Solomon Islands Calls for Urgent Financial and Technical Aid to Tackle Desertification Challenges

By Sharon Nanau in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 

Financing and technical challenges remain a major constraint for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), including the Solomon Islands, in fulfilling their obligations under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Permanent Secretary Dr. Samson Viulu said that the Pacific region’s SIDS share the same concerns about the lack of financial and technical support to effectively address desertification, drought, and land degradation.

Dr. Viulu emphasized that financial assistance is crucial for building resilient and transformative agriculture food systems, including drought preparedness, early warning systems, and response plans.

“Financing support to pacific SIDS is important as it will help in drought preparedness and responsive plans including early warning systems and resilient and transformative agriculture food system and so often it is difficult for us small islands developing states to access the financial resources through the UN financial mechanism and other international financing mechanisms, “he said.

SIDS member countries call’s on developed countries to put more priority and focus on the small island developing states in the pacific region.

Mr Viulu adds technical support is also needed by countries in the region as parties to the UNCCD are obligated to report the work and initiatives they carry out nationally to fight desertification and drought.

“Most of the time the challenge we have is to do with technical resources, our capacity as well as the financial resources that we have and so we have been calling on member countries under the UNCCD to provide resources to the region.”

Solomon Islands latest report on its performance in UNCCD was in 2010 since then no report has being published on the country’s performance.

Mr Viulu said since gaining membership in 1999 it has so far summited three reports.

“We have being far back in our reporting and it’s not because we don’t want to do the reporting but it show’s we lack the capacity and financial resources to do the reporting. These reports will present to the UNCCD secretariat and the Cop Bureau our status and our needs on what resources and expertise do we need in terms of desertification, drought and land desertification,” he said.

Mr Viulu said his team will try and secure funding to enable Solomon Islands to present a technical report during the UNCCD next reporting cycle in 2026.

As an agriculture-based country, the Solomon Islands is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of drought and land degradation.

Mr Viulu said with around 84 percent of the population relying on agriculture for their livelihoods government is focused on improving food security in the agriculture sector.

“The Ministry is actively looking for ways to strengthen the country’s agri-food systems. Data is essential for identifying the best direction and interventions, which will allow us to address the issues of drought, desertification, and land degradation,” he said.

Mr Viulu explains as an agriculture based country having a strong agriculture sector means the country having to address the issue of drought, land degradation and desertification.

“The ministry is looking at ways to strengthen the country’s agri-food systems and to make this possible the sector needs data to work with as from the data we can generate information and do analysis which will then provide us with a clear picture in which direction and intervention we should take in order to strengthen the country’s agri-food system.”

SIBC news understands the Solomon Islands call for more financial and technical support underscores the ongoing challenges faced by SIDS as they continue to fight the effects of environmental degradation and climate change, while striving to meet their international obligations.

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