Small Islands Big Picture – Details, episodes & analysis

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Small Islands Big Picture

ODI Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI)

Science

Business

Frequency: 1 episode/46d. Total Eps: 25

Directors of ODI Global's Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative, Emily Wilkinson and Matt Bishop, cut to the heart of the political, economic, social and environmental challenges facing SIDS, and how their incredible people are responding to them. Every episode includes expert guests from the Caribbean, Pacific and elsewhere. To get in touch, visit https://odi.org/en/about/our-work/resilient-islands/ or send us an email to info@odi.org with "small islands" in the subject line.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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https://odi.org/en/about/our-work/resilient-islands/
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https://odi.org/en/about/our-work/small-islands-big-picture-podcast/
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https://sdgs.un.org/conferences/sids2024
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Score global : 79%

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What happened at SIDS4 in Antigua and Barbuda?

Season 1 · Episode 10

Tuesday, July 30, 2024 • Duration 49:29

In May 2024, the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) took place in Antigua, where leaders agreed the next ten-year roadmap for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the “Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS: A Renewed Agenda for Resilient Prosperity (ABAS)”.

In this episode, Emily and Matt review the conference, bringing to life the event’s atmosphere, discussing key highlights, and – crucially – asking “What now needs to happen for the ABAS to be successful over the next decade?”.

In “Island Voices”, Naya Sena provides a civil society perspective on SIDS4. In the “Explainer”, Margot St John-Sebastian talks through the negotiating process that produced the ABAS. In “The Big Picture”, Sai Navoti, Rebecca Fabrizi and Tumasie Blair reflect separately on their conference highlights.

Featuring:

Emily Wilkinson (host) | RESI Director and Principal Research Fellow at ODI
Matthew Bishop (host) | RESI Director and Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield
Naya Sena | Researcher, Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo
Margot St John-Sebastian | Lead Negotiator, AOSIS
Sai Navoti | Chief of the SIDS Unit, UNDESA
Rebecca Fabrizi | UK Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Envoy and Head of the Caribbean and SIDS Department at FCDO
Tumasie Blair | Deputy Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda to the UN

Resources

Programme page | Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI)
SIDS4 Communiqué | The Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS) – A Renewed Declaration for Resilient Prosperity
SIDS4 Policy brief | A global bargain for resilient prosperity in SIDS
Future Forum Report | Shaping the Future of Small Island Developing States
Global Voices piece | Why small islands need their own Marshall Plan
RESI Debt Project | Breaking the Cycle of Debt in SIDS
Conversation piece | Debt-disaster-debt: hurricane-damaged islands are being saddled with loans they cannot afford
Guardian piece | Caribbean leaders call for ‘Marshall plan’ to help rebuild after Hurricane Beryl

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Demystifying the Blue Economy: should we call Small Island Developing States “Big Ocean States” instead?

Season 1 · Episode 9

Thursday, June 27, 2024 • Duration 39:38

In recent years, the notion of the “Blue Economy” has gained traction in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) policy debates. Focusing on the often-enormous marine spaces encompassed in SIDS’ exclusive economic zones (EEZs) – rather than their diminutive terrestrial landmasses – implies SIDS are really “large ocean states” rather than “small island states”. For proponents, the “Blue Economy” represents an entirely new way of thinking that offers a host of novel economic opportunities. For critics, it is little more than a buzzword that potentially “bluewashes” familiar forms of resource enclosure and extraction.

In this episode of "Small Islands Big Picture", Emily and Matt try to chart a path between these two positions, asking “What is new – and blue – about the Blue Economy discourse? Why have some SIDS and international organisations embraced it so enthusiastically? Are there dangers in advocating for and pursuing it? And how it might be deployed to generate wealth through conservation, rather than exploitation of oceanic resources?”.

In “Island Voices” we hear from Karuna Rana of the Big Ocean States Initiative in Mauritius who advocates using blue innovation to support community development. For our “Explainer”, Liam Saddington of Cambridge University demystifies the Blue Economy concept and discusses some of his research in the Seychelles. The “Big Picture” welcomes Nicole Leotaud from the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) in Trinidad and Tobago to hear how civil society visions of socially and ecologically sound “blueing” are being advanced. Finally, in “No Stupid Questions”, Matt and Emily ask, “Is the Blue Economy really that novel, or just old wine in new bottles?”.

Featuring:

Emily Wilkinson (host) | RESI Director and Principal Research Fellow at ODI
| RESI Director and Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield

Why are so many small states turning to Citizenship by Investment (CBI) schemes?

