Small Island Developing States Solutions Platform Concept Note

SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES SOLUTIONS PLATFORM CONCEPT NOTE

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SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES SOLUTIONS PLATFORM CONCEPT NOTE

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Apia, 2021 Required citation: FAO. 2021. Small Island Developing States solutions platform: Concept note. Apia.

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1.Introduction...... 1 1.1. Context...... 1 1.2. Existing knowledge exchange platforms serving SIDS...... 4

2. The SIDS Solution Platform...... 5 2.1. Objective...... 5 2.2. Rationale...... 5 2.3. Modality...... 5 2.4. Ownership...... 6 2.5. Opportunities and risks...... 6 2.6. Sustainability...... 6

3. The First SIDS Solutions Forum: 2021...... 7 3.1 Overview...... 7 3.2. Theme...... 7 3.3. Objective of the 2021 forum...... 7 3.4. Rationale for choosing digitalization and innovation...... 8 3.5. Challenges of digitalization and innovation...... 8 3.6. Planning the 2021 forum...... 9 3.7. Audience of the 2021 forum...... 9 3.8. Post forum activities...... 10 4. Timeline for Key Milestones...... 12 References...... 13 1.Introduction

1.1 Context

During the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, The 39 SIDS are spread across three global Brazil, the United Nations (UN) declared that regions including Africa, Indian Ocean, development partners should consider Small Mediterranean And South China Sea (AIMS); Island Developing States (SIDS) as a particular the Caribbean; and Pacific regions (FAO, 2021). case because of their unique development The AIMS region is home to eight SIDS context (UN, 1992). including Cabo Verde, Comoros, Guinea-Bissau, Maldives, Mauritius, Sao Tome and Principe, Nine years later in 2001, the UN created its Seychelles and Singapore; while the Caribbean Office of the High Representative for the Least region is home to the majority of SIDS totaling Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing 16. These include Antigua and Barbuda, Countries and Small Island Developing States Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, (UN-OHRLLS) to mobilize international support Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, and advocate in favor of these countries. UN- Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, OHRLLS classifies 38 countries as SIDS based Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, on remoteness from world markets, high and Trinidad and Tobago. The Pacific region is exposure and vulnerability to climate change, home to the second largest number of SIDS, and fragile natural environments (2021). which include Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States Many UN agencies accede to this classification; of), Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, however, based on membership nuances, for Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, example, FAO (2021) and UNESCO (2021) Tuvalu and Vanuatu. include Cook Islands – an associate member of UN-OHRLLS – thereby increasing their coverage to 39 SIDS. n a h g a l l a C . T /

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P A G E 1 SIDS are characterized by small populations The development potential in SIDS therefore lies and numerous atolls that are thinly spread mainly in optimizing tourism, fisheries, across vast bodies of water. For example, in the agriculture and entrepreneurship. With the Pacific, Tuvalu has a population of about 11 advent of the Internet, many developing 000, while, Fiji, the second most populous countries, specifically in Asia, have drawn on country after Papua New Guinea has a the power of innovation and digitalization to population of 889 953 (World Bank, 2019) optimize tourism, fisheries, agriculture, etc… to inhabiting 110 of its 330 islands (Mapsland, advance social and economic development. 2021). In the AIMS region, only 194 of Maldives' 1,192 islands are inhabited; with 71 percent of Current levels of agricultural production and them having populations of 1 000 or fewer and a value chain development are low in many SIDS, land area of each being less than 50 hectares particularly Pacific SIDS, but these sectors (FAO, 2019). provide a very good basis for development by improving the enabling environment. Female In the Caribbean region, Saint Vincent and the coco and vanilla farmers in Samoa are Grenadines is an archipelago of over 30 islands, producing chocolates; Fijian farmers are making islets and cays with a population of 109 000 progress in value addition and agribusiness, living mostly on the mainland (FAO, 2015). while technology savvy locals in other Pacific SIDS are trying to replicate digital agricultural Home to some of the world’s extremely rich practices from Asia and Africa. The AIMS region marine and terrestrial biodiversity hotspots, SIDS have uniquely diverse opportunities, for SIDS thrive mainly on tourism, and marine example based natural resources and agriculture. In 2019, tourism contributed 34 and 45 percent of Singapore has so much to offer in terms of Jamaica (Lopez, 2020) and Palau’s (World Data. technology, tourism management and economic 2021) gross domestic product (GDP) development, while Seychelles is a hotbed for respectively. fish processing (World Bank, 2017), which could benefit other AIMS SIDS and beyond in terms of Conversely, in Seychelles, fisheries is the knowledge sharing. second most important sector after tourism, contributing 20 percent of GDP (World Bank, These opportunities are however, not without 2017). Agriculture is the third largest contributor challenges, for example, the demographic and to Fiji’s GDP bringing in about 10.4 percent geographic context challenges transportation, (Pacific Community, 2021). Some SIDS are also communications, trade, and learning between very rich with natural flora, for example, about farmers within the least developed SIDS, and 80 percent of Papua New Guinea’s land is between several SIDS in general covered by tropical forests (FAO, 2018). d l e i f d a H . K /

