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Barbados+10 Mauritius ‘05. http://portal.unesco.org/islandsBplus10. “The world’s small island developing states are front-line zones where, in concentrated form, many of the main problems of environment and development are unfolding.”. Mr Kofi Annan. Limitations of small islands
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Barbados+10Mauritius ‘05 http://portal.unesco.org/islandsBplus10
“The world’s small island developing states are front-line zones where, in concentrated form, many of the main problems of environment and development are unfolding.” Mr Kofi Annan Limitations of small islands • Size and relative isolation • Vulnerability to natural disasters • Climate change - sea level rise • Limited resources • Impact of tourism, etc
Vulnerabilities • Environmental • Social • Economic • Cultural Often impacting whole island countries or territories
Mauritius International Meeting (MIM) • Review and plan further implementation of 1994 BPoA for the sustainable development of SIDS. • 18 Presidents, Vice-Presidents and Prime Ministers, some 60 ministers and nearly 2,000 delegates, civil society representatives and journalists from 114 countries and 15 UN or multilateral agencies • Paul Bérenger, Prime Minister of Mauritius -- President of MIM
UNESCO’s Preparations for MIM • Background: 32 C/Res.48 (October 2003) • Dedicated cross-sectoral web-site (http://portal.unesco.org/islandsBplus10) • Informal open planning meetings. Monthly, starting May 2003 • Meetings of high-level, intersectoral Working Groups on SIDS
UNESCO’s Preparations for MIM • Small-island dossiers: ‘New Courier’, ‘A World of Science’, DESD Information Brief • Small Islands Voice activities, publications, internet forum • Island Agenda 2004+ / Agenda pour les îles – 2004 et après
UNESCO’s contributions to MIM • Plenary Panel on Culture • Youth Visioning special event • Small Islands Voice side event • Ocean and Coastal Management partnership event • Civil Society Forum support • ‘Lest We Forget’ exhibition • Media coverage • Information materials
Plenary Panel:‘Role of Culture in the Sustainable Development of SIDS’ • Organized under leadership of Culture Sector. 11 January • Planned with view to examining the broad, holistic definition of culture embraced by UNESCO • Moderator and five panellists provided overview of importance of culture for the sustainable development of SIDS Video 1min. 26sec.
Areas for priority action include: • Involve communities in policy-making to safeguard their cultural heritage • Improve the management of cultural and natural heritage sites • Teach and transmit traditional community values and associated local and indigenous knowledge in basic education • Invest in cultural industries to generate new and indigenous forms of employment and exports
Youth Visioning for Island Living • 96 young people from 31 SIDS and six island territories with other affiliations • Discussing their perceptions and aspirations for the future of their islands • Supported by various host country, regional and international partners, besides UNESCO Video 1min. 13sec.
Youth commitments for follow-up work • Life and Love in Islands – island lifestyles and cultures (17 projects) • My Island Home – safeguarding island environments (15 projects) • Money in my pocket – economic and employment opportunities (11 projects)
Koïchiro Matsuura and Kofi Annan, Youth Visioning closing ceremony
Outcomes of Mauritius Meeting Two principal negotiated outputs • 30-page Mauritius Strategy • 23-paragraph Mauritius Declaration
Mauritius Strategy Calls for action in many fields related to UNESCO’s programmes and priorities • Sea-level change • Freshwater resources • Biodiversity conservation • Land resources • Renewable energy • Coastal and marine resources • Natural disasters • HIV-AIDS
Education for sustainable development • Knowledge management • Information and communication technologies • Traditional knowledge • Youth • Gender • Culture and cultural identity • Tangible and intangible cultural heritage • Cultural industries and so on
Mauritius Declaration • Reaffirms continued validity of the BPoA as “blueprint providing the fundamental framework for the sustainable development of small island developing States” • Further reaffirms that SIDS continue to be a ‘special case’ for sustainable development • Recognizes that particular attention should be given to building resilience in SIDS
Mauritius Declaration • Mentions issues such as women and youth, conservation of island and marine biodiversity, the importance of cultural identity, HIV/AIDS, and commits to timely implementation of the Mauritius Strategy • “Also expresses appreciation for the efforts of the United Nations and its specialized agencies in helping to advance the sustainable development of small island developing states, and invites them to strengthen their support to the Mauritius Strategy through enhanced coherence and coordination”