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Distinguished Co-Chairs – 
Ambassador Ilana Victorya Seid, 
Ambassador Fergal Mythen, 
USG Li Junhua, 
Excellencies,
Distinguished Colleagues,

I thank the organizers for the invitation to speak at this important event.

This year, the Global Dialogue is taking place at a pivotal moment, right after the fourth International Conference on SIDS (SIDS4).

We can all celebrate a very successful Conference and landmark achievement of the Antigua & Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS). 

I take this opportunity to, once again, congratulate the host of the Conference, Antigua & Barbuda, for its visionary leadership.

 Now our focus must shift to implementation.

The ABAS outlines an ambitious roadmap for a prosperous and sustainable future for the SIDS.

It provides us with the tools to build strong, resilient economies in SIDS, including through the SIDS Center of Excellence. 

 
It also aims to ensure environmental protection and safeguard SIDS communities.

 
To achieve its critical objectives, the ABAS now requires enhanced global solidarity and multi-stakeholder partnerships.

 The ABAS advocates for new, innovative, and bold approaches to partnership, rooted in mutual collaboration and ownership, 
to achieve the ambitious milestones set by the ABAS.

And key to that would be strengthening the SIDS Partnership Framework and the SIDS Global Business Network and its Forum, as outlined in the ABAS.

Excellencies,

My Office is deeply honored to support the Steering Committee on Partnerships for SIDS together with UN DESA.

Since its establishment in 2015, we have worked closely with Member States to advocate for durable and genuine partnerships for SIDS.

My Office is committed to further enhancing our work in implementing the ABAS. 

Allow me to share a few specific thoughts:

Firstly, 

The private sector will be central to our approach.

OHRLLS is proud to spearhead the SIDS Global Business Network, serving as a platform to foster public-private partnerships that contribute to the ABAS.

We convened the SIDS Business Forum as a special event of the SIDS4 Conference, supported by the Governments of Denmark and Ireland.

At the Forum, we received invaluable insights from businesses and investment communities, as well as outcomes and recommendations which have been compiled into a matrix reflecting the private sector’s priorities for the next decade. 

This matrix will guide our efforts through the SIDS Global Business Network.

We will focus on developing specific workstreams, such as crafting a collective blue-green roadmap for SIDS, establishing an MSME fund, devising strategies to strengthen the business environment, and formulating a joint financing and investment framework for SIDS.

We will also mobilize the UN system to take leadership on relevant areas.

My Office remains dedicated to working closely with the co-chairs to strengthen the linkages between the Network and the SIDS Partnership Framework.

We also stand ready to support the Centre of Excellence, including the Island Investment Forum, to ensure linkages to the SIDS Global Business Network and its Forum.

Secondly, 

To achieve the ABAS, our focus must extend to partnerships at national and regional levels as well.

During the SIDS4 Conference, we launched the SIDS National Focal Points (NFP) Network Engagement Strategy as a step toward supporting the NFPs in fulfilling their roles in ABAS implementation over the next decade. 

Through this Engagement Strategy, we aim to integrate partnership efforts into national development plans, strategies, and relevant regional platforms to ensure coherence at all levels.

Finally,

Partnerships must be integrated in our efforts to monitor and evaluate implementation of the goals and targets outlined in ABAS.

This includes advancing key priorities, such as the multidimensional vulnerability index (MVI).

The Steering Committee of the SIDS Partnership Framework will play a crucial role in this endeavour.

Excellencies,

I conclude with a few words on the third UN SIDS Partnerships Awards ceremony which we are holding today.

It is indeed crucial to spotlight exemplary partnerships that can serve as models for other SIDS.

I extend my congratulations in advance to the winners.

I assure you of our continued support to this process and to the broader work of the Steering Committee, and to establishing and enhancing partnerships in SIDS across the board.

Let me rest it here.

Thank you.