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P A G E 2 SIDS have unenviable high exposure and Obesity prevalence is 18 and 7.8 percent for vulnerability to climate change induced men and women respectively in Southern disasters. For example, annually, Tonga and African where most of the AIMS SIDS are Vanuatu experience at least two cyclones with located (Global nutrition report, 2021). The high social and economic impacts. According to national responses to this common problem are the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) the not without nuances - including varied good damage caused by Cyclones Pam in 2015 and practices - presenting opportunities for shared Winston in 2016 amounted to 64 percent of learning. This raises questions about the need Vanuatu’s GDP (PIFS, 2018). Heavy rains for a focused and nimble knowledge exchange across Timor-Leste from 29 March to 4 April platform for addressing common challenges in 2021 resulted in flash floods and landslides SIDS. affecting all 13 municipalities of the country to varying degrees (UNICEF, 2021). In 2020, Compared to other countries, COVID-19 cases Cyclone Harold’s damage to livelihoods in Fiji in SIDS are not high but SIDS are equally exceeded USD40 million (Reliefweb, 2020). The affected by impacts of the preventive measures overall impact of cyclones on Pacific SIDS’ GDP instituted by governments all over the world. For increased from 3.88 percent in 2012 to 15.6 example, Samoa’s GDP for 2020 contracted by percent in 2016 (PIFS, 2018), while in 2017 9.2 percent because of COVID-19 (Samoa hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Nate Bureau of Statistics, 2021). Moreover, evidence produced one of the deadliest and devastating suggests that the pandemic is reversing gains in tropical cyclone seasons in the history of achieving some of the Sustainable Development Caribbean SIDS (UN, 2021). Because of the Goals (SDGs) in SIDS, for example, in the high frequency of natural disasters, the Pacific (UNESCAP, 2021). population of SIDS also have very strong traditional mechanisms for disaster resilience, However, a combination of the bright side of one for example, climate smart agricultural practices, of the challenges of SIDS (geographic cost efficient food preparation methods, etc… A remoteness) and how the populations have lived community in the Federated State of Micronesia with climate change over history (traditional can prepare and serve food to more than 100 disaster resilience capacity) has positively people without the need to use modern enabled most SIDS to withstand the impacts of cutleries, while ensuring good hygiene and food COVID-19, for example, by increasing the safety practices. These present good consumption of local foods. Conversely, local opportunities for disaster resilience, but also SIDS’ populations have become creative in innovation like cultural marketing, and coping with the impacts of lockdowns on digitalization to advance social and economic livelihoods, by inventing and using various development. strategies, some of which demonstrate success and deserve to be analytically documented, By obesity rate, the first ten spots on the list of nurtured, promoted and scaled up as necessary. the world’s most obese countries are saturated However, we risk losing these local innovations by SIDS (World Population Review, 2021), because of the lack of a uniquely innovative about 0.4 million children in Pacific SIDS do not knowledge incubation and dissemination consume healthy diets (FAO, UNICEF, WFP & platform in SIDS. Governments, development WHO, 2021), and 33 percent of Caribbean SIDS’ partners and communities need to act. population is obese (FAO, UN-HORLLS & UNDESA, 2017).

