Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are set to unlock new export opportunities and attract greater investment with the establishment of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Centre of Excellence, headquartered in Antigua and Barbuda, with funding from Germany and technical support from the International Trade Centre (ITC).
At a signing ceremony held at ITC headquarters, Ambassador Antje Leendertse of Germany to the United Nations in Geneva and ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton formalized Germany’s $100,000 contribution to support the Centre’s operations, as championed by Antigua and Barbuda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Aubrey Webson. The contribution will strengthen the Centre’s role in promoting sustainable, trade-led economic development across SIDS.
Small Island Developing States – a diverse group of 57 economies across the Caribbean, the Pacific, and the Atlantic, Indian Ocean and South China Sea – face a unique combination of social, economic and environmental challenges. Their geographic isolation often results in high import and export costs, while their limited resource bases leave many heavily dependent on external markets.
Expanding into new markets for priority goods and services will be key for SIDS to achieve sustainable, inclusive socioeconomic development.
Tapping into export potential, investment
In support of these efforts, ITC will provide a SIDS-customized version of its Export Potential Map, so businesses – big and small – can identify products with strong potential for increased exports as well as new markets and suppliers. Governments will be able to use the tool to find export diversification opportunities and more broadly, to develop data-backed economic development strategies and policies.
Additionally, ITC will provide planning and programmatic support for the inaugural Island Investment Forum in 2026. The Island Investment Forum will serve as a key platform for facilitating strategic partnerships and attracting sustainable, mutually beneficial investment across SIDS.
The SIDS Centre of Excellence, hosted in Antigua and Barbuda, serves as a flagship initiative under the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS. Key pillars of the Centre of Excellence include, among others, the SIDS Global Data Hub and the Island Investment Forum.
The Centre of Excellence is steadily taking shape at its headquarters in Antigua and Barbuda. The brand identity of the institution was recently unveiled during a video launch and preparations are well underway for its full activation as a flagship initiative under the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS.
