To see prime minister, Paul Bérenger, welcoming United Nations (UN) secretary general Kofi Annan at SSR airport on the news of French channel TF1 must have been a moment of pride for all Mauritians… No matter what the opposition leader thinks about it!

The Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) UN conference will certainly prove “useful” to Mauritius. It is a sign that the UN trusts the stability of the country and its ability to host a conference that welcomed Very Important Persons from all countries and world institutions. This world meeting has given Mauritius worldwide media coverage. But, more than advertising the island as a dream destination, the SIDS conference was a way of making big countries conscious of the problems smaller ones face.

After five days of intense negotiations, two key documents were ratified. The Mauritius strategic paper to promote sustainable development for the SIDS and the Mauritius declaration were the icing on the cake of the discussions. SIDS countries can only hope that these discussions will be translated into reality this time.

If the latter were of undeniable interest, they were also an opportunity to measure the degree of commitment of the international community. The meeting had started on a bitter note since the SIDS felt that they had been taken for a ride by the international community, which had, ten years before in Barbados, promised financial and technical aid to support their development but had done nothing afterwards.

The SIDS argue that the financial help promised has been constantly decreasing since the last meeting in Barbados. They felt this had to change to give them a chance to attain sustained development.

At the beginning of last week, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) explained that too many exemptions granted to SIDS would make regulations useless. However, small countries insisted that such exemptions were necessary to make world trade fairer. Smaller countries come into the race with disadvantages – lack of financial means to exploit their resources – and they need support from those who have the financial means to achieve development.

Those two visions looked irreconcilable. Ten years after the Barbados meeting, the emphasis was upon the necessity for promises to be kept. The international community and the SIDS have reached an agreement on the issue and the former has committed itself to support the latter. The Mauritius strategic paper points out that special attention should be given to the SIDS regarding trade issues.

More than an access to markets and preferential trade agreements, the SIDS require production capacity and adequate infrastructure to take an active part in global trade. Although prime minister, Paul Bérenger, did not miss the opportunity to say the conference was a “real success”, he also showed his will to fight to make sure these promises are kept. “Ten years were lost after the Barbados summit. We can’t afford any other mistakes!”

<B>Mauritius is considered as highly vulnerable to tidal waves by the United Nations. </B>

The tsunami must have been the click that made eveyone conscious that there is no time for dilly-dallying. As expected, the disaster was at the centre of discussions. Even if it has been spared this time, Mauritius is considered as highly vulnerable to such tidal waves by the United Nations Environment Programme and the South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission. Countries like Reunion, China and South Africa are also on the list. Hence, all members present stressed the urgent need for a global tsunami early warning system.

In his speech, UN secretary general Kofi Annan made it clear that such a system for the Indian Ocean region is not enough. “We have to go further. We have to set up a global warning system for tsunamis but also for any other dangerous phenomenon like storms and cyclones. No region in the world should be left aside.”

But an early warning system should be accompanied by a better attitude towards nature. Although catastrophes are often unforeseeable, we would be safer from such events if the degree of pollution was not so high. Nature is erupting because humans have taken it for granted. “The climate system is a shared resource whose stability can be affected by industrial and other emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases.” (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change). Hopefully, the Kyoto protocol should come into force in February thanks to the Russian ratification.

Small countries should not have to beg from the international community even if their support is needed to sustain our development. It is a question of dignity… What would have been the point of the conference if it were to suffer the same fate as the Barbados meeting? There is, however, a gleam of hope: the UN members will soon meet in Kobe, Japan and they will review many of the issues tackled in Mauritius. Could it be another opportunity to be listened to by the Big Ones…