16 July 2025

Mr. President,

My Delegation welcomes this debate on strategies for SDG success in Small Island Developing States (SIDS). As a “family of nations”, the international community has the moral and political responsibility to support countries in special situations, including SIDS, in achieving sustainable development.

Mr. President,

Debt remains one of the biggest obstacles to SIDS achieving the SDGs. Almost 40 percent of SIDS are already in, or at high risk of, debt distress. Many SIDS are forced to spend more on servicing debt than on public health or education.1 This situation conflicts with the commitments in the 2030 Agenda to pursuing sustainable development for all.

Moreover, it is essential to recognise the “ecological debt which exists, particularly between the global north and south, connected to commercial imbalances with effects on the environment, and the disproportionate use of natural resources by certain countries over long periods of time,”2 while poorer, more vulnerable nations, including SIDS, bear the brunt of climate impacts. This is not just an economic issue, but a profoundly moral one too.
 
In this context, there is an urgent need for immediate debt relief for SIDS, and a comprehensive rethinking of the global debt architecture. Any reformed and renewed debt architecture must account for the vulnerability of SIDS, promote environmental justice, and prioritise the protection of human dignity.

Debt relief alone is not a panacea. However, it has the potential to transform the development prospects of SIDS by providing them with the fiscal space to invest in essential pillars such as infrastructure, climate adaptation, health systems and education, which are crucial for SIDS to “achieve sustainable development and resilient prosperity”.3

Mr. President,

With only five years left to achieve the SDGs, the international community must act with a renewed urgency to free SIDS from the cycles of debt, disaster and delay they are facing. In conclusion, the Holy See affirms that achieving the SDGs by SIDS requires a commitment to justice, peace, and care for creation - values deeply rooted in Christian social teaching. As Pope Leo XIV powerfully stated, the Jubilee, which is being celebrated this year by the Catholic Church, “asks of us the restitution and redistribution of unjustly accumulated wealth, as the way to personal and civil reconciliation.”4

Thank you.

1 United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD), A World of Debt Report 2025.
2 Pope Francis, Encyclical Letter Laudato si’, 51.

3 United Nations, Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS: A renewed declaration for resilient prosperity, 7.
4 Pope Leo XIV, Address to the participants in the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, 26 June 2025.