Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey has called for countries to support the Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) to make better progress by resolving the knock-on effects of the multiple, cascading and increasingly entrenched global crises that have deepened the unique vulnerabilities of SIDS.
SIDS are a distinct group of 39 States and 18 Associate Members of United Nations regional commissions that face unique social, economic and environmental vulnerabilities.
The aggregate population of all the SIDS according to the United Nations is 65 million, slightly less than 1% of the world’s population, yet this group faces unique social, economic, and environmental challenges.
Facing a host of challenges including for many, their remote geography, many small island developing states face high import and export costs for goods as well as irregular international traffic volumes yet, they must rely on external markets for many goods due to the narrow resource base.
Addressing participants at the 4th International Conference on Small Islands Developing States in Antigua under the theme “Charting the Course Toward Resilient Prosperity.” madam Ayorkor Botchwey indicated that a large number of SIDS share a common ancestry with Africa and added that the success of SIDS would be the success of the entire globe.
According to her, Ghana was committed to the fight of the SIDS because it was right, and necessary and also because Ghana has the moral duty to do so, as the Chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum.
The three-day conference which began on Monday, May 27 and will end on Thursday, May 30, 2024, is expected to bring together the international community to review SIDS’ sustainable development progress and propose a new decade of partnerships and solutions to supercharge their path to resilient prosperity.
Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey also held bilateral meetings with the President of Nauru, H.E. David Adeang, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives, H.E. Moosa Zameer, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Labour and Trade of Tuvalu, H.E. Paulson Panapa, the Minister of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change of Mauritius, H.E. Kavydass Ramano and the Minister for Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communications (MEIDECC) of Tonga, H.E. FekitamoeloaKatoa Utoikamanu.
During the meetings, Hon. Ayorkor Botchwey discussed issues of the Commonwealth and shared her vision for the organization.
