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Communities and islands... two of the most important building blocks in the future we want - in a future that is inclusive, sustainable and resilient. Their health and well-being will be the litmus test for success. The past 12 years of the Equator Initiative have surfaced local leaders in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) that are without doubt the global champions we need for sustainable development - for our global community as well as for the future of islands. The priorities of SIDS and their policy agenda have changed little over the past 20 years. When the sustainable development for SIDS was quietly introduced to Chapter 17 of Agenda 21 - in 1992 - there was some surprise, but little resistance. This was at a time when many SIDS were without environment units let alone Ministers responsible for the portfolio, and climate change was just emerging as a significant global threat. While some of the institutional capacity in SIDS was still being built, island communities were able to tell stories, provide the anecdotal evidence of changing environments - of climate change itself - that over the subsequent years have been confirmed by science. The strong sense of self-reliance was as evident then as it is today.

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have been widely recognised by the international community as a special case for sustainable development. Each of these islands and low-lying countries, primarily located in the Caribbean Sea, Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, has its own national circumstances. Collectively though, SIDS and their citizens share many development challenges. The economic, social and environmental issues faced by SIDS communities are interrelated and strongly influenced by external global processes. The particular characteristics of the SIDS' development setting are important for understanding the context in which SIDS determine their national priorities and for identifying best practices and coordinated strategies to achieve their development objectives.