P A G E 3 1.2 Existing knowledge exchange platforms serving SIDS

Special research is required to comprehensively These activities are an excellent support to catalogue current platforms that are facilitating small states, but they are limited by the fact that knowledge sharing in SIDS. The goal here due to its historical and geopolitical set up, the therefore is to look at a few selected case Commonwealth’s small states classification only studies of current “uniquely innovative includes 13 of the 38 or 39 SIDS recognized by knowledge exchange platforms” for SIDS, and UN-OHRLLS and FAO respectively. why improvement is needed. FAO in collaboration with national governments There is also the Secretariat of African, manages the biennial Pacific Week of Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP), Agriculture (PWA), and although one could which has an excellent suite of knowledge question its financial sustainability, the platform exchange programs supporting its 79 member is a success, largely because national states. However, like the Commonwealth, based governments have taken ownership. But as the on its historical and geopolitical set up, the name suggests, PWA is limited by its particular ACP’s member states exclude some SIDS, for focus on agricultural policy and the coverage of example, Maldives, Timor Leste, etc… (ACP, only 13 of the 39 SIDS recognized by FAO. 2021), which points to a strong rationale for creating a more comprehensive knowledge Pacific SIDS also have a very successful exchange platform for all SIDS. UNDP recently biennial Resilience Week, focused on launched its accelerator lab in Samoa with strengthening institutional policy and capacity in coverage to several Pacific SIDS. mitigating the impacts of climate change on livelihoods. And although efforts are increasingly The accelerator lab presents an excellent being made to bring local communities to the opportunity for complementarity with several forum, the Resilience Week remains largely a other knowledge incubation and exchange high level policy forum of government and platforms in SIDS. development partner personnel. There is also room to expand this platform to other SIDS These five narrowly selected cases of since they have a common set of climate knowledge exchange platforms suggest that change challenges. there is room for improving local community involvement, geographic inclusivity and The Commonwealth has a membership of 54 diversity, and optimizing complementarity. countries and classifies 32 as small states, and states that: Additionally, there is room for pursuing a more programmatic approach with a concrete mechanism for harvesting, incubating, We push for international policies and replicating, and scaling up local development rules to be more responsive to small solutions. Moreover, with the arrival of states’ needs; We help small states COVID-19, there is a need to specifically access financing, build resilience, and focus on accelerating achievement of the have a voice on the global stage; and we SDGs in SIDS and based on success, deliver our work through economic expanding the platform to all developing countries. research and analysis, and put our ideas into action in toolkits for small states (The Commonwealth, 2021, pp.2).

P A G E 4 2.The SIDS Solutions Platform

2.1. Objective 2.3. Modality

The objective of the proposed SIDS Solutions The SIDS Solutions Platform proposed by FAO Platform is to provide a uniquely innovative intra is unique because it is not simply a conference and interregional knowledge exchange platform or a forum; it is a platform constituted by an to incubate, promote, scale up and replicate active and ongoing facilitation platform for the locally grown ideas to accelerate the identification, incubation, dissemination and achievement of agriculture, food, nutrition, implementation of development solutions. environment and health related SDGs in SIDS; Specifically, the platform will have two key but to also allow SIDS to copy good practices modalities from other countries. Identification, incubation and dissemination of local solutions: Under this modality, the platform will engage local communities, producer groups, entrepreneurs, policy makers, etc. to capture and analyze locally grown 2.2. Rationale solutions that have passed the proof of concept stage and demonstrate success and The COVID-19 pandemic is evidently reversing sustainability, and the potential for scalability in development gains over the past years, and the same country or to other SIDS in SIDS stand to be one of the biggest losers if contributing to the accelerated delivery of the aggressive and innovative counter measures are SDGs. This work will be climaxed by a two-day not put in place quickly. The rationale for the biennial forum during which several solutions proposed SIDS Solutions Platform is to will be showcased to public and private sector complement ongoing initiatives that can bring policy makers and development partners. The increased impetus to achieving the SDGs, biennial forum will have changing themes, host specifically those related to agriculture, food, countries and co-organizers reflecting evolutions nutrition, environment and health in SIDS. The within the development context. proposed platform will fill the void of a convener, incubation hub and enabler of locally grown Implementation of development solutions: development solutions in SIDS. Under this modality, the program will work with national governments over a process that will A key supposition is that SIDS have replicable define and implement a clear path for supporting and scalable solutions to their development locally grown solutions. This process will also challenges, but they lack the enabling involve the creation of various partnerships mechanism to make a greater contribution. The involving governments, non-governmental theory of change is therefore the belief that organizations (NGOs), donors, the private sector development partners only need to create the and local communities. enabling environment, and local solutions in SIDS will have cascading results and impacts.

