UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT CLOSING THE DISTANCE PARTNERSHIPS FOR SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT TRANSPORT SYSTEMS IN SIDS CLOSING THE DISTANCE Partnerships for sustainable and resilient transport systems in SIDS UNITED NATIONS NEW YORK AND GENEVA, 2014 2 CLOSING THE DISTANCE NOTES The designations employed and the presentation of the material do not imply the expression of any opinion on the part of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of authorities or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Material in this publication may be freely quoted or reprinted, but acknowledgement is requested, together with a copy of the publication containing the quotation or reprint to be sent to the UNCTAD secretariat at: Division on Technology and Logistics United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Palais des Nations CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland Fax: +41 22 917 00 50 E-mail: [email protected] This publication has been edited externally. Publications are available on the website http://www.unctad.org UNITED NATIONS PUBLICATION Copyright © United Nations 2014 All rights reserved The following symbols have been used in the tables: Two dots (..) indicate that data are not available or are not separately reported. Rows in tables have been omitted in those cases where no data are available for any of the elements in the row. A hyphen (-) indicates that the item is equal to zero or its value is negligible. A blank in a table indicates that the item is not applicable. Use of a dash (–) between dates representing years (e.g. 1994–1995) signifies the full period involved, including the beginning and end years. References to “dollars” ($) are to United States dollars, unless otherwise indicated. Annual rates of growth or change, unless otherwise stated, refer to annual compound rates. Because of rounding, details and percentages in tables do not necessarily add up to totals. UNCTAD/DTL/TLB/2014/2 Partnerships for sustainable and resilient transport systems in SIDS 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 CLOSING THE DISTANCE LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES FIGURES TABLES Partnerships for sustainable and resilient transport systems in SIDS 5 6 CLOSING THE DISTANCE ACKNOWLEDEGMENTS This report was prepared by a lead consultant, Mr. John Moon, under the supervision of Mr. Jose María Rubiato, Head, Trade Logistics Branch (TLB) and the guidance of Ms. Anne Miroux, Director, Division on Technology and Logistics (DTL). Substantive contributions by TLB staff members, including Mr. Jan Hoffmann, Ms. Frida Youssef and Ms. Hassiba Benamara have been incorporated into the report together with other relevant input received from Ms. Deepali Ann Fernandes (consultant) and Mr. Pablo Achurra (intern). The report was copy-edited by Ms. Vivien Stone and formatted by Mr. Julian Fraga-Campos and Ms. Arantzazu Sanchez. A special thanks is extended to H.E. Ambassador Marion V. Williams, Permanent Mission of Barbados to the United Nations Office for her able Chairmanship of the UNCTAD Ad Hoc Expert Meeting on "Addressing the Transport and Trade-related Challenges of the Small Island Developing States: Samoa Conference and Beyond" held on 11 July 2014 in Geneva. The useful guidance and suggestions for the recommended way forward provided by experts at the Ad Hoc Expert Meeting are gratefully acknowledged. Partnerships for sustainable and resilient transport systems in SIDS 7 ABBREVIATIONS ADB Asian Development Bank AfDB African Development Bank CARICOM Caribbean Community and Common Market CCA Climate change adaptation CDB Caribbean Development Bank CISRO Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (Australia) DRM disaster risk management DRR disaster risk reduction DWF distant water fleets EAC entry assurance certificate ECE Economic Commission for Europe ECLAC United Nations Economic Commissions for Latin America and the Caribbean ECSA East Coast of South America EEDI Energy Efficiency Design Index EEZ exclusive economic zone GATS General Agreement on Trade in Services (World Trade Organization) GDP gross domestic product GEF Global Environment Facility GHG greenhouse gas GNI gross national income IFC International Finance Corporation (World Bank) IOC Indian Ocean Commission IMF International Monetary Fund IMO International Maritime Organization IPCC International Panel on Climate Change JICA Japan International Cooperation Agency JNAP Joint National Action Plan LSCI Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (UNCTAD) MSC Micronesian Shipping Commission NAPA National Adaptation Plan of Action ODA official development assistance OPEC Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries PIANC World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure PICTA Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement PNA Parties to the Nauru Agreement PNW Pacific North West PPP public-private partnership SARUA Southern African Regional Universities Association SDGs sustainable development goals SEEMP Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan SIDS Small Island Developing States SOE state owned enterprise SPC Secretariat of the Pacific Community SSI Sustainable Shipping Initiative TEU twenty-foot equivalent unit UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change WCNA West Coast of North America WCSA West Coast of South America WTO World Trade Organization 8 CLOSING THE DISTANCE Message from the Director The Third International Conference on the Small Island Developing States was held on 1-4 September 2014, in Samoa (Samoa Conference). The Samoa Conference provided a timely opportunity for the international community to renew its commitment to addressing the transport and trade logistics challenges facing the Small Island Developing States (SIDS). In this context and against the background of the 2014 "International Year of SIDS" and the ongoing negotiations of the post-2015 development agenda, this report is intended as an UNCTAD contribution to the Samoa Conference and, more generally, to the broader sustainable development agenda of SIDS. The report informs about the maritime transport situation in SIDS and underscores the strategic importance of this economic sector for SIDS economies and communities. The overall objective is to help raise awareness about the role of sustainable and resilient maritime transport infrastructure and services for the sustainable development prospects of SIDS. The SIDS grouping includes nations that vary in land, topography, population, resources, and levels of development. However, their transport systems face common obstacles that undermine their global, regional, and local connectivity to communities, markets and services. Latest data and developments in transport underscore the disadvantages facing SIDS and their inability to keep pace with ever larger vessel sizes, industry consolidation and globalized liner shipping networks that are driven by scale economies. The transport hurdles and vulnerabilities faced by SIDS are inherent to their economic, social and environmental make up. The complexity and intertwined nature of these challenges are further compounded by rising economic and environmental concerns. Together, economic, financial and energy crises and, more critically, environmental degradation and climate change threaten the very existence of SIDS, world hotspots of natural biodiversity and marine resources. Drawing from their resources and experience and with the support of development partners, SIDS can take action to alleviate their transport related constraints by promoting sustainability and enhancing resilience to shocks and disruptions including from climatic factors and natural disasters. Sustainable and resilient transport systems in SIDS can have broader economic effects given the underlying linkages between transport and key sectors such as tourism, fisheries and agriculture. Relevant action may include building the climate resilience of transport systems through adequate adaptation action and promoting sustainability through enhanced energy efficiency as well as greater use of alternative energy sources and clean technologies. For these efforts to materialize, scaling up investment levels, earmarking funds for transport and diversifying sources of funding including through private and public partnerships is of the essence. Building the capacity of SIDS to tap into existing as well as emerging and innovative financing sources and mechanisms is equally important. This report provides an overview of the maritime transport situation in SIDS and presents data on relevant aspects, including shipping connectivity levels, direct and indirect shipping services, port issues, as well as trade structure and patterns. Relevant cross-cutting concerns such as SIDS high dependency on fossil fuel energy imports, exposure to climate change impacts and natural disasters as well as financial and human capacity constraints are also addressed. The report points to relevant opportunities which could be capitalised upon to support SIDS sustainable development and “blue growth”. Finally, and drawing largely upon insights gained at the UNCTAD’s Ad Hoc Expert Meeting on "Addressing the Transport and Trade Logistics Challenges of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS): Samoa Conference and Beyond” held on 11 July 2014 in Geneva, the report concludes with a number of suggestions and recommendations for the way forward. Partnerships for sustainable and resilient transport systems in SIDS 9 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY By their very nature, Small Island Developing States (SIDS)