“We are determined to protect the planet from degradation, through sustainable consumption and production, sustainably managing its natural resources and taking urgent action on climate change, so that it can support the needs of the present and future generations.”- Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, 2015, A/RES/70/1

In Small Island Developing States (SIDS), change is the only constant. Progress towards sustainable development is especially challenging for small islands, due to the unique characteristics they share. Small islands are also often considered to be resilient nations. While island living can be challenging, one important commonality of all SIDS remains their thriving capacity to be resilient in the face of natural calamities such as cyclones or their capacity to adapt to the difficulties pertaining to their geographical remoteness from the big economic markets. Usually located across vast oceans, SIDS are particularly vulnerable to exogenous shocks such as natural disasters, climate change, and global crisis, even though they account for only 1% of the total GHG emissions.

Their uniqueness has made them strong – their vulnerabilities have forged their ability to adapt to continuous challenges such as their reliance on remote global markets for food and fuel supplies. Adopting new and innovative approaches to the development challenges, through community collaboration and technological adaptation has helped these islands become more resilient. Over and above the usual trends and challenges, the Global UNDP Accelerator Lab network provides a unique opportunity to contribute to islands achieving their targeted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

Our First Learning Cycle

The objective of the UNDP Accelerator Lab is to help the Republics of Mauritius and of Seychelles to achieve the 17 SDGs by leveraging grassroots innovations and emerging trends, and through experimentation and piloting proofs of concept in collaboration with indigenous actors while leaving no one behind.

Small land areas, inadequate infrastructure, and limited human and natural resources are some characteristics of SIDS that constitute vulnerabilities exposing their economies to global shocks, threatening their communities with food insecurity among other challenges. Moreover, Mauritius and Seychelles are situated in the South-West Indian Ocean (SWIO), an area prone to cyclones and to the adverse effects of Climate Change.

The COVID-19 pandemic crisis has altered the global socio-economic outlook and these two islands face particularly complex development challenges, from the impact on health to geographical isolation and restricted supply chains — all while being at the frontline of Climate Change. In an economy where tourist activities contribute to a fair share of the two islands’ GDP, further shocks can only contribute to an increase in the number of unemployed, inequality, and insecurity, and decreasing food security and social protection.

Through our UNDP Accelerator Lab, Ayooshee, Avinash and I, are contributing to shifting the dynamics of the discourse on socio-economic development in the islands. As part of our first learning cycle, we focused on how we can help to create and strengthen connections between local micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the tourism sector to enhance business and local trade opportunities to generate green recovery.

But where do we start?

How do we tackle this development challenge of our islands, amidst the current economic crisis? Can Mauritius and Seychelles contribute as platforms for accelerated learning across the UNDP and broader development SIDS network? Can we pilot and experiment with grassroots solutions that can be scaled up across island states? We have so many questions, the challenges are complex, and there are no easy answers.

Exploration Safari: Rodrigues Island

We embarked on a three-day mission to Rodrigues Island, a semi-autonomous island within the Republic of Mauritius, with its own Regional Assembly and an Executive Council.

We landed under the warm, clear blue sky of one of the smallest and most beautiful islands of the Indian Ocean. Rodrigues, which is known for its beauty, welcoming population, and rich biodiversity, is situated approximately 600 kilometres off the eastern coast of Mauritius. With its 108 km² of volcanic land and 200 km² stretch of protected turquoise lagoon through its coral reefs, the island is a well-known tourist destination.

This was our first exploration safari. Despite being one of the rare COVID-free territories around the world, Rodrigues has unfortunately been affected by the indirect impacts of the pandemic. The Rodriguan economy, primarily dependent on the tourism sector, has faced a major blow with the closing of the island’s borders in March 2020 and March 2021. However, as a resilient nation, the Rodriguans came up with innovative solutions to deal with such unprecedented circumstances.  

As we step on the island, we get the impression that the clock stops ticking. It becomes manifestly understandable why tourists consider Rodrigues a stress-free island. However, despite of the temptation to slow down and loosen up, we immediately turned our attention to our mission to explore this island and its people. Our main aim was to better understand how small islands can provide solutions to complex development issues by meeting unusual actors waiting to be listened to, and trying to map indigenous and grassroots solutions.

Looking for indigenous grassroots solutions

Through our three-day journey, we gathered much information and learned from different stakeholders across the Rodriguan society. Mr. Jean Marie, whom we met at an NGO, Centre de Formation Agricole Frère Remy, proudly told us that Rodrigues was once considered as the “grenier” (the breadbasket) of mainland Mauritius. Farm animals, seafood, maize, onions, and many more locally-grown food items were exported to the mainland by the population of Rodrigues for whom agriculture and fishing activities were major economic activities. Over the years, with economic diversification, the tourism sector became an additional important pillar of the island’s economy, and the agricultural and fisheries base was somewhat eroded.

How did the tourism sector sustain the pandemic period? Mr. Hung, the director of a guesthouse on the island, told us there was a close collaboration between the regional authorities and the tourism actors to promote alternative livelihood for the tourism employees. Local schemes to support domestic tourism were proposed as well. These included providing jobs to clean tourist sites and the island in general; replanting corals along the lagoon; and training opportunities for employees in the tourism sector to sustain the livelihood of both the Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises and the tourism sector.

Our exploration journey has just begun. We are looking forward to gathering more information about grassroots innovations, about what works, and sharing the stories of the stakeholders we meet along our journey in Rodrigues. Follow our blogs and join us as we explore the 3 SIDS in the SWIO region If you are interested in this topic and have any ideas or suggestions, we would love to hear from you. Follow us on Accelerator Labs | UNDP in Mauritius & Seychelles.