SIDS4 draft outcome document lacks depth regarding equitable development financing

Photo credit: Stefanie Lauchman. Retrieved from climatetrackercaribbean.org

The Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are gearing up to attend the fourth SIDS conference in Antigua & Barbuda. According to Albert Ramdin, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business & International Cooperation (BIBIS) in Suriname, the issue of equitable development financing should certainly be a high priority on the agenda. Ramdin was supported in this stance by Rueanna Haynes, a specialist in international climate legislation and Director of Climate Analytics Caribbean. According to Haynes, the draft text of the outcome document for SIDS4, called the Antigua & Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS), lacks depth in addressing the issue of equitable development financing.

Ramdin argued that SIDS have been sidelined for a long time compared to the rest of the world but are now fulfilling an increasingly significant role.

“Therefore, during the SIDS4 conference, a new direction must be developed for the small economies of the world,” he stated.