Strategies to overcome barriers to the implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy in the Caribbean

Small island developing States (SIDS) are a special case in terms of environmental conservation and development. Many international meetings and conferences assisted SIDS in achieving the much needed recognition of their special circumstances and the severe challenges they face. In 1994, the United Nations Global Conference on Sustainable Development of SIDS resulted in the formulation of the Barbados Programme of Action (BPoA) which encompassed specific policies, actions and measures required at the national, regional and international levels over the short, medium and long term to address these special challenges. In 2005, the 10 year review of the BPoA took place, in Mauritius, where constraints associated with implementation of the BPoA were identified. The outcome of this review was the formulation of the Mauritius Strategy for Further Implementation of the Programme of Action for Small Island Developing States (MSI). A previous study by ECLAC, in 2006, identified challenges that SIDS may be encountering in the implementation of the BPoA and the MSI. The present study was conducted to further identify the barriers to their implementation and to propose strategies for their removal.