SIDS DOCK is a United Nations (UN)-recognised international organisation established in 2015, with all the rights and privileges for addressing climate change, resilience, and energy security in small islands. SIDS DOCK represents 32 small islands and low-lying developing states across the globe and is so named because it is designed as a “DOCKing station” to connect the energy sector in SIDS with the global markets for finance and sustainable energy technologies. Belize is the Host Country for the SIDS DOCK Secretariat.

THE SIDS DOCK ASSEMBLY

The Assembly is the supreme organ of the SIDS DOCK, and is composed of all members of SIDS DOCK. The Assembly meets in regular annual and special sessions as it may decide.  Each member has one vote, which a duly authorized representative shall cast. The Assembly makes decisions by a simple majority of the members present and voting unless otherwise specified in the Statute. There are currently 17 State Parties to the SIDS DOCK: Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Bahamas (Commonwealth of the), Dominica (Commonwealth of), Cook Islands, Grenada, Jamaica, Mauritius (Republic of), Samoa (Independent State of), São Tomé and Príncipe (Democratic Republic of), Seychelles (Republic of the), Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tonga (Kingdom of), Tuvalu.

The Assembly is presided over by a President who shall be a representative of a member state and shall be elected by the Assembly at the beginning of each regular session. The President shall be elected to serve for a one-year term with due consideration given to equitable geographic distribution and gender balance. The President of the Assembly shall be assisted by two (2) Vice Presidents who shall be representatives of member states elected to serve for one (1) year terms. Selection of the Vice Presidents shall be made with due consideration given to equitable geographic distribution and gender balance so that each region is represented. The Assembly held its seventh meeting on 28 September 2023.

The current members of the SIDS DOCK Assembly are:

THE SIDS DOCK EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

The SIDS DOCK Executive Council is responsible for overall policy and direction and providing oversight and advice for the institution’s development. The Executive Council delegates responsibility for day-to-day operations to the Secretary-General and committees.  the Executive Council shall bear responsibility for the overall direction, operation, and functioning of the SIDS DOCK and its Secretariat, including its activities, work programmes, and projects. It shall discharge its responsibilities fairly, equitably, and transparently as fiduciaries.  Election and membership on the Executive Council reflect a range of professional expertise with individuals having multiple years of experience, gender-balanced, and equitable regional representation from each regional group as established by UN-DESA (AIS, Caribbean, and Pacific).

His Excellency Mr. Viliami Va’inga Tone is the Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Tonga to the United Nations, and presented his credentials to UN Secretary‑General António Guterres in July 2018. Prior to his appointment as Permanent Representative of Tonga to the UN, Ambassador Tone was his country’s Secretary for Foreign Affairs, from 2013 to 2017, having served in that position from 2007 to 2010, and Lord Privy Seal in the Palace Office from 2011 to 2013. From 2005 to 2006, Ambassador Tone served as Acting Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs and he sat in Cabinet, Privy Council and Parliament on several occasions.  He was Deputy Secretary and Chief of Protocol at the Ministry from 2002 to 2006 and acted as Secretary for Foreign Affairs on several occasions from 2002 to 2004.  Also at the Ministry, he served as Principal Assistant Secretary from 2000 to 2001 and as Military Liaison Officer from 1999 to 2000. Ambassador Tone holds a Master of Military Studies from the Marine Corps University at Quantico, United States; a Master of Commerce in economics and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Wollongong University, Australia; and a certificate in diplomatic studies from Oxford University, United Kingdom.

THE SIDS DOCK SECRETARIAT

Headquarters of the SIDS DOCK Secretariat, hosted by the Ministry of Public Utilities, Energy, Logistics and E-Governance, Government of Belize, Toucan Plaza, George Price Boulevard, Belmopan, Belize

The Secretariat carries out the substantive and administrative work of the SIDS DOCK Organisation as directed by the SIDS DOCK Assembly and the SIDS DOCK Executive Council. The Secretariat also coordinates the startup activities of the Global Ocean Energy Alliance (GLOEA) Secretariat in Belize. The GLOEA, supported by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is an initiative focused on accelerating the development of ocean energy technologies and projects through partnerships that mobilize technical, human, and financial resources. It aims to establish a global community of vested interest with the capacity to develop a pipeline of bankable ocean energy projects to serve islands, cities, and coastal nations.

