Caribbean Consultations on Post 2015 and SIDS 2014 Lara Blanco, Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP Barbados and the OECS

Challenges facing Small Island Developing States: Hard core vulnerability  Natural hazards and climate change  Small size and openness  Changing demographic patterns  Increasing levels of unemployment and under- employment  Dependence on fossil fuels  Ongoing loss of experienced skilled professionals to larger countries  Rising food prices and growing dependence on food imports to meet domestic needs  Limited progress in developing and deploying science and technology to address common development challenges  Loss of social cohesion and rising criminal activity and drug use

The Global Post-2015 and SIDS 2014 Timelines Key Activities and Opportunities for Advocacy UN MDG Summit September 2010 Rio + 20 June 2012 UNDG consultations August 2012 Ongoing global, regional and national consultations MDG Special Event of the President of the General Assembly September 2013 Discussions on report of the Open Working Group to the General Assembly February/March 2014 UNDG Task Team Report July 2012 Ministerial Level Event May 2015 High Level summit on Post September th General Assembly September th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (focus on MDGs) March th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (focus on Post-2015) March rd International SIDS Conference September 2014

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Caribbean Consultations on Post-2015 and SIDS 2014 Agendas Country level consultations have taken place on the Post-2015 and SIDS agendas,  Post-2015 country level consultations in Grenada, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica. These were led by Government, with participation of civil society and experts.  Country Level SIDS preparatory meetings have been convened by all countries, except Haiti.  In some cases the two processes were merged (Grenada);

Country consultations  Diverse. Variations in methodology and scope of consultations.  Participatory processes, within constraints (time, resources, opportunity).  Ministries of Finance/Planning led Post  Ministries of Environment, Foreign Affairs and Planning involved in SIDS 2014.

Concept Note (Baselines, MDG achievements and challenges, SIDS agenda) Preliminary and preparatory meetings (Advisory Committee, ECPDG) Public launching of consultation process Online consultations Thematic and local consultations Sub-regional and SIDS outreach Validation National/Subregional report Dissemination 1 Day consultation on both Post 2015 and SIDS St. Lucia Grenada

Caribbean Consultations on Post-2015 and SIDS 2014 Agendas Regionally:  Meetings took place in Bogota, Colombia; Guadalajara, Mexico (Latin America and the Caribbean participants);  SIDS Regional Meeting in Kingston, Jamaica (July 2013);  SIDS Inter-regional meeting in Barbados on the August;  Follow-up meetings in NY to finalize Outcome Document

Now that the consultation process has come to an end:  Abundance of information Risk of getting lost in translation Missing the opportunity of being strategic (need to extrapolate results to the nature of the international discussions) Temptation to ignore the results of the country level consultations

Results of National Consultations St. Lucia at-a-Glance  Provide relevant and quality education with a greater emphasis on providing technical vocational training opportunities especially for women and youth.  Foster more inclusive governance structures and strengthen the government’s capacity for the provision of services.  Promote Inclusive and Child-centred Education Reforms.  Expand and diversify the labor market and the population’s ability to access decent jobs, with special focus on youth.  Improve the quality and accessibility of health services.  Promote environmentally responsible planning and foster sustainability goals.  Provide quality services for the care and protection of persons with disadvantages, such as children, elderly, disabled and single, female headed households.  Provide a safe and secure environment for citizens to function optimally in their communities.

Jamaica at-a-Glance  Encourage citizen support for local agricultural produce over imports  Provide tax incentives for activities which support a Green Economy, including renewable energy  Reduce discriminatory practices which disadvantage women in the workplace  Ensure equal pay for equal work among men and women  Adopt mechanisms for inclusive participation in governance  Reform the political system towards greater efficiency, greater accountability and greater transparency, particularly in relation to government expenditures  Provide training for members of the security forces which focus on values and attitudes that promote equitable and respectful treatment of all citizens  Reduce reliance on foreign aid, including in technical assistance by building local capacities

Trinidad and Tobago at-a-Glance  The elimination of gender based violence should be a stand alone and sustainable development goal  Support good governance to reduce corruption, political victimisation and nepotism  Create decent employment and livelihood opportunities for young people, ensuring that there are equal opportunities for young people with disabilities  Ensure equal access for boys and girls to unbiased, age-appropriate, culturally sensitive sexual and reproductive health information and services  Reassess social values and education towards attracting and engaging youth in agriculture  Invest in advocacy for the social inclusion of elderly persons  Facilitate universal health coverage and reduce out of pocket expenditures for socio-economically marginalised groups

Grenada at-a-Glance  Reduce the burden of Chronic Non Communicable Diseases (CNCDs)  Adopt systems and technologies to improve data collection, analysis and use in health service provision  Mainstream the newer theme of green economy and poverty eradication versus the traditional theme of sustainable development and poverty alleviation  Revise and rationalize the Social Security System  Examine land ownership, earning potential  Control gender based violence  Address the debt burden i.e. determine how to manage debt and how to successfully obtain debt forgiveness from global partners  Identify the jobs and skills needed at the national level, and adapt training methodologies to enable labour force participation

Suriname at-a-Glance: Challenges to Sustainable Development  Clear policies and legislation are lacking  Collaboration and integration of development efforts are needed at all levels i.e international, national and local  Lack of an integrated land use and management system: consequences include infringements on the rights of indigenous and maroon groups  Producers of waste and consumers are not motivated to participate in effective waste management  Short term 5 year national plans on sustainable development change with each new government administration

