Participation of Shamila Nair-Bedouelle, assistance director-general for Natural Sciences at UNESCO, during the SIDS-UNESCO meeting about the challenges of freshwater resilience, New York, 27 September 2019.
Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) are at the forefront of climate change. Strengthening their resilience has been a priority for UNESCO for more than 30 years. On the UN General Assembly’s day dedicated to SIDS, UNESCO and the governments of Saint-Kitts-and-Nevis, São Tomé and Príncipe and Seychelles focused on SIDS’ specific needs and challenges regarding water quality, wetland conservation and water availability in these vulnerable territories. The resilience of SIDS depends on multi-stakeholder commitments to cooperative action among governments, scientists and local populations.