Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are a group of States spread all over
the globe, but which, as highlighted by the United Nations (UN), share common
challenges of an economic and geographical nature that hinder their
socio-economic progress such as, inter alia, small domestic markets,
geographical isolation, exposure to natural disasters and a fragile
biodiversity.
Malta was considered as a SIDS until 2004 when it acceded to the
European Union (EU) and was henceforth recognised as a developed country. Malta has established bilateral relations with
SIDS and interacted with them on a multilateral basis through organisations
such as the UN, the EU and in particular the Commonwealth. Malta values and
nurtures its relations with SIDS
primarily because it believes that common and shared challenges are best
tackled jointly, and also because, like them, it supports a rules-based international system.
Malta has already established itself as a centre of training to assist
SIDS with capacity-building in several, different areas. The University
of Malta and its affiliated entities have a long-standing experience through
the IMO-International Maritime Law Institute, the International Ocean Institute
and other niche entities. Furthermore, since
2018, Malta hosts the Commonwealth Small States Centre of Excellence that has
developed capacity-building solutions specifically for SIDS. Affiliated directly with, and supported by, the Ministry for Foreign
and European Affairs, the Centre is extending the scope of the process of
capacity-building to include areas associated with the UN Sustainable
Development Goals as well as other policy documents for SIDS such as the SAMOA Pathway,
the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the Mauritius Strategy for Implementation.
It is noteworthy that in January 2020, Malta was appointed Co-Chair of the
UN’s Steering Committee on Partnerships for Small Island Developing States. Through
this appointment Malta shall steer, over a two-year period, this UN process
that supports SIDS in the implementation of the SAMOA Pathway and the Sustainable
Development Goals.