Alliance of Small Island States
Encyclopedia
Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) is an intergovernmental organization of low-lying coastal
and small Island countries. Established in 1990, the main purpose of the alliance is to consolidate the voices of Small Island Developing States
(SIDS) to address global warming
. AOSIS has been very active from its inception, putting forward the first draft text in the Kyoto Protocol
negotiations as early as 1994.
Many of the member states were present at the December 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference
(COP15). Democracy Now!
reported that members from the island state of Tuvalu interrupted a session on 10-December-2009 to demand that global temperature rise be limited to 1.5 degrees instead of the proposed 2 degrees.
AOSIS has 42 members and observers
from all around the world, of which 36 are members of the United Nations
. The alliance represents 28% of the developing countries, and 20% of the UN's total membership.
and connected seas:
In the Indian Ocean
:
In the Pacific Ocean
:
In the Arctic Ocean
:
(none)
In the Southern Ocean
:
(none)
AOSIS also has four observers: American Samoa
, Guam
, Netherlands Antilles
, and the United States Virgin Islands
.
Coast
A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...
and small Island countries. Established in 1990, the main purpose of the alliance is to consolidate the voices of Small Island Developing States
Small Island Developing States
Small Island Developing States are low-lying coastal countries that tend to share similar sustainable development challenges, including small but growing populations, limited resources, remoteness, susceptibility to natural disasters, vulnerability to external shocks, excessive dependence on...
(SIDS) to address global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
. AOSIS has been very active from its inception, putting forward the first draft text in the Kyoto Protocol
Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change , aimed at fighting global warming...
negotiations as early as 1994.
Many of the member states were present at the December 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference
2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference
The 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly known as the Copenhagen Summit, was held at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, Denmark, between 7 December and 18 December. The conference included the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate...
(COP15). Democracy Now!
Democracy Now!
Democracy Now! and its staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths of...
reported that members from the island state of Tuvalu interrupted a session on 10-December-2009 to demand that global temperature rise be limited to 1.5 degrees instead of the proposed 2 degrees.
AOSIS has 42 members and observers
Observer status
Observer status is a privilege granted by some organizations to non-members to give them an ability to participate in the organization's activities. Observer status is often granted by intergovernmental organizations to non-member states and international nongovernmental organizations that have...
from all around the world, of which 36 are members of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. The alliance represents 28% of the developing countries, and 20% of the UN's total membership.
AOSIS member states
In the Atlantic OceanAtlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
and connected seas:
In the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
:
In the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
:
In the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
:
(none)
In the Southern Ocean
Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60°S latitude and encircling Antarctica. It is usually regarded as the fourth-largest of the five principal oceanic divisions...
:
(none)
AOSIS also has four observers: American Samoa
American Samoa
American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...
, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, Netherlands Antilles
Netherlands Antilles
The Netherlands Antilles , also referred to informally as the Dutch Antilles, was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, consisting of two groups of islands in the Lesser Antilles: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao , in Leeward Antilles just off the Venezuelan coast; and Sint...
, and the United States Virgin Islands
United States Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands of the United States are a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.The U.S...
.
See also
- Africa, the Caribbean and the PacificACP countriesThe African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States is a group of countries , created by the Georgetown Agreement in 1975. The group's main objectives are sustainable development and poverty reduction within its member states, as well as their greater integration into the world's economy...
(ACP) - Barbados Programme of ActionBarbados Programme of ActionThe United Nations Programme of Action on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, popularly referred to as the Barbados Program of Action , is a policy document that both: comprehensively addresses the economic, environmental, and social developmental vulnerabilities facing...
(BPOA) - Climate change mitigation
- Islands FirstIslands FirstIslands First is a recently founded non-governmental organization working on behalf of the Small Island Developing States to confront the challenges of climate change, the depletion of ocean resources , and ocean level's rise.- Background and Mission :Small island countries have been the first to...
- Least Developed CountriesLeast Developed CountriesLeast developed country is the name given to a country which, according to the United Nations, exhibits the lowest indicators of socioeconomic development, with the lowest Human Development Index ratings of all countries in the world...
(LDC) - Small Island Developing StatesSmall Island Developing StatesSmall Island Developing States are low-lying coastal countries that tend to share similar sustainable development challenges, including small but growing populations, limited resources, remoteness, susceptibility to natural disasters, vulnerability to external shocks, excessive dependence on...
(SIDS) - World Ocean ConferenceWorld Ocean ConferenceThe World Ocean Conference is an international conference which includes diplomats and heads of state from a number of countries. It took place in May 2009 in Manado, Indonesia. Its topic is the threat to various nations from rising oceans due to global warming....
- Politics of global warmingPolitics of global warmingThe politics of global warming have involved corporate lobbying, funding of special interest groups and public relations campaigns by the oil and coal industries which have affected policy decisions and legislation worldwide...