Season 1 · Episode 8

Friday, May 10, 2024 • Duration 37:24

Citizenship is traditionally granted by right – on the basis of birthplace or parentage – or acquired through naturalisation – on the basis of sustained residency and allegiance to the state. Yet, many small countries are increasingly “selling sovereignty” through Citizenship by Investment (CBI) or Residence by Investment (RBI) schemes. These “golden passports” and “golden visas” generate sizeable revenues for many small island developing states (SIDS), but they have also come under scrutiny from powerful states and international organisations, especially the European Union.

In this episode of Small Islands Big Picture, Emily and Matt explore the proliferation of these schemes, asking, ‘If all states – including the very wealthiest – have them, why do smaller states seem to be under the greatest surveillance?’. They discuss the long-term sustainability of these schemes, where the money they generate is going, examples of good practice, and how the international community can support SIDS to ensure they continue to profit from CBI/RBI schemes while also strengthening their governance.

In “Island Voices”, we hear from CEO of the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation, Tina Urso. In the “Explainer”, Matt and Emily discuss the different kinds of CBI/RBI schemes that exist around the world. Dr Dan Hammett and Dr Owen Parker join “The Big Picture” to discuss why the CBI and RBI industry is booming, and why Brussels is increasingly uneasy about it. Finally, in “No Stupid Questions”, Matt and Emily ask, “If CBI and RBI schemes are so problematic, why does the international community not simply ban them?”.

Featuring:

Emily Wilkinson (host) | RESI Director and Senior Research Fellow at ODI
Matthew Bishop (host) | RESI Director and Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield
Tina Urso | CEO, The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation, Malta
Dan Hammett | Senior Lecturer in Human Geography, University of Sheffield
Owen Parker | Senior Lecturer in European Politics, University of Sheffield

Are changes in global shipping generating better connectivity for Small Island Developing States??

Season 1 · Episode 7

Tuesday, April 9, 2024 • Duration 36:56

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are, by definition, highly dependent on shipping and other forms of connectivity. As geographically small land masses, SIDS have a high propensity to import things, and as islands, all imports, exports and travel must be done by sea (or air). However, SIDS are at the mercy of the global shipping industry, over which they have little control – an industry prone to shocks, spikes in prices and rapid technological change.

In this episode of "Small Islands, Big Picture", Emily and Matt discuss: why SIDS are so dependent on shipping; how these small states are experiencing recent transformations in inter-island and international maritime industries; and whether changing patterns of ownership and control, multilateral governance of the high seas, or technological innovation – for example, through Artificial Intelligence – represent positive or concerning developments for SIDS.

In “Island Voices”, Viliame Kasanawaqa talks about the importance of sea connectivity to Pacific nations. In the “Explainer” section, Professor Liam Campling, co-author of the prize-winning book Capitalism and the Sea, discusses why SIDS are so vulnerable to corporate concentration in the global shipping industry. In “The Big Picture”, Captain Orlando Allard tells us how small states have done much to shape global maritime governance. Finally, in “No Stupid Questions” Matt and Emily answer “Why don’t SIDS just set up their own shipping lines to reduce dependence on the global shipping lines?".

Featuring:

Emily Wilkinson (host) | RESI Director and Senior Research Fellow at ODI
Matthew Bishop (host) | RESI Director and Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield
Viliame Kasanawaqa | RESI Affiliate and Director of ShipWrecked Lab, Fiji
Liam Campling | Professor of International Business, Queen Mary University of London

Will the Fourth UN International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) generate ‘resilient prosperity’?

Season 1 · Episode 6

Thursday, February 29, 2024 • Duration 41:11

Each decade since the mid-1990s, the United Nations has convened a high-level international summit – bringing together small-island governments, large-state donor partners, international organisations and representatives from civil society – to agree the next ten-year agenda for Small Island Developing States’ (SIDS) development diplomacy. The fourth of these conferences (SIDS4) will take place in Antigua-Barbuda in May 2024, under the theme ‘Charting the Course Toward Resilient Prosperity’.

