It’s the largest and arguably the most significant event ever hosted by the twin island nation.
The United Nations’ highly anticipated small island developing states – or SIDS – conference is now just over a week away.
The four-day event will bring several thousand people, including many world leaders, to Antigua, according to the latest estimates.
Earlier today, Observer spoke to the country’s deputy permanent representative to the UN Tumasie Blair about the final preparations underway.
“Right now, the focus is getting the final touches on the conference facilities and the grounds ready. We have completed most of the policy on the pin-ins, all of the policy work that will govern the conference, and so now it’s more or less the aesthetics of the conference facilities and the grounds. I would say that we have perhaps more than 90% completed the inside preparations of the conference. The delegation seats are already in. All of the technology and equipment are currently being installed. And so right now, you would see from the outside, the focus is ensuring that the grounds are prepared, the parking areas, the planting of the trees, and so forth.”
Blair told us more about the sheer scale of the event.
“There are perhaps close to 25 heads of state and government attending SIDS4 and then we have perhaps 40 plus ministers between foreign ministers, ministers of environment, ministers of sustainable development. At our last counting total of delegates we are nearing close to 3,500 delegates already registered and around 20% of registrations will take place once a conference open and so if we add an additional 20% then we’re looking at a number close to 4,000.”
That number also includes heads of many regional and international organisations.
While the conference will be livestreamed, delegates can only participate by attending in person.
Blair was tight-lipped on precisely who some of the heavyweight visitors will be, citing security reasons, but he told us a wide range of officials from both developing and developed countries will be among them.
We also asked him what was likely to dominate discussions – and how confident organisers are that the summit will result in meaningful action.
“I think the climate, of course, climate issues would dominate most of the discussions. There is this understanding that climate change is the greatest threat to SIDS. And so you would hear most of our leaders pronounce, if not all of our leaders be pronouncing on the issue surrounding climate change. But of course, the issue of access to finance and ensuring that we have enough demobilization of resources for SIDS. We have negotiated the outcome document for SIDS 4. It is called the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS. We have put forward some very robust deliverables for SIDS. There are deliverables regarding climate finance, regarding resource mobilization for SIDS. We are establishing the SIDS Center of Excellence. And we are putting forward a SIDS debt sustainability support service initiative. Coming out of SIDS 4, there is an expectation from our end that within the next 10 years, that SIDS will be able to achieve some level of resilience going forward.”