P A G E 5 2.4. Ownership

FAO is designing the SIDS Solutions Platform to While there are many opportunities, there are be locally (community) and nationally also limitations. For example, most of the (government) led with strategic support from initiatives are coming from a few countries, like development partners and donors. The platform Fiji, Samoa and Vanuatu because of their will create a unique space where youth and unique capacities. There is an opportunity to women can provide collaborative leadership with nurture and scale up to other countries if they several stakeholders, particularly the private desire. Some of the digital platforms are very sector, governments and donors. Emphases will basic with enormous room for improvement. be placed on harnessing innovation, technology, Beyond this Pacific context, many digital entrepreneurship, traditional resilience and skills initiatives are facilitating agriculture, food development to optimize local creativity. systems, nutrition and climate change resilience in Asia and Africa from which SIDS could benefit significantly through knowledge exchange. 2.5. Opportunities and risks

Today, with increasing access to the Internet, 2.6. Sustainability locally grown digital innovation is on the rise more than ever before. For example, in Samoa, The need to accelerate achievement of the female farmers are leveraging social media to SDGs cannot be overstated among governments expand their access to the local vegetable, fruit and development partners; but also, among and handicraft market. Individuals in several community and civil society groups. Pacific SIDS are using digital means to barter Governments and development partners are goods and services, for example, taro for a taxi running out of patience for getting results from ride in Fiji, etc. to mitigate effects of COVID-19 their investments aimed at social and economic lockdowns. Prior to COVID-19 in Fiji, community development. The sustainability of the SIDS groups had developed an app that can provide Solutions Platform will draw on the will of local indicative information about the nutritional value communities and national governments to lead. of a meal plate via photography whether in a It will also benefit from development partners’ restaurant or at home. Governments and the appetite to explore more options that can private sector are also obviously very actively accelerate achievement of the SDGs. FAO will leading in this fledgling space of innovation and establish a steering committee led by digitalization. Vodafone is promoting various e- governments and civil society groups, payment platforms that are very useful for development partners and donors to create the farmers in Samoa, Fiji and Vanuatu. And UN winning conditions for the sustainable continuity agencies are equally promoting various relevant and expansion of the SIDS Solutions Platform. initiatives, for example, FAO recently launched But more importantly, the steering committee its Hand in Hand Initiative in Solomon Islands, will provide guidance and contribute to resource Tuvalu and Kiribati. The Hand in Hand Initiative mobilization to incubate and enable local facilitates match making between farmers, development solutions that will accelerate fishers, food processors for shared learning and achievement of the relevant SDGs. leveraging. Additionally, FAO is expanding its Digital Village Initiative to selected SIDS; UNDP has an accelerator lab in Pacific SIDS; and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) is aggressively incubating digital payment tools in the Pacific.

