One challenge for the S.I.D.S meeting is to translate good intentions, signed on paper, into practical activities that help people
Delegates attending the third International Conference on Small Island Developing States (S.I.D.S) have to been told to ‘go easy’ in an effort to reduce the meeting’s carbon footprint.
The message comes from Wu Hongbo, the United Nations’ Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affair and the Secretary-General of S.I.D.S, opening this weekend in Apia.
During a site visit to a Women in Business Development demonstration and processing farm at Nu’u yesterday, Mr. Wu said he was “very conscious of the carbon emissions from running such a conference.”
For example, the UN has cut down its staff for the S.I.D.S meeting by 15 per cent. He has also asked participants to “go easy”, and reduce their emissions by using less resources, less paper and less energy.
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Women in Business Development president, Sheree Stehlin, says her organisation is very focused on how to offset the carbon emissions generated by the global conference.
“We have been running our Offset Islands 2014 campaign for the past month and we are seeing some great initiatives in Samoa to reduce our carbon footprint as well offset the carbon that will be produced,” she said.
“We have seen recycling, renewable energy initiatives, environmentally friendly dinner ware, plans for commercial composting and even the setting up of water refilling stations instead of continuously buying water in plastic bottles."
“All of these are great and Women in Business Development will also be putting our spades in the ground this week to plant trees to do our part in offsetting carbon.”
The Women in Business Development demonstration farm is an agro-processing unit as well as a nursery centre to test crops for farmers and markets.
The farm adds value to products by processing them into other products, which can access a wider market. For example, the virgin coconut oil is sold to The Body Shop as part of its Fair Trade Community programme.
Mr. Wu sampled dried misiluki bananas and virgin coconut oil while visiting the farm at Nu’u.
One challenge for the S.I.D.S meeting is to translate good intentions, signed on paper, into practical activities that help people.
Women in Business Development is one of many organisations at the S.I.D.S meeting, who will showcase how their programmes can turn words into action.
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