The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey is participating in the 4th International Conference on Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) in Antigua from 27th to 30th May, 2024, which is being held on the theme: “Charting the Course Toward Resilient Prosperity.”

The conference is expected to bring together the international community to review SIDS’ sustainable development progress and propose a new decade of partnerships and solutions to supercharge their path to resilient prosperity.

Delivering a statement at the conference, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey indicated that a large number of SIDS share a common ancestry with Africa and added that the success of SIDS would be the success of the entire globe.

Ms Botchwey further stated that Ghana was committed to the fight of the SIDS because it was right, necessary and also because Ghana has the moral duty to do so, as the Chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum. She further called for countries to support the SIDS to make better progress by resolving the knock-on effects of the multiple, cascading and increasingly entrenched global crises that have deepened the unique vulnerabilities of SIDS.

Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey also held bilateral meetings with the President of Nauru, David Adeang, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives, Moosa Zameer, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Labour and Trade of Tuvalu, Paulson Panapa, the Minister of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change of Mauritius, Kavydass Ramano and the Minister for Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communications (MEIDECC) of Tonga, FekitamoeloaKatoa Utoikamanu.

During the meetings, Ms Botchwey discussed issues of the Commonwealth and shared her vision for the organisation.