The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) has delivered a stark warning at the 2025 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, declaring that the world is not on track to meet the 2030 Agenda and that Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are bearing the brunt of global inaction.
“This year’s Forum comes at a crucial juncture. With just five years left to deliver on the promise of the 2030 Agenda, the message is clear: the world is not on track,” AOSIS said in its statement during the general debate in New York.
“SIDS are living the consequences of eroding multilateralism and global inaction: rising sea-level, worsening climate disasters, and escalating debt burdens. The climate crisis is no longer a distant threat; it is a daily reality that impacts our lives and livelihoods.”
AOSIS said the progress on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across small islands had been “slow and uneven,” often undermined by external shocks and financial constraints.
“We are often the first to be hit, and the last to recover. Therefore, we call on the international community to uphold the principle that SIDS are a special case for sustainable development, as recognised in the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, the 2030 Agenda, and boldly reasserted in the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS).
“The ABAS reflects the unique circumstances of small islands and charts a course that integrates climate action, economic resilience, and sustainable development. But its implementation cannot wait.”
AOSIS urged development partners to move beyond pledges and match the political will behind ABAS with real financial, technical, and institutional support.
“We welcome the Sevilla Commitment, adopted at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, as a concrete step forward. Its call for reforming the global financial architecture, starting with the full operationalization and use of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index, must be acted upon.
“The MVI reflects a fundamental truth: GDP per capita cannot capture the real risks and vulnerabilities that SIDS face.”
They also pressed for faster delivery of the Debt Sustainability Support Service (DSSS), calling it “another critical initiative whose operationalisation must be accelerated.”
AOSIS reaffirmed its support for the establishment of a SIDS Centre of Excellence, stating it would “empower SIDS to lead with our own expertise, data, and innovation that are fit for our realities and rooted in our priorities.”
The group also took a firm stance against unilateral coercive economic measures, saying such actions violate international law.
“Lastly, we firmly reject the imposition of unilateral coercive economic measures that are inconsistent with the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and international law. We call on the international community to eliminate the use of such measures.”
Turning to ocean issues, AOSIS said SDG 14 remained the least funded, despite the ocean being central to the survival of island nations.
“We cannot speak of our sustainable development without speaking of the ocean. This year’s review of SDG 14 has reaffirmed that the ocean is our foundation. It sustains our economies, nourishes our communities and anchors our identities. Yet, it remains the least funded SDG.
“From the commitments made at the Third United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice to the historic decisions by ITLOS and at COP28, we are seeing a growing recognition that ocean health is inextricably linked to climate change, sustainable development and biodiversity. But we must move from recognition to action.”
AOSIS called for urgent and scaled-up investment in marine protection, sustainable fisheries, and ocean-based economies.
“AOSIS remains steadfast in our resolve. We are doing our part with limited means and infinite will. But we cannot do it alone.
“We urge this Forum to treat the development of small island states not as peripheral to the global agenda, but central to it. If we fail SIDS, we fail the 2030 Agenda.
“But if we enable SIDS to thrive, we unlock solutions that can benefit the entire world. The time to act is now. The tools are within our reach. Let us deliver, said AOSIS.
