It’s no secret that small island developing states, or SIDS, are facing serious challenges: rising seas, drought, and unsustainable levels of debt. This week, heads of state and government and high-level representatives met in Saint John’s, Antigua and Barbuda, at the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States to review our progress toward sustainable development and agree on an agenda for the next decade.
The gap to achieve key sustainable development goals is widening, which is inextricably linked to increasingly severe climate change impacts. According to the United Nations, the total public debt for small island developing states stands at approximately $82 billion.
From 1970 to 2020, small islands lost $153 billion due to weather, climate, and water-related hazards. To recover from climate change impacts, governments are forced to take loans at exorbitant rates, perpetuating a crippling debt cycle that pushes them further down the ladder of development.
About the author
Rueanna Haynes@Rueanna_Haynes
Rueanna Haynes is an expert in international climate law and governance and the director of Climate Analytics Caribbean. She has a strong background in multilateral environmental negotiations, having been a lead negotiator for CARICOM, AOSIS, and G77 and China in climate and sustainable development. Her negotiations experience also includes the Sustainable Development Goals, Financing for Development, the Convention on the Law of the Sea, as well as the SIDS sustainable development process.