Regional Priorities: Bogota and Kingston Outcomes  Prioritise social integration policies: for reducing inequalities  Address barriers to sustainable consumption & production: emphasising that developed countries must take the lead  Address challenges posed to development by globalisation and market driven reforms  Promote a Sustainable Debt Framework for acceleration of commitments on debt relief  Recognise that classification of Caribbean SIDS as middle and high income countries limits access to vital concessionary & development financing  Address high unemployment among women and youth in particular, & resulting migration & brain drain  Emphasise that international action on climate change remains slow and is not commensurate with the scope of the problem  Affirm that the use of the GDP as a measurement of development masks persistent development challenges related to SIDS vulnerabilities

UNDG post-2015 consultations: The cumulative numbers and results  Unprecedented engagement in shaping a new development agenda:  Over 1 million people have participated in thinking about a new development agenda  88 countries have reached out to those not usually included in global debates  Driving towards consensus and ownership of the new agenda

GRULAC Discussions: Procedural convergence  Roadmap (OWG, Committee of Experts on SD Finance, HLPF)  Regional engagement  National level engagement  Civil Society engagement Conceptual convergence  Looking at the metrics of poverty, beyond GDP  Inclusivity and equality, human rights based approach  Addressing the structural challenges (including special needs for SIDS), the systemic issues of Monterrey, and governance…  Using Rio+20 and Monterrey (including ODA commitments) as a starting point  Bottom-up and integrative approaches  New commitments to engaging Civil Society  Universality  Making use of GRULAC as a Lab to demonstrate synergies between poverty eradication and SD  Avoid the sector/silo approach

12 SIDS have carried out post-2015 consultations  Priorities coming up show historical SIDS´ concerns (resilience, Geophysical constraints, energy patterns) along with emerging issues such as access to quality social protection, education guarantees, violence and weak institutions  Climate change and environmental threats posed an existential risk, with the grim prospect of environmental refugees looming large due to rising sea levels and shifting coastlines Reports feed into the preparation processes for the 2014 SIDS Conference

The 5 UN commissioned reports  They are coherent and complementary. They reflect a high degree of convergence on key issues such as:  Complete the unfinished job of the MDGs  Universality of the post/2015 agenda with one set of goals  Ending poverty in the context of sustainable development  Institutions, good governance, peace and security  Addressing inequalities  Positioning of women’s empowerment and gender issues  Environmental sustainability with climate change as a priority  Some nuances as well. Examples:  HLP illustrative goals: End poverty  SDSN proposed SDGs: End extreme poverty including hunger  UN Global Compact SDGs: End poverty and increase productivity via inclusive economic growth

Consensus around climate change The commissioned reports underscore its importance:  HLP report: ”Above all, climate change will determine whether or not we can deliver on our ambitions”  SDSN: “Climate change is no longer a future threat but a stark current reality”  UN Global compact: “Business leaders recognize that a sustainability agenda must have global aspirations – as climate change, […]”

Opportunities and next steps Open Working Group will discuss SIDS and climate change issues:  Sixth Session (December) will focus on needs of countries in special situations, LDCs, landlocked developing countries and SIDS  Seventh Session (January 2014) on sustainable cities and human settlements, sustainable consumption and production, and climate change and disaster risk reduction Inter-Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Third International Conference on SIDS

Inter-Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Third International Conference on SIDS Outcome Document SIDS priorities for the post-2015 development agenda Post-2015 development agenda should build on the outcome of the Samoa Conference and takes into consideration the need for the full implementation of the BPOA, MSI and the outcome of the Samoa Conference. Support SIDS to effectively participate in the global process for the design of the post development agenda.

Inter-Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Third International Conference on SIDS Outcome Document Call for a post-2015 development agenda that places sustainable development at its core, and that promotes prosperity for all SIDS: people-centred and that focuses on eradicating poverty, engendering equality, and achieving environmental sustainability. Sustainable resources management in the context of land, water and food security, agriculture, and biodiversity is a critically important consideration that deserves to be supported as it encompasses the political, social economic and environment dimensions of the post-2015 development agenda. The need for land for agriculture, food and water security and economic and social development must be balanced with the need for ecosystem conservation and biodiversity preservation SIDS recognize their critical need to address the emerging health crisis represented by NCDs and call for health issues to feature prominently in the post-2015 Development Agenda. Elaboration of appropriate indices which better reflect the vulnerability of SIDS and guide them to adopt more informed policies and strategies for building and sustaining long-term resilience.

Inter-Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Third International Conference on SIDS Outcome Document Establishment of a robust global monitoring system would strengthen accountability at al levels and ensure adequate and timely analysis of the implementation of the BPOA and MSI, as well as the outcome of the Samoa Conference, as an integral part of the post development agenda. The post-2015 development agenda must therefore, where appropriate, include clear targets and indicators in this area that are relevant and meaningful to SIDS. Support for the ongoing processes in follow-up to the Rio+20 Conference and in OWG on SDGs and the Intergovernmental Committee on Financing for Sustainable Development. Inclusion of climate change as a cross-cutting issue in the elaboration of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. Oceans are a thematic priority and should be prominently reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals and the post-2015 agenda, including through consideration of a thematic Sustainable Development Goal.

International Year of SIDS:  Build momentum leading up to the Conference but also to more generally to mobilize international interest and support for sustainable development in SIDS countries,  Highlight the achievement and resiliency of SIDS efforts in overcoming their unique development challenges  Celebrate the rich cultural heritage and their contributions to the global community. “ We look to the first International Year of SIDS in 2014 to raise awareness and galvanize action on behalf of an agenda that fulfills our development aspirations and unleashes the potential of SIDS people, especially the youth as the leaders of tomorrow”

26 Thank You!