Islands of the future: building resilience in a changing world

This booklet outlines UNESCO's activities in small island developing States (SIDS), covering the period from 2006-2013. It features chapters on: (i) promoting quality education in islands; (ii) building island resilience; (iii) valuing and sharing island heritage and identities; (iv) building knowledge societies in islands; (v) enabling island cohesion and social well-being; (vi) managing natural resources for a sustainable future; and (vii) the UNESCO participation programme in SIDS.

On resilience, the booklet underlines the particular vulnerability of SIDS to disasters, which are expected to be exacerbated by climate change. Other factors, such as population growth and urban development, are also highlighted as increasing the vulnerability of SIDS to natural disasters, particularly in urban and coastal areas. UNESCO provides an overview of its activities aimed at increasing SIDS' resilience, including by improving disaster management and climate change adaptation.