SIDS4 is the most important of these decennial conferences so far, taking place at a critical juncture in the global context and at an especially challenging time for small island states. Consequently, Emily and Matt devote the entirety of this episode to a roundtable discussion with three key protagonists in the SIDS4 process:

Tumasie Blair, Antigua-Barbuda’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN
Ambassador Fatumanava-o-Upolu III Dr Pa'olelei Luteru of Samoa, Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and Permanent Representative of Samoa (the 2014 host state)
Dr Simona Marinescu, Senior Advisor on SIDS at the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS)

The episode explores what will happen at SIDS4, how the agenda has been developed, and in which policy areas SIDS will make the biggest demands of the international community. Looking ahead to the new 10-year agenda that will replace The SAMOA Pathway, Emily and Matt ask 'What can we expect from the Antigua-Barbuda Accord for SIDS (ABAS) 2024-34?' and, crucially, 'How will it deliver genuinely “resilient prosperity"?'.

Featuring:

Emily Wilkinson (host) | RESI Director and Senior Research Fellow at ODI
Matthew Bishop (host) | RESI Director and Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield
Fatumanava-o-Upolu III Dr Pa'olelei Luteru | AOSIS Chair and Permanent Representative of Samoa to the UN

Who is responsible for high debt burdens in SIDS?

Season 1 · Episode 5

Tuesday, January 2, 2024 • Duration 43:52

This episode of "Small Islands, Big Picture" explores debt in SIDS – a critical challenge with no easy solutions. Emily and Matt explain why many island states have built up such large debt burdens in the first place, how this impacts SIDS in different ways, and why it is so difficult to reduce. They discuss what can be done to augment SIDS’ ‘fiscal space’, whose responsibility it is to help them achieve this, and how new financial mechanisms might help.

In “Island Voices”, Rachid Bouhia talks about how better international support is critical for alleviating debt. In the “Explainer” section, Gail Hurley – who specialises in the finance challenges of SIDS – provides 10 reasons why debt is so pressing, but also why we should remain hopeful and continue pushing for global change. In “The Big Picture”, Enrico Gaveglia and Shakira Mustapha discuss the challenges of alleviating debt burdens on the ground. Finally, in “No Stupid Questions”, Matt and Emily answer ‘Why is the issue of debt in SIDS not as simple as just paying down the debt?’.

Featuring:

Emily Wilkinson (host) | RESI Director and Senior Research Fellow, ODI
Matthew Bishop (host) | RESI Director and Senior Lecturer, University of Sheffield
Rachid Bouhia | RESI Director and Economic Affairs Officer, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
Gail Hurley | Independent Advisor and Senior Researcher on Debt and Development Finance
Enrico Gaveglia | Resident Representative, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Maldives
Shakira Mustapha | Research Lead at the Centre for Disaster Protection

Resources:

Programme page | Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI)
RESI policy brief | A global bargain for resilient prosperity in Small Island Developing States

Can we find solutions to climate change-induced sea-level rise?

Season 1 · Episode 4

Saturday, October 28, 2023 • Duration 41:03

This episode of "Small Islands Big Picture" Emily and Matt discuss the problem of sea-level rise, the challenges it poses to sustainable development – especially for low-lying island nations – and what might be done about it.

Ian Fry explains why sea-level rise is such a multifaceted problem. In "Island Voices", Dr Michelle Scobie talks about the critical role of environmental governance. In “The Big Picture”, Dr Tammy Tabe and Professor Jon Barnett talk us through why conventional responses to sea-level rise – such as resettling people – often ignore the desires and adaptation plans of island communities. In "No Stupid Questions", Matt and Emily ask "How might the world better cope with climate-induced migration?".

Featuring:

Emily Wilkinson (host) | RESI Director and Senior Research Fellow at ODI
Matthew Bishop (host) | RESI Director and Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield
Dr Michelle Scobie | RESI Co-Director, Senior Lecturer in International Law and Global Environmental Governance at the University of the West Indies, and Advisor at the Commonwealth Secretariat
Ian Fry | UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in the Context of Climate Change
Dr Tammy Tabe | Oceania Research Fellow at the East-West Center
Professor Jon Barnett | Professor and Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow at the School of Geography, Melbourne University

Resources:

Programme page | Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI)
RESI policy brief | A global bargain for resilient prosperity in Small Island Developing States
Conversation blog | Why a chain of tiny Pacific islands wants an international court opinion

What are the distinctive challenges faced by small non-sovereign islands?

Season 1 · Episode 3

Wednesday, September 6, 2023 • Duration 39:21

In this episode, Emily and Matt discuss a special group of small islands: non-independent territories or "sub-national island jurisdictions" (SNIJs). They explain the great diversity that exists amongst these non-sovereign islands in terms of levels of development and depth of integration with metropolitan powers like Britain, France, the Netherlands and the United States. Professor Jack Corbett, RESI Co-Director and Head of the School of Social Sciences at Monash University in Australia, talks about the trade-offs and tensions that typify life as a SNIJ.

