High-level Meeting on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States: Japan as Firm Supporter of Small Island Developing States

September 25, 2010

On September 24 and 25, the High-level Review Meeting on the Implementation of the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) was held at the United Nations headquarters in New York. From Japan, Prime Minister Naoto Kan attended the meeting.

In his address, Prime Minister Kan stated that as an island country, Japan would like to help the people of SIDS who strive to overcome their particular vulnerabilities, saying that Japan would continue to be a firm supporter of SIDS. He explained Japan's reconstruction assistance to Haiti following the earthquake as well as its assistance in the area of disaster risk reduction. The Prime Minister stated that Japan would cooperate with SIDS to ensure the success of COP16. Furthermore, Prime Minister Kan explained that Japan, in accordance with the concept of human security, had been providing assistance to SIDS and holding dialogues such as the Pacific Islands Leaders Meetings and Japan-CARICOM Ministerial-Level Conferences. At the closing ceremony, an outcome document was adopted by consensus, which reaffirmed the international community's commitment to providing assistance for the sustainable development of SIDS.

Japan highly evaluates the meeting, as it enhanced the momentum for the international community's assistance for efforts by SIDS to address vulnerabilities and provided an opportunity to reaffirm the necessity to reinforce assistance to SIDS, which are vulnerable to impacts of climate change, and the importance of establishing a new legal framework on climate change. The attendance of Prime Minister Kan, the highest level representative among major donor countries participating in the meeting, contributed to conveying the message to 37 SIDS, including those in the Pacific and the Caribbean region, that Japan would continue to be their firm supporter.