Statement
Excellencies,
Assistant Secretary-General,
Distinguished Colleagues,
I have the honour to deliver these opening remarks on behalf of the Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), Ambassador Ilana Seid, who regrets that she is unable to join us this morning due to another commitment outside of New York. I am pleased to convey her message and reflections on this important event.
It is a pleasure to join you at the margins of the 57th Session of the United Nations Statistical Commission for this timely discussion on advancing the implementation of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Developing States through robust data systems.
Allow me at the outset to express appreciation to the Statistics Division and the Division for Sustainable Development Goals of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, as well as to the Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21) for organizing this event, and for their continued partnership with SIDS.
The adoption of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS – the ABAS – at the Fourth International Conference for SIDS marked a renewed global commitment to the sustainable development of our countries. It is the authoritative framework guiding our collective SIDS priorities for the next decade.
However, political declarations must translate into deliberate actions; and those actions must translate into measurable progress.
The endorsement of the ABAS Monitoring and Evaluation Framework last year represents a major milestone in this regard. Under previous programmes of action, we lacked mechanisms to adequately capture and measure progress.
By identifying 59 targets and 83 indicators across the seven thematic areas of the ABAS, we have collectively taken a decisive step to address this gap and ensure that implementation is systematically measured, documented and assessed.
However, for SIDS, data is not only a technical matter. It is a question of our visibility, our credibility and our voice.
Too often, the unique vulnerabilities and special circumstances of SIDS are insufficiently captured or completely overlooked in global metrics. Our exposure to climate shocks, high debt burdens, and escalating costs of disasters can disappear behind global averages and aggregate indicators.
At a time when regressions in development assistance and global competition for resources intensifies, there is an increasing expectation from partners that SIDS priorities must be backed by robust data to demonstrate need, effectiveness and impact.
In this way, the ABAS Monitoring and Evaluation Framework is essential – not only for reporting but as a dedicated framework for telling the SIDS story and ensuring that international support is aligned with our realities.
At the same time, we must also be candid.
Many SIDS national statistical offices operate with limited human and financial resources, while reporting burdens continue to grow. If ABAS implementation is to succeed, the strengthening of national statistical systems must be treated as a development priority in its own right.
We therefore welcome the commitment of DESA, PARIS21, regional commissions, and partners to provide coordinated support – whether through the Data for SIDS initiative, the SIDS Global Data Hub, or regional mechanisms. What we need is sustained, predictable, and tailored capacity-building that respects national ownership and avoids duplication.
As we move into the first reporting cycle for ABAS, this moment is critical. Early experiences shared by SIDS will help us identify practical challenges and good practices, and discussions, like the one today, will be key to ensuring coherence and tailored support.
Excellencies, Let us therefore approach this morning’s discussion not merely as a technical exchange, but as a collective effort to ensure that the promise of ABAS is realized through credible data, strong institutions and genuine partnership.
For SIDS, our resilient prosperity begins with evidence.
Evidence shapes policy.
Policy drives action.
I thank you.
