Small island developing States have valuable resources, including oceans, Coastal environments, biodiversity and, most importantly, human resources?. also have their own peculiar vulnerabilities and characteristics, so that the difficulties they face in the pursuit of sustainable development are particularly severe and complex.
* Preamble, Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, Barbados, 1994

Sustainable development is critical for the Caribbean, as recognized in the Programme of Action for Small Island Developing States (SIDS POA), the Mauritius Strategy in the Caribbean and in other plans, programmes and initiatives.

Accordingly, our Office is committed to helping meet the challenges of sustainable development in the Caribbean, with two primary focus areas.

Our Office's mandate in this area is to help Caribbean States address the many sustainable development challenges they face by: providing advisory services, training and support for the analysis, design, implementation and evaluation of public policies; convening expert group meetings, training workshops and intergovernmental consultations; and providing technical assistance at the country level, as requested.