Small Island Developing States (SIDS), as a category of countries, was created by the UN system in 1992 to describe small island states that share economic, social and environmental vulnerabilities peculiar to them, arising from their insularity and small size. For this reason, in 1994, the UN created the Barbados Plan of Action (BPOA) to help these countries overcome the above vulnerabilities. This plan was unanimously adopted and endorsed collectively by SIDS, and has been the only international development instrument designed for these countries. However, economic development strategies based on the BPOA, for over two decades, have not responded adequately to the development needs of these countries. In some cases, the vulnerabilities come up worse. In search of a viable alternative to the BPOA, this study used the constructive research methodology to design a new model of economic development strategy for SIDS (EDS-SIDS), adopting an endogenous development approach and a focus on economic growth, seeking a balance between creation of wealth, social development and environmental sustainability. The EDS-SIDS was illustrated with the case of Sao Tome and Principe and shows how it can help this country to overcome the development challenges it is facing.

Albertino da Boa Morte Francisco, Universidade Fernando Pesso

Minister of Youth and Sports (São Tomé and Príncipe); 5-year collaboration with the United Nations System as business consultant in charge of evaluating UN programs, projects and action plans for the country; author of socioeconomic books; multidisciplinary education, at the doctoral level, and about ten years of professional experience; teaching experience in higher and vocational education institutions; fluency in Portuguese, English, French, Spanish, and both São-Toméan and Cape Verdean Creole languages.