Speaking at the closing of the Fourth International Conference on Small Island States (SIDS4), Amina Mohammed stressed that despite increasingly existential threats to SIDS, “we do have reasons for hope and optimism
Cindy McCain (right), Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), speaks at the closing of the Fourth International Conference on Small Island States (SIDS4) in Antigua and Barbuda.
This needs to be led by innovative healthcare solutions such as telemedicine, mobile health teams and partnerships “that bring expertise and technology to our shores.”
Co-chair of the event, Jose Ulisses Correia e Silva Prime Minister of Cabo Verde said investing in people overall “must be an absolute priority for us” along with defending women’s dignity, respect for human rights, gender equality and tolerance.
“We must strengthen investments, policies and partnerships for access to quality education and healthcare and place top priority on eradicating extreme poverty and creating decent jobs for young people,” he stressed.
Speaking from her perspective as head of the world’s largest humanitarian agency, the World Food Programme, (WFP) Cindy McCain told the meeting that boosting healthcare provision, education and skills, was about allowing people to thrive, not just survive.
Human capital provides the very foundations for sustainable development, she noted.
“It’s a golden thread that runs through all of our conversations this week”, she declared, “as we’ve discussed how we can work together. To adapt to climate change, protect livelihoods and assist small island developing states as they chart a course toward resilient prosperity. “