International Year of Small Island Developing States – 2014:

2014 has been designated by the United Nations General Assembly as the "International Year of Small Island Developing States".

The resolution "encourages all Member States, the United Nations system and all other stakeholders to take advantage of the Year to promote actions at all levels, including through international, regional and sub regional cooperation, as appropriate, aimed at the achievement of sustainable development of Small Island developing States."

The International Year of Small Island Developing states, declared in the 2012 General Assembly resolution A/RES/67/206, aims to promote the achievement of sustainable development of Small Island developing States. The Year will coincide with the 2014 Conference on Small Island Developing States in Apia, Samoa.

www.sids2014.org

Seychelles is also at the forefront of many initiatives for Small Developing Island States.  The Western Indian Ocean- Coastal Challenge was first proposed by the President of Seychelles, President James Michel, when he called on the countries in the region to commit to actions based on a shared long-term vision.

WIO-CC logo

WIO-CC is a regional initiative through which governments in the Western Indian Ocean take on bold steps and commitments to address the unavoidable impacts of climate change and sea level rise on its people and natural resource and promote ecosystem-based adaptation strategies. The objective of this systems approach is to increase resilience and maintain essential ecosystems services while at the same time reducing the vulnerability of the people, their livelihoods and nature in the face of climate change.

http://glispa.org

President Michel also initiated the Global Island Partnership (GLISPA) in 2005 in Mauritius.

GLISPA promotes action for island conservation and sustainable livelihoods by inspiring leadership, catalyzing commitments and facilitating collaboration. The WIOCC will be promoted through GLISPA. In July this year, Seychelles hosted the AIMS meeting, where President Michel demanded a fair deal for SIDS.