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Vanuatu

strongly supported the resumption of the PrepCom and assured other delegates that the resumed session will start where the September session left off -- no formal debates or speeches. The objective would be to clear up as much of the outstanding issues as possible prior to the Barbados Conference. In addition, AOSIS wants to begin work on the Barbados Declaration and incorporate views of the recently held World Coast Conference into the final document. He also added that AOSIS members would like to have informal consultations with interested delegations to accelerate the work of the PrepCom.

The representative from the Maldives said that the Conference is the first opportunity to address these issues at the international level and the Maldives attaches a high priority to its success. The constraints to sustainable development are well-documented -- a narrow resource base, limited human resources, distances, the availability of resource information, and transboundary issues like climate change, sea level rise, trade and political stability. Financing is a concern and if the world community can mobilize trillions of dollars for defense, the necessary resources should be able to be mobilized for more constructive processes. The Maldives is encouraged by the progress made so far by the PrepCom for the SIDS Conference and supports the need for its resumption. Moreover, it is not premature to start addressing the post-Conference process. There is a need for a mechanism to monitor implementation and a Secretariat in the UN with the necessary expertise could provide an effective facility for this purpose.

The Caribbean Community is pleased to see the level of interest in support for the Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States and hopes this translates into the highest possible level of participation at the Conference itself. Although much work was done at the PrepCom in September, many challenges in the document remain to be resolved. In addition, informal contacts will shortly begin on the possible Declaration of Barbados. This will allow for a preliminary exchange of views to facilitate the actual negotiations of the text at the Conference itself. Caricom urged that the General Assembly decide to convene a resumed session of the PrepCom from 7-11 March 1994.

The Republic of Korea noted that only parts of the text were agreed upon at the PrepCom and future deliberations should focus on the most crucial themes, such as preservation of precious resources unique to SIDS and their capacity building. The final document of the Conference should be based on Agenda 21 and be completed at the upcoming resumed session of the PrepCom. [Return to start of article]