Antigua and Barbuda is paving the way for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to achieve a resilient and prosperous future.

At the United Nations Headquarters earlier this week, the country presented two innovative initiatives to Member States that aim to provide the necessary support and mechanisms for SIDS to overcome their significant challenges and achieve sustainable development.

The first initiative, the Centre of Excellence, is a direct response to the unique vulnerabilities of SIDS and is based on three key pillars – a Global Data Hub, an Innovation and Technology Mechanism, and the Island Investment Forum.

The Centre of Excellence will be launched at the 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States, SIDS4, and is expected to be a game-changer in the way SIDS are treated.

It leverages human capacity to create solutions for diverse issues arising from unique vulnerabilities.

According to the Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Tumasie Blair, the Centre of Excellence will provide an empowering mechanism to help SIDS build resilience from external shocks and create their own solutions to challenges they face.

The second initiative, the SIDS Debt Sustainability Support Services, is an innovative response to the increasing debt burden faced by SIDS.

The initiative aims to rid SIDS of their debt burdens by establishing a broad-based Strategic Advisory Group, co-chaired by Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister and the President of the Maldives.

The advisory group will include representatives from International Financial Institutions, Multilateral Development Banks, regional development banks, the private sector, civil society, academic institutions, think tanks, and leading global economists, lawyers, debt experts, and development planners.

The SIDS Debt Sustainability Support Services will also be launched at the SIDS4 Conference and is envisioned as an inclusive and ambitious capacity-building solution.

This initiative will enable SIDS to take care of their basic needs for economic and social development, despite the limitations imposed by their debt burden.

Antigua and Barbuda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Walton Webson, expressed his profound appreciation for the support that the two initiatives are already receiving from major development stakeholders.

Antigua and Barbuda’s revolutionary approaches are expected to put SIDS on track to securing a resilient and prosperous future.