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Mr. Li Junhua, Secretary-General of the Fourth International Conference on SIDS,

Distinguished Members of the media,

Thank you for your participation at SIDS4.

It is wonderful to be in the Caribbean.

In fact, the very first SIDS conference was held in Barbados, 30 years ago.

The second SIDS conference took place in Mauritius in 2005 and the third one was hosted by Samoa.

We have come a full circle by returning to the Caribbean, here in the beautiful St. John’s, for the  SIDS4 Conference. 

For those of you who have been dealing with the SIDS issue for long – you are aware of the importance and relevance for a  stronger voice of SIDS  at the global stage.

SIDS often do not get the attention they deserve. Their existential threats do not feature on the front pages of the global news. 

The SIDS4 Conference has provided us with a once-in-a-decade opportunity to change this.

We must use this opportunity to put international attention and solidarity squarely on SIDS, and make a difference.

We must put a sharp spotlight on how the overlapping crises of COVID-19, climate emergency, and conflicts in different parts of the world are aggravating their preexisting challenges.

All of you gathered here today have an important role to play in this regard. 

We want you to take  the stories from here to the world.

Dear Colleagues,

Over the weekend, we had some major events, which brought together important stakeholders and brought to the fore many new ideas and perspectives.

There was a Children and Youth Action Summit from the 25th to the 26th of May. 

This brought together youth delegates to share their ideas and practical solutions for sustainable development in their island nations.

My office also convened the SIDS Global Business Network Forum, from the 25th to the 26th.

This Forum forged a new generation of private sector partnerships for the next decade of action for SIDS.

On the 26th, the Gender Equality Forum discussed the ways and means to place gender equality at the center of the new SIDS agenda.

Looking forward, on 28th of May, the United Nations Secretary-General will convene a meeting on resource mobilization for SIDS, which will be attended by international financial institutions, development banks, and major donors.

A high-level Private Sector Roundtable will take place on the same day. This would bring together leaders from the private sector, SIDS’ governments, and development partners. And they will discuss partnerships for building resilient island economies over the next decade.

And on 29th of May, the Civil Society Forum will rally civil society organizations to support the new SIDS Agenda. This will include contributions from NGOs, indigenous peoples, women's and youth groups, persons with disabilities, and academia.

In addition to the main plenary sessions of the conference, the next four days will see focused discussion during five Interactive Dialogues.  These will discuss opportunities for:

• revitalising SIDS economies,
• enhancing financing and aid effectiveness,
• climate financing,
• leveraging data and digital technologies, and
• investing in human capital.

In addition, the Conference features more than 200 side events organized by governments, civil society, the UN system, and other stakeholders.

To ensure that journalists from SIDS can participate in the conference, the “Voice the Future SIDS Journalism Campaign” sponsored the participation of a group of journalists from across the three island regions.

I congratulate those of you who were successful in the campaign.

Your presence and work are valuable as we chart together  a new pathway that helps SIDS nations to overcome their challenges and achieve their goals.

I take this opportunity to commend USG Li for his leadership, and  thank him and his team  for the exceptional collaboration and partnership in making this a landmark moment for these vulnerable countries.

I also convey my wholehearted thanks to our generous host, Antigua and Barbuda, for their warm hospitality and strong commitment to deliver  a successful conference.

Thank you.