assistant Administrator for NOAA's National Ocean Service, US NOAA
Dr. Dawn Wright, Chief Scientist, Esri
Christopher Cocker, CEO, Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO)
Gianni Chianetta, Founder & Chair, Greening the Islands Foundation
Anne-Claire Goarant, Climate Change Manager, The Pacific Community (SPC)
Observers:
H.E. Feleti Penitala Teo, Prime Minister, Tuvalu
Hon. Dr. Ali Haidar Ahmed, Minister of Housing, Land and Urban Development, Maldives
H.E. Janine Felson, Deputy Permanent Representative of Belize to the United Nations, Belize
H.E. Sonya Koppe, High Commissioner, Australian High Commission, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Australia
H.E. Dr. Christophe Eick, Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, Special Envoy for Climate Issues in the Caribbean, Germany