However, the most important questions are how to improve the situation for especially women and the poorest target groups and how to assist the least developed Small Island Developing States. Mr. President, To follow up on the Barbados plan of Action, Denmark is actively supporting activities carried out by multilateral environment and development programmes in partnership with Small Island Developing States. In our dialogue with the Global Environment Facility, the World Bank, UNDP and UNEP we attach great importance to their co-operation with Small Island Developing States, in particular with a view to improving the situation for women and the poorest target groups. The Lom Convention is a centrepiece of co-operation between the European Union and Small Island Developing States. For the period 1996-2000, the European Union is committing over 1.0 billions Euros of development assistance to Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.
High priority is given to supporting women and the poorest target groups.
The European Union is by far the most significant development partner for small island states. On top of that Denmark works together with Small Island Developing States in a number of ways that supports the implementation of the Barbados Plan of Action. Let me mention our institutional support in the fields of climate change and sustainable energy to the South Pacific Environment Programme, the South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission and the University of the South Pacific. Through the South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission and the University of the South Pacific, we are supporting the development of efficient planning tools for energy sector planning in small island states with a view to increasing the use of renewable energy. It is important to add that these activities have been initiated by the small island states themselves and that they are part of a regional co-operation that already exists and therefore does not necessitate new institutions.