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United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
Register here for the side-event
Small island economies, in particular SIDS but also other island states, have been among those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Often highly dependent on tourism as the driver of the economy, these countries have shown high levels of fragility as the sector had no means to function in the face of travel restrictions. As everywhere else, short-term response prioritized public health concerns. The pandemic has however been seen by a number of SIDS as an opportunity to rethink their development pathway. Doing long-term development planning old way is not enough.
The use of system-thinking inspired methodologies as part of strategic foresight can be valuable in helping leverage SDG interlinkages, identify high-impact policies, and define a pathway to make the economies more sustainable and resilient while advancing social and environmental objectives. In addition, the development of a strategy is not a solution in itself if it is not accompanied by governance mechanisms that enable cross-sector collaboration and more coherent approach to the design and implementation of policies.
The main objective of the side event will be to show-case the development of long-term strategies as transformative tools and discuss the application of integrated planning approaches for the SDGs by SIDS facing high levels of vulnerability to climate change, international economic environment, dependence on tourism, food imports and ocean economies, and limited land availability. The session will promote the sharing of experiences between countries on sustainable development trajectories reconciling short-term, medium-term and long-tern objectives and turning their characteristic challenges into opportunities. It will include two country examples with presentations by the Governments of Seychelles and Mauritius, as well as the sharing of experience on how UN can also provide more coherent support to the implementation of the SDGs at the country level.
