Second Preparatory Webinar for the SIDS Global Business Network Forum 2024

Registration

Register here now.

Background

The next SIDS-GBN Forum will take place in 2024, the same year as the fourth International Conference on SIDS. At the fourth Conference, a new Programme of Action for SIDS will be adopted to guide a new agenda for sustainable development in SIDS. Both the Conference and the Forum have preparatory processes that are running up until the events take place.

This provides a unique opportunity to review the first decade of the SIDS-GBN and set the direction for its next decade. It also allows for the GBN to feed into discussions on the new SIDS agenda. The parallel processes also make it possible for the GBN to hear from the private sector on the new SIDS agenda. The outcomes of the SIDS-GBN Forum will also be brought into the SIDS4 Conference where it will guide discussions at the Private Sector Roundtable.

As part of the preparatory process of the SIDS-GBN Forum 2024, OHRLLS will organize a series of preparatory webinars and consultations to gather stakeholders to discuss priorities and thematic areas for the Forum.

Objectives

The objectives of the meetings are to:

• Inform the private sector on the SIDS4 process and the SIDS-GBN Forum 2024 process.
• Explore with the private sector how their priorities could align with the sustainable development of SIDS in the coming decade.
• Identify stakeholders’ priorities for thematic areas at the SIDS-GBN Forum 2024 and the private sector roundtable at SIDS4.
• Provide recommendations on how SIDS can better build public-private partnerships that contribute to their sustainable development and the new SIDS agenda.
• Share best practices of public-private partnerships that contribute to the sustainable development of SIDS and can be showcased at the SIDS4 Conference.

Webinar 2

-- ‘Blueprints for Success: Harnessing Blue-Green Economies in Small Island Developing States’

The second webinar takes a deep dive into the development of the blue-green economy in SIDS and underscores the pivotal roles of capacity building and investment with case studies on the following areas:

• Blue Economy: The vast marine resources surrounding SIDS hold enormous potential, from sustainable fisheries to marine renewable energy. The webinar will explore how capacity building can harness these opportunities while attracting investment via public-private partnerships.
• Green Economy: SIDS offer diverse possibilities in agriculture, biodiversity conservation, green energy, circular economy and responsible resource management. The session will delve into strategies for sustainable land use, emphasizing the importance of nature-based solutions driven by public-private partnerships.
• Maritime decarbonization: Most SIDS economies are deeply dependent on the shipping sector, a sector which is responsible for 3 percent of global GHG emissions. The session will present how green shipping corridors through private-public partnerships can unlock benefits for countries, accelerating the development of alternative fuel production, enabling knowledge and technology collaboration, building local capacity and creating green jobs.

Programme

Concept Note

Download the concept note here.

Presentations

• Mr. Olsen Vaafusuaga, Lalotalie Environmental and Adventure Tours, Samoa 

• Ms. Therese Turner-Jones, Director, Projects, Caribbean Development Bank 

• Mr. Rajiv Ramlugon, Group Chief Sustainability Officer, Omnicane, Mauritius 

• Ms. Mira Bergem, Maersk McKinney Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, Copenhagen