SIDS need funds

SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES (SIDS) still have difficulty accessing funds, and Minister of the Environment and Drainage Dr Denis Lowe says it impacts on their ability to reach some of their development objectives.
Lowe called for “the provision of new additional and predictable sources of financing for sustainable development for SIDS and the simplification of access criteria to new and existing international funds, given the capacity constraints of SIDS”.
He added that there must also be new criteria beyond the narrow focus on per capita income for SIDS to access sustainable grant and concessional funding, and it must incorporate social, environmental and economic data.
Lowe, who was speaking at The National Validation Workshop to review and finalize Barbados’ National Assessment Report ahead of the national consultation next month and the third international conference on small island developing states next year, made the statements in the context of monitoring the implementation of the Barbados Programme Of Action and the Mauritius Strategy. (LK)