Recognizing the role of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) as the custodians
of the ocean because of their leadership in sustainable ocean management
and conservation, including through the use of traditional knowledge,
knowledge of Indigenous Peoples, and local knowledge systems,
Further recognizing the centrality of the ocean to the cultural identity of SIDS,
the dependency of SIDS on the ocean to sustain lives and livelihoods and the
role of the ocean in advancing sustainable development in SIDS through
ocean-based economies,
Acknowledging that SIDS have been disproportionately affected by the
changes to ocean health due to climate change and ocean acidification, with
worsening impacts anticipated,
Further acknowledging that capacity building is a pivotal factor in
appropriation, ownership and sustainability in technical cooperation, and
targeted technology transfer and capacity building needs to be accelerated to
meet the urgent global need for the conservation and sustainable use of the
ocean and its rich biodiversity.
Concerned with the diverse and persisting capacity gaps at regional, sub-regional, national, sub-national, individual and institutional levels in SIDS, in particular as it relates to ocean science, technology, knowledge, policy and finance.
Further concerned with the inadequacy of existing approaches to capacity
building that pose more of a burden than a benefit in developing, sustaining
and locally retaining capacity,
Emphasizing the need to seize and optimize innovation capacities by
maximizing benefits to all parties involved in capacity building, through
focusing on future-proofed long-term outcomes, with modernized
approaches that eliminate outdated and ineffective technologies,
Guided by the principle of special circumstances of SIDS and their unique
vulnerabilities as established in the Barbados Programme of Action (BPoA), the
Mauritius Strategy for Implementation (MSI) and the S.A.M.O.A Pathway, and
further affirmed in the 2030 Agenda, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk
Reduction, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, and the Paris Agreement and the
New Urban Agenda,
Further guided by the declaration entitled “Our ocean, our future: call for
action” adopted by the first UN Ocean Conference, the United Nations
Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), as well as the United Nations
Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and its vision of the
science we need for the ocean we want,
Recognizing the important role of international partnerships, and the wide
range of co-benefits that effective capacity building partnerships will deliver to
all stakeholders involved, further facilitating the achievement of the Decade’s
objectives,
Further recognizing the challenges faced by SIDS in accessing development
finance, which severely limits national efforts for developing, enhancing and
retaining local capacity,
Meeting at the Second United Nations Conference to Support the
Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 of the 2030 Agenda:
We encourage all stakeholders engaging in capacity building partnerships
that address the full range of capacity needs identified by SIDS, including
science, technology, policy, institutional, and adequate finance that are all
critical to ensure future proofing and sustaining local capacity to meet local
needs now and in the future.
We call for the establishment of partnerships to increase marine scientific
knowledge, develop marine research capacity and transfer marine technology
in SIDS, that are:
1. Genuine, durable, equitable, sustainable and responsive to needs that
are self-identified, inter alia through national, regional and global policies
and strategies as well as needs assessments.

2. Co-designed, co-developed and co-implemented by all partners through
meaningful engagement and information-sharing to build a shared
understanding of the objectives, aims and desired outcomes, and ensure
the terms are suitably defined, while allocating sufficient time and
resources to establish effective and long-term relationships based on
mutual trust and respect, recognizing that SIDS are key partners rather
than passive beneficiaries.
3. Built on mutual learning and innovation between all partners, while
respecting that all partners hold diverse forms of knowledge and
experience, including traditional knowledge, knowledge of indigenous
peoples, and local knowledge systems that should be accessed and used
following the principle of free, prior and informed consent in accordance
with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
4. Achievable by being realistically designed in a country-relevant and
context specific manner, with the flexibility to adjust with changing
needs or respond to new opportunities, while recognizing that needs
assessments are integral to the development of such strategies.
5. Fully supported for the duration of the partnership, and provides for
long-term sustainability strategy and capacity retention through
allocating adequate long term, predictable and sustainable resources for
long-term implementation, especially for early-stage development, while
accommodating for the mobilization of new resources as required, and
ensuring that transfer of technology and capacity-building are mutually
supported by appropriate and effective human resources capacity,
6. Accountable, inclusive and transparent with open communication
amongst all partners, to reflect on the motivation, benefits, and other
factors influencing equitable capacity development outcomes, by
providing spaces for engagement with all relevant stakeholders and
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knowledge exchange about best-practice approaches, results and
challenges, with all relevant stakeholders.
7. Subject to periodic monitoring, evaluation and learning from
experience, with the purpose of evaluating whether the long-term
outcomes were achieved, through the use of clearly established baselines,
targets and indicators, supplemented by support for the data collection and
reporting to enable adjustments of the partnership based on the results.
8. Designed with the flexibility to review and reform the operating, funding
and governance structure, to ensure that evolving needs can be reflected
and catered for.