P A G E 6 3.The First SIDS Solutions Forum: 2021

3.1. Overview

The first SIDS Solutions Forum is slated for 30 FAO will also showcase at least ten viable and 31 August 2021. Because of the current innovative and digital solutions on this day to COVID-19 circumstances, the Forum will draw stimulate exchanges among participants. The on a hybrid virtual and physical attendance expectation is that national groups will leave the approach. Local health context permitting, forum with clear ideas over which innovation participants in different countries will gather at and digitalization solutions they would like to specific locations keeping in mind that Internet pursue that will accelerate the achievement of access remains challenging, while the rest of the the SDGs. audience will participate virtually. The 2021 gathering will be inaugural, putting in place the biennial SIDS Solutions Platform.

The first day will be marked by two successive two-hour high-level sessions attended by prime ministers/heads of state, the Director General of FAO, and the heads of other UN agencies, International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and donors. The purpose is for these leaders to stimulate critical engagements among participants about the value proposition of the new platform in the context of COVID-19 with d l

emphases on accelerating the achievement of e i f d the SDGs in SIDS. The expected output is a a H . K collective international commitment for / O supporting and using the new platform to A F accelerate development in SIDS. © 3.2. Theme The second day will be technical and allow community groups and individuals to engage The overall theme of the first SIDS Solutions institutional policy makers, development Forum planned for August 2021 is centered on practitioners and the private sector over the COVID impacts on the economy and how practical modalities directly associated with the digitalization and innovation can be fostered and identification, adaptation and replication of further supported to enable broader deployment proven solutions. to support faster progress towards more resilient food systems, improved nutrition and health; The day will provide a very concrete takeaway and enhanced climate adaptation. The Forum for national groups; and because of the multiple will explore digitalization and innovation in a layers of planning that are required in policy and practitioner owned space to identify formulating this output, FAO will use the how digitalization and innovation are, and can preceding months to the forum to engage and catalyze the pace of achieving agriculture, food, facilitate prioritization and planning by national nutrition, environment and health related SDGs stakeholders. in SIDS. P A G E 7 3.3. Objective of the 2021 Forum

The 2021 SIDS Solutions Forum is aimed at Second, during the January 2019 Global Forum illuminating the potential of digitalization and for Food and Agriculture (GFFA), about 76 innovation in catalyzing and accelerating agriculture ministers and high-level achievement of agriculture, food, nutrition, representatives from international organizations environment and health SDGs. requested FAO to lead a collaborative process that will result in the creation of an International Digital Council for Food and Agriculture as a platform for knowledge exchange (Federal 3.4. Rationale for choosing Ministry of Agriculture, 2021). SIDS cannot digitalization and innovation afford to sit on the sidelines of this new thinking.

The rationale for choosing digitalization and innovation as the theme for the 2021 Forum is driven by two key imperatives. First, agriculture, food, nutrition, the environment and health systems need to benefit from new and innovative solutions, and digitalization and innovation offer a bright light among the alternatives. s a D The existing evidence for success is not only in o t p the industrialized world. In many developing i d u countries in Asia and Africa, digitalization and S © innovation are also improving livelihoods via connectivity, efficiency, productivity, profitability, knowledge exchange and functional 3.5. Challenges of digitalization and partnerships that are unprecedented, specifically innovation for rural development. A farmer in India or China can receive real-time technical guidance about As with the introduction of all new development plant production and protection while in the tools and paradigms, the prospect of promoting garden from extension officers hundreds of digitalization and innovation is exciting, but we miles away. cannot ignore its inherent risks. For example, digitalization has the potential to create a ‘digital Vegetable farmers in Kenya and Uganda are no divide’ between countries and between families longer losing time and money traveling to because of socioeconomic disparities. For wholesalers to collect the proceeds of their example, young, literate families, and individuals supplies due to digital payment platforms. In the located in geographies of better broadband Philippines and Vietnam local decision-making coverage are more likely to be competitive and processes concerning preparation of crop fields benefit from digitalization and innovation than against impending cyclones have become faster others. And the negative uses of digital because of real-time alerts from national technologies, for example, misinformation, are authorities. SIDS cannot afford to be left behind inevitable. by the rest of world in harnessing the power of digitalization and innovation in improving rural livelihoods.