The Secretary-General heads the Secretariat and provides overall administrative guidance. The SIDS DOCK Statute, Article III Secretariat, describes the Secretary-General as the “Chief Executive Officer” of the Organization, who shall act in that capacity and be responsible for the function of the Secretariat and the implementation and execution of the decisions, directives, and policies of the Assembly. The Secretary-General is elected by the Executive Council and appointed by the SIDS DOCK Assembly. The Secretariat provides essential administrative and logistic support for the Assembly, Executive Council, and National and Regional Coordinators, both at the Policy Level and at the Operational Level, and different Technical Working Groups of the SIDS DOCK to facilitate the achievement of their objectives and specific tasks in close collaboration between the energy and other sectors, and its development partners.

The Secretary-General is supported by a Chief of Staff & Project Director who provides support services to enable the Executive Council Chair and the Secretary-General to perform their leadership roles effectively. The Chief of Staff & Project Director is the Principal Adviser to the Secretary-General, assists with the coordination of the work of the SIDS DOCK Work Programme, coordinates the work of the SIDS DOCK Island Women Open Network (IWON), and is responsible for the overall management of the Secretariat.

The SIDS DOCK Chief Knowledge Officer develops, oversees, and maintains the information capital of our organization, develops strategies, protocols, and solutions that enhance and secure our knowledge assets across several platforms and is responsible for coordinating the startup activities of the Global Ocean Energy Alliance (GLOEA) Secretariat.

The Secretariat is further supported by a team of administrative and technical staff, consultants from the Caribbean, Pacific, the AIS, and other regions, as well as multiple volunteers.

The SIDS DOCK Secretariat serves as a hub for information sharing for the various levels of the SIDS DOCK. The organisation’s work is coordinated by the Secretariat, in Belmopan, Belize. The Ministry of Public Utilities, Energy, Logistics, and E-Governance in Toucan Plaza, Belmopan, Belize hosts the Secretariat.

SECRETARY-GENERAL

Dr. Albert Binger has been a driving force in helping to build and strengthen the resilience of vulnerable countries and people across Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and low-lying developing countries. It is recognized globally as a leader representing millions of people, standing at the forefront of the most significant challenge facing humankind – climate change. He has spent the past 25 years evangelizing a shift to utilizing the SIDS’s greatest renewable resource – the oceans- and how it can significantly transform the energy sector as a means to wean poor countries from fossil fuels and help countries adapt to climate change.

In 2015, as the main architect of the SIDS DOCK – the Sustainable Energy and Climate Resilience Organization, Dr. Binger piloted the launch of the Organization as the first United Nations (UN)-recognized sustainable energy and climate resilience Treaty organization among Small Island Developing States (SIDS), with all the rights and privileges of a UN Organization, and this has helped position him as a leader on the sustainable energy and climate resilience global stage. SIDS DOCK serves 32 countries across the Caribbean, Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, representing millions of people. The SIDS DOCK organization was developed to provide the small island developing states with a mechanism that collectively advances the transformation of the energy sector in SIDS from petroleum fuels-dominated to renewable sources to help generate financial resources to address climate change adaptation.

Dr. Binger is the former Chair, Strategic Planning and Director of the Global Environment Division, Rockefeller Foundation, in New York, USA, and served as Director of the Bioenergy Division, responsible for identifying and promoting opportunities for public-private partnership investments in non-food agriculture at Agro 21, in the Office of the Prime Minister, Kingston, Jamaica. Dr Binger is the former Director of Research and Development at the Scientific Research Council, Kingston, Jamaica. He is also a board member of the International Bioenergy Association in Stockholm, Sweden.

KEY DOCUMENTS

Statute Establishing the SIDS DOCK, 27 September 2015

Statute Establishing The Small Island Developing States DOCK (SIDS DOCK)

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Certificate of Registration by the Secretary-General of United Nations: Statute establishing the Small Island Developing States Dock (SIDS DOCK), 6 June 2016

UN COR-Reg-53471-Sr-66672 (1) - SIDS DOCK Registration Certificate

1 file(s) 163.12 KB

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INITIATIVES / CAMPAIGNS

• The Global Ocean Energy Alliance (GLOEA): https://gloea.org/
• UNIDO’s Global Network of Reginal Sustainable Energy Centers (GN-SEC): https://www.gn-sec.net/content/global-ocean-energy-alliance-gloea
• SIDS DOCK Island Women Open Network (IWON): https://iwon.sidsdock.org/

The Secretariat coordinates the organization’s work in Belmopan, Belize.

Tel: (+501) 822-0401/0810
Tel: 1-301-873-4522 (WhatsApp)
Fax: (501) 822-2206
Email: secretariat@sidsdock.org