Eye on Island Issues - Development Stories and SIDS4

Background

The 4th International SIDS Conference is scheduled for May 27 -30. It is a once-in-a-decade conference that brings together the islands of the world, development partners and island decision-makers to decide on how to work on solving the development challenges of islands. Many times, media from islands are under resourced and underequipped to focus on important development stories. Journalists may not have specialist knowledge of the development challenges and opportunities and therefore, cannot bring them to the public’s attention.

United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC Caribbean) and the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) have prepared a campaign to highlight #SIDSStories: Imagine a World Without Islands. SIDS find themselves in the throes of multiple crises, from the devastating climate crisis, and escalating debt, to the consequences of their small size and economies, remoteness and limited access to finance. The campaign educates on key SIDS concepts and highlights the oversized impact that islands and island people have on the world stage. “Imagine a World Without Islands” campaign Hands Megaphone to Island People Ahead of SIDS4 Conference | CEPAL

Objective

1. To raise awareness of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and the fact that they face existential challenges
2. To raise awareness among Caribbean journalists about the upcoming SIDS4 Conference in Antigua and Barbuda
3. To reinforce the importance of telling stories of Caribbean development, challenges and opportunities to the world, from our own perspective
4. Give media the opportunity to attend the event and get a SIDS development story out of the webinar