P A G E 8 3.6. Planning the 2021 forum

Prior to 30 and 31 August 2021, the selected At the strategic level, FAO senior management dates for the first SIDS Solutions Forum, the will engage global leaders of relevant UN following activities will happen as part of the agencies, IFIs, private sector agencies, planning process. academic institutions, donors, etc… to support the success of the SIDS Solutions Platform. Desk reviews and consultations: A senior Additionally, this strategic partnership will be international consultant recruited by FAO for pursued at regional and national levels under digitalization and innovation will complete a the leadership of the FAO Assistant Director desk review that will identify and analytically General and Regional Representative for Asia profile several trends pf locally grown digital and the Pacific. A key objective of this strategic innovations in SIDS. The analysis will then be partnership building is to provide a mechanism the basis and guidance that local communities for ensuring that there are resources to and governments can use to identify solutions incubate, promote and enable the replication that have passed the proof of concept, ready for and scale up of locally grown solutions that can replication, and scale up. FAO will also facilitate accelerate achievement of the SDGs in SIDS a process that will allow communities and and other developing countries. As another layer national governments to develop concrete plans of partnerships, FAO will seek co-organizers for for the implementation of their selected this year’s Forum, and the subsequent solutions. Short video clips will be developed as gatherings. part of the profiling of specific trends of solutions and showcased on the second day of the Forum.

Partnership building: FAO will work with relevant partners to create a secretariat to oversee the coordination of the 2021 Forum and the implementation of its recommendations after 3.7. Audience of the 2021 forum the gathering. To facilitate the work of the secretariat and ensure the active participation of The core audience of the 2021 Forum are local women and youth, FAO has recruited a community practitioners from SIDS. Significant consultant for women and youth engagement. A efforts – several pre-Forum engagement second senior international consultant for event dialogues - are being made to ensure that youth planning is working on the technical preparation and women are not only major participants, but of the forum, for example, logistics, platform, that they are also major leaders of proceedings speakers selection, harvesting results of the at the Forum. A value proposition for this Forum forum, reporting, etc…. One facilitator and one is the unique opportunity to bring community communications specialist will also retained one practitioners and global leaders in the same month each. The former will manage the agenda space to work on local solutions for local of the workshop, while the later will provide challenges. This is because the Forum will bring communications support, for example, marketing together world leaders, including Prime of the Forum, etc…. Youth groups through Ministers, the Director General of FAO, heads of academic institutions and entrepreneurial other UN agencies, IFIs, academic and private networks, and women’s groups will be mobilized sector organizations. Sandwiched by the global to play critical leadership roles in the design and leaders and community practitioners will be running of the Forum. regional and national technicians and policy makers who can make things happen on the ground.

P A G E 9 3.8. Post forum activities

The post Forum activities are a follow up aimed at facilitating the implementation of the Forum results. The first step is for FAO to engage national stakeholders to confirm their choice of a set of solutions and how to implement them. The Forum secretariat, via the senior international consultant for digitalization and innovation, will provide technical guidance so that governments are able to integrate the chosen solutions into their national investment plans. The second step is the actual implementation aimed at providing concrete results in catalyzing achievement of the SDGs. The Forum steering committee and FAO will support resource mobilization to enable the expansion and implementation of the selected solutions.

P A G E 1 0 4.Timeline for Key Milestones

20 April 2021: Invitations for 2021 forum sent out

30 April 2021: Desk reviews and consultations complete and forum agenda formulated

07 May 2021: Speakers confirmed

15 May 2021: SIDS Development Solutions Platform Secretariat established

30 July 2021: Pre-forum dialogues facilitated

30 and 31 August 2021: SIDS Development Solutions Platform Forum

30 September 2021: Forum Report

01 September 2021: Follow of post forum results and implementation begins

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P A G E 1 3

FAO Subregional Office for the Pacific Islands

[email protected] http://www.fao.org/asiapacific/our-offices/pacific-islands/en/

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Apia, Samoa 1 2 . 5 0 / 1 / N E 9 5 8 4 B C