Statement
Distinguished Co-Facilitators,
I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS).
AOSIS aligns with the statement delivered by Uruguay, on behalf of the G-77 and China, and wishes to provide the following additional views that are specific to small island developing states.
At the outset, allow me to express our congratulations on your appointment as co-facilitators of this important process, and how particularly pleased to a fellow small island developing state steering our negotiations once more. You can count on AOSIS’ usual support and cooperation.
We also appreciate the clear roadmap you have outlined for the process this year and the opportunity to share initial thoughts and expectations at this formative stage of our discussions.
This will be the first ESOCOC Financing for Development Forum since the adoption of the Sevilla Commitment, and it therefore carries a particular responsibility. For AOSIS, the 2026 outcome must not only reaffirm the international community’s ambition, but on driving implementation of our commitments to correct systemic gaps and restore confidence that the United Nations can deliver for the most vulnerable.
To achieve this, a short, concise and action-oriented outcome that advances, and not renegotiates, the Sevilla Commitment, in our view, is the best step forward.
We also welcome your commitment to an inclusive, transparent and member-driven negotiating process. For SIDS, who have small delegations, our meaningful participation relies on predictable timelines, reasonable pacing and text-based negotiations from the outset.
Substantively, AOSIS expects the 2026 outcome to address the priority review areas and to engage seriously with the structural inequities that continue to undermine our development and structurally exclude SIDS from global finance and trade. This requires a clear reflection of the special circumstances of SIDS as a special case for sustainable development and dedicated actions to address their specific challenges.
For instance, SIDS continue to face constrained access to affordable capital and declining international financial connectivity due to derisking, blacklisting and the loss of correspondent banking relationships, despite their compliance with international standards. Therefore, the outcome must go beyond reaffirmations of financial integrity. It must address disproportionality, unintended consequences, and exclusion, to ensure that global financial rules support – rather than undermine – development in small economies.
On international trade, high transport costs, remoteness from markets, limited diversification and vulnerability to external shocks and trade instability exacerbate SIDS’ persistent structural disadvantages. The outcome should recognize that for SIDS, trade cannot function as an engine for development without targeted support and preferential treatment for SIDS.
On systemic issues, AOSIS underscores the urgent need to correct misalignment and inequities in the international financial architecture. The outcome should advance concrete steps towards the use of multidimensional vulnerability-based approaches, including the MVI, and broadening SIDS representation and meaningful participation in global financial and economic decision- making.
Lastly, AOSIS recalls the importance of refraining from unilateral economic, financial, or trade measures that are inconsistent with international law and the UN Charter, and that impede the ability of SIDS to mobilize finance, participate in trade, and achieve sustainable development. A strong political call on this issue in this year’s outcome will be strongly welcomed.
Distinguished Co-Facilitators,
As this process moves forward, AOSIS, through the Group of 77, will engage constructively and substantively throughout the intergovernmental negotiations, including through the submission of written inputs for the zero draft.
We look forward to working closely with you and your teams to ensure that the outcome reflects the ambition of the Sevilla Commitment, the realities faced by SIDS, and delivers tangible change for those left furthest behind by the current architecture.
I thank you.
