Outcome of the BPOA+5

On 27 - 28 September 1999, the 22nd Special Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGASS-22) undertook a comprehensive review and appraisal of the implementation of the BPOA. The Special Session adopted the “State of Progress and Initiatives for the Future Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of SIDS,” which identified six problem areas in need of urgent attention

• Climate change: adapting to climate change and rising sea levels, which could submerge some low-lying island nations;
• Natural and environmental disasters and climate variability: improving preparedness for and recovery from natural and environmental disasters;
• Freshwater resources: preventing worsening shortages of freshwater as demand grows;
• Coastal and marine resources: protecting coastal ecosystems and coral reefs from pollution and over-fishing;
• Energy: developing solar and renewable energy to lessen dependence on expensive imported oil;
• Tourism: managing tourism growth to protect the environment and cultural integrity.

 

Means of implementation

In addition to these priority areas, the Special Session highlighted the need to focus on means of implementation through: sustainable development strategies; capacity building; resource mobilization and finance; globalization and trade liberalization; transfer of environmentally sound technology; a vulnerability index; information management through strengthening the SIDS Network; and international cooperation and partnership. The Special Session also adopted a declaration in which member States, inter alia, reaffirmed the principles of, and their commitment to, sustainable development as embodied in Agenda 21, the Barbados Declaration and the BPOA.