On 9 July 2026, the European Union and its Member States reaffirmed their commitment to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) at the UN High Level Political Forum, highlighting EUR 7.4 billion in bilateral ODA between 2021-2024 and detailing Global Gateway investments. Marie-Aurélie Vernin, Team Leader SDGs at European Commission DG INTPA, delivered the statement on behalf of the EU, emphasizing the bloc's role as a reliable long-term partner.
The EU recognised SIDS' unique vulnerabilities—climate exposure, debt pressures, remoteness, limited economic diversification, and difficulty accessing concessional finance—while also acknowledging their strategic importance and leadership in ocean and sustainability issues. The EU actively supports the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS) 2024-2034, focusing on ocean governance, biodiversity protection, sustainable blue economies, and reform of the international financial architecture.
Global Gateway, the EU's main investment offer to SIDS, has mobilised around EUR 380 million in Cabo Verde for electricity generation, grid and storage systems, digital connectivity including submarine cable infrastructure, sustainable port modernisation, and wind power expansion with battery storage. In the Pacific, the Green-Blue Alliance supports climate action, resilience, and sustainable use of natural capital through agri-food systems, eco-tourism, e-business, digital solutions, and circular economy approaches, including a hydropower scheme in Fiji expected to almost double renewable electricity production per year. In the Caribbean, the EU works with partners to address sargassum as both an environmental challenge and an economic opportunity.
Since 2025, the EU funds on-demand technical assistance through the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to support SIDS in ratifying and implementing the UN Agreement on the Conservation of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement). The EU's shared priority is to ensure SIDS have the institutions, capacities, partnerships, data, and finance needed to implement ABAS effectively and accelerate SDG delivery.
The statement underscores the EU's shift from a traditional donor-recipient model towards mutually beneficial partnerships based on ownership, transparency, high standards, local value addition, and long-term impact. This approach balances economic development with environmental protection, supporting SIDS' resilience while opening opportunities for EU businesses in sustainable infrastructure and digital connectivity. The EUR 7.4 billion in ODA and targeted Global Gateway projects provide concrete financial commitments, though the impact depends on effective implementation and alignment with national priorities. The EU's continued engagement is expected to strengthen institutional capacities and mobilise private investment, but challenges remain in ensuring equitable access to concessional finance and addressing debt pressures.