James Ellsmoor | International Sustainability Summits highlight benefits of collaboration, inclusivity

OVER THE course of the past few weeks, several major regional and international events focused on sustainability and the environment have served as a reminder that to achieve the prosperous future we want for local, regional, and global communities, inclusivity and collaboration are key.

In St Kitts and Nevis in June, the Global Sustainable Islands Summit (GSIS) saw over 600 attendees participate in the six-day event where the twin-island federation’s Sustainable Island State Agenda (SISA) was front and centre of discussions.

A policy platform built as a blueprint for other island states and territories to follow, the SISA put island excellence on display. International stakeholders attending GSIS were receptive to such a platform, in which island voices and expertise were put on display, and through which meaningful opportunities for knowledge-sharing and networking could help bridge capacity-building gaps.

With over 50 islands represented at the summit, including representatives from Hawaii, the Marshall Islands, Fiji, the Seychelles, and a bevvy of CARICOM nations, Dr Joyelle Clarke, minister of sustainable development, environment and climate action and constituency empowerment for the St Kitts and Nevis government, noted this was “a powerful reminder that though we may be separated by the ocean, we are united in purpose and spirit”.

Embodying this statement were the delegation of 14 young academics from around the world’s islands, sent thanks to a capacity-building programme borne by the Irish government and the Marine Institute, the state agency responsible for marine research, technology development and innovation in Ireland.

OUR SHARED OCEAN

For the second consecutive year, the Our Shared Ocean programme has sent a delegation to GSIS following an eight-week training course that connects them with other academics from island communities. This year, the call for applications yielded over 200 applicants undergoing either master’s or PhD courses from 42 island states and territories.

A quarter of these applicants were selected to participate in the high-level programme, and 14 of them would share their research, expertise, and experiences with stakeholders in person during the GSIS in St Kitts and Nevis.

Beyond the opportunity to involve the best and the brightest of island communities in major policy and development conferences, these types of academic exchanges build the intellectual infrastructure necessary for effective international advocacy. Together, the voices of island territories and countries resonate louder, whether in policymaking, academia, industry, or activism – capacity building must happen across sectors.

On top of this, inter-island partnerships and knowledge-sharing opportunities reveal patterns invisible to single-community studies, enhancing island communities’ ability to develop impactful projects. A coordinated research network spanning Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Ocean islands can present unified findings about marine protected area effectiveness or renewable energy transitions, and as highlighted in Nice, France during the United Nations’ Ocean Conference (UNOC) – it makes recommendations harder for global institutions to dismiss as isolated case studies.

LEADERSHIP IN ACTION

UNOC served as the perfect follow-up to GSIS – highlighting just how important islands are to the international community through their protection of the ocean. Here, islands, albeit small in landmass, have the advantage of being big ocean states with strong social, cultural, and economic ties to the wellbeing of the waters surrounding them.

Island communities possess irreplaceable knowledge about marine ecosystem management, renewable energy adaptation, and climate-resilience strategies. From the Pacific to the Caribbean, at every level, Palau’s new fisheries model, St Kitts and Nevis’ SISA, or French Polynesia’s recently announced Marine Protected Area – islands are global leaders in sustainability and innovation.

In a press conference highlighting the importance of Sub-National Island Jurisdictions (SNIJs) – island territories which have constitutional ties with a larger sovereign nation – Jeremie Katidjo-Monnier, New Caledonia’s minister for the environment and ocean spotlighted the ambition of these French overseas territories, is only matched by the global impact their ecosystems hold, with Katidjo-Monnier adding, “For France, more than half of its exclusive economic zone is under the responsibility of the government of French Polynesia and New Caledonia when it comes to environmental protection.”

CAPACITY-BUILDING THROUGH KNOWLEDGE-SHARING

Island voices are crucial for achieving global goals.

Whether at GSIS, UNOC, or the yearly UN climate summits, islanders have continually raised the bar for ambition and innovation, stopped only by rigid international structures and slow responses from larger economies.

While inclusion of underrepresented groups has improved over the past decade, a lot of work remains to be done to ensure that all voices are heard and considered. Here, programmes, like Our Shared Ocean, Youth4Capacity, or Blue Planet Alliance, are helping to bridge gaps, building capacity through knowledge-sharing.

Island communities are not merely victims of environmental change; they are blueprints for sustainable living. Their innovations in renewable energy microgrids, circular economy practices, and ecosystem-based adaptation offer scalable solutions for global sustainability challenges. As such, the pathway to a prosperous future is through knowledge-sharing between communities, developing island solutions made by islanders, for islanders.

James Ellsmoor is the CEO, Island Innovation. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com