Joy-Marie King Highlights SIDS Priorities at UN Sustainable Development Consultation in Ecuador

Antigua and Barbuda’s Director of International Trade and National Focal Point for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Joy-Marie King, has called for resilience and the vulnerabilities of small island states to guide sustainable development efforts.

King participated in the United Nations Global Sustainable Development Report 2027 Regional Consultation in Quito, Ecuador, from September 29 to October 1, 2026.

The meeting brought together sustainable development experts from Latin America and the Caribbean to contribute evidence, experiences and regional perspectives to the preparation of the report.

Convened alongside the International Mayors Forum 2026, the consultation included representatives of governments, the UN system, regional institutions, academia, civil society, youth organisations and national SDG coordination bodies.

In her presentation, King emphasised that Small Island Developing States must move beyond acknowledging their vulnerabilities and use evidence to guide practical action.

“For Small Island Developing States, transformative development must be anchored in resilience and informed by the realities of our vulnerability,” she said.

King urged the use of evidence to shape policy, mobilise appropriate financing and accelerate implementation.

She also highlighted the importance of aligning the Sustainable Development Goals, the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS and national development priorities. Such alignment, she said, offers a pathway to turn global commitments into meaningful outcomes, make better use of limited resources and strengthen resilience across economic sectors.

Participants examined successful approaches to SDG implementation and the barriers preventing effective initiatives from being expanded. Discussions covered governance, sustainable financing, science, technology, innovation, collective action and institutional capacity.

The working sessions also addressed education and skills, accountability, inequalities and policy trade-offs, while considering priorities for sustainable development towards 2030 and beyond.

Antigua and Barbuda’s participation brought the experiences of a Small Island Developing State into the regional dialogue and supported its engagement in efforts to advance the 2030 Agenda.

King stressed that understanding which approaches work in different contexts, and why, is essential to strengthening links between science, policy and society and accelerating sustainable development.