McCully welcomes International Year of SIDS

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully today welcomed the launch of the United Nations International Year of Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

The International Year of SIDS, launched at the UN General Assembly in New York this morning, aims to focus international attention on the challenges and opportunities faced by small island developing states.

“Many of our closest neighbours in the Pacific are small island developing states and New Zealand has a good understanding of the challenges they face,” Mr McCully says.

“Our international development effort and foreign policy interests have always had a strong small island states component.”

The third UN SIDS conference will be held in Samoa this September.

“This conference is an opportunity for small island developing states to work with UN member states to address development and climate change issues.

“New Zealand stands ready to support Samoa as it prepares to host one of the biggest conferences on the UN calendar,” Mr McCully says.