In "Island Voices", we hear from Dr Genève Phillip, Interim Provost and Vice-President of Academic Affairs at the University College of the Cayman Islands. In "The Big Picture", we have two guests: Benito Wheatley, Special Envoy of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) Government and Professor Peter Clegg, Head of the School of Social Sciences at the University of the West of England. Finally, in No Stupid Questions, Emily and Matt ask 'Why are non-sovereign territories not becoming independent?'.

Featuring:

Emily Wilkinson (host) | RESI Director and Senior Research Fellow at ODI
Matthew Bishop (host) | RESI Director and Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield
Jack Corbett | RESI Co-Director and Head of the School of Social Sciences at Monash University in Australia
Genève Phillip | Interim Provost and Vice-President of Academic Affairs at the University College of the Cayman Islands
Benito Wheatley | Special Envoy of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) Government
Professor Peter Clegg | Head of the School of Social Sciences at the University of the West of England

Resources:

Programme page | Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI)
Peter's report | Global Britain, contested spaces, and the UK Overseas Territories

How can the UN Multidimensional Vulnerability Index help small island states?

Season 1 · Episode 2

Monday, August 7, 2023 • Duration 39:36

In this episode of "Small Islands, Big Picture", Emily and Matthew look at the United Nation's new Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI), how it relates to age-old debates about small-state vulnerability, and why it could lead to a long-overdue shift in the allocation of international aid. In "Island Voices", Theresa Meki speaks about the meaning of vulnerability and George Carter highlights different aspects of SIDS' vulnerability that need to be considered. In "The Big Picture", Fatumanava-o-Upolu III Dr Pa'olelei Luteru reports on how work on the MVI is proceeding. In "No Stupid Questions", Emily and Matt answer "Does thinking of Small Island Developing States through the prism of vulnerability risk infantilising them?".

Featuring:

Emily Wilkinson (host) | RESI Director and Senior Research Fellow, ODI
Matthew Bishop (host) | RESI Director and Senior Lecturer, University of Sheffield
Gaston Browne | Prime Minister of Antigua-Barbuda and Co-Chair, UN High-Level Panel on the MVI
Fatumanava-o-Upolu III Dr Pa'olelei Luteru | Permanent Respresentative of Samoa, UN High-Level Panel on the MVI
Theresa Meki | Department of Pacific Affairs, Australian National University
George Carter | RESI Co-director and Department of Pacific Affairs, Australian National University

Resources:

ODI event | Putting the Glasgow Climate Pact into action: accounting for vulnerability
Programme page | Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI)
Policy brief | A global bargain for resilient prosperity in Small Island Developing States
UN website | Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States

“Small Islands, Big Picture” is a new podcast from and ODI which will shine a spotlight on the unique challenges and remarkable resilience of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) around the world. Hosts - and RESI directors – Dr Emily Wilkinson and Dr Matthew Bishop will be joined by expert guests from the Caribbean, Pacific and beyond to discuss the political, economic, social and environmental issues facing SIDS today.

Why do small islands matter?

Season 1 · Episode 1

Thursday, July 13, 2023 • Duration 31:43

“Small Islands, Big Picture” is a new podcast from The Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI) and ODI which will shine a spotlight on the unique challenges and remarkable resilience of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) around the world. Hosts and RESI directors Dr Emily Wilkinson and Dr Matthew Bishop will be joined by expert guests from the Caribbean, Pacific and beyond to discuss the political, economic, social and environmental issues facing SIDS today.

In this first episode, Emily and Matt explain the ways in which SIDS are some of the most distinctive societies on earth – and why a podcast that helps to amplify SIDS' voices is needed. In "Island Voices", Courtney Lindsay explains why the RESI programme is important. In "The Big Picture", Michai Robertson speaks from behind the scenes at the Bonn Climate Conference. In "No Stupid Questions", Emily and Matt debunk the all-too prevalent myth that many SIDS are not deserving of international aid.

Featuring:

Emily Wilkinson (host) | RESI Director and Senior Research Fellow at ODI
Matthew Bishop (host) | RESI Director and Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield
Courtney Lindsay | RESI Director and Senior Research Officer and ODI
Michai Robertson | Antigua-Barbuda negotiator at the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS)

Featured resources:

Putting the Glasgow Climate Pact into action: accounting for vulnerability
Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI)

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Small Islands Big Picture – Details, episodes & analysis

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Small Islands Big Picture – Details, episodes & analysis

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