Small Islands Big Picture cover art

Small Islands Big Picture

Small Islands Big Picture

By: ODI Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI)
Listen for free

LIMITED TIME OFFER

£0.99/mo for 3 months - terms apply. Offer ends 24 August 2026.
Directors of ODI Global's Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative, Emily Wilkinson and Matt Bishop, cut to the heart of the political, economic, social and environmental challenges facing SIDS, and how their incredible people are responding to them. Every episode includes expert guests from the Caribbean, Pacific and elsewhere. To get in touch, visit https://odi.org/en/about/our-work/resilient-islands/ or send us an email to info@odi.org with "small islands" in the subject line.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ODI Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI) Biological Sciences Earth Sciences Economics Management Management & Leadership Science
Episodes
  • Where do African SIDS fit into small-island development?

    Where do African SIDS fit into small-island development?
    Jul 30 2026
    African Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are sometimes overlooked in global debates that tend to be dominated by the Pacific and the Caribbean. Yet across Africa’s island states, substantial advances are being made in terms of regional collaboration, good governance, sustainable development, climate resilience and cultural protection. At the same time, the region faces distinctive challenges: vast distances separate African SIDS and their critical mass is limited relative to counterparts elsewhere. In this episode, Emily and Matt are joined by Stefano Moncada from the University of Malta to speak to panel of experts – Paul Akiwumi from Ghana, Penda Choppy from Seychelles, Ramola Ramtohul from Mauritius, and Antonio Palazuelos Prieto from Cape Verde – about the exciting developments that are happening across African SIDS. They explore what is going on across the continent and why African island development matters to the wider story of small islands, highlighting lessons, successes and insights that can inform resilience and development efforts across the global community of islands. Featuring: Emily Wilkinson (host) | RESI Director and Principal Research Fellow at ODI Global Matthew Bishop (host) | RESI Director and Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield Stefano Moncada | Director, Islands and Small States Institute at the University of Malta Paul Akiwumi | Senior Fellow, London School of Economics and former Director of the UNCTAD Division for Africa, Least Developed Countries and Special Programmes Ramola Ramtohul | Associate Professor in Gender Studies and Sociology at the University of Mauritius Antonio Palazuelos Prieto | SIDS Expert at UN Economic Commission for Africa Penda Choppy | Director, Creole Language and Culture Research Institute at the University of Seychelles Resources: Programme page | Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI) Stefano’s profile | University of Malta website Paul’s profile | Paul Akiwumi LinkedInUNCTAD’s work on productive capacities | SIDS PCI website Ramola’s profile | Ramola Ramtohul LinkedIn Ramola’s book | The Mauritian Paradox Antonio’s profile | Antonio Palazuelos LinkedIn Penda’s profile | University of Seychelles website A paper by Jack, our RESI Co-Director | African Exceptions LISTENER SURVEY: To help us make Small Islands, Big Picture even better, we’ve put together a short audience survey and would love your input. You can find the survey at this link and your feedback will help us shape future episodes, topics, and guests. If you have a moment, please fill it out: it only takes a couple of minutes would mean a lot to us. Thanks for listening and supporting the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show More Show Less
    40 mins
  • Defending the SIDS special case: what happened at the SIDS Future Forum 2026?

    Defending the SIDS special case: what happened at the SIDS Future Forum 2026?
    Jun 3 2026
    Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have long been recognised by the United Nations as a “special case” for sustainable development. This reflects the fact that small islands across the Caribbean, the Pacific, and the Indian Ocean and Atlantic regions face unique and intensifying challenges, including climate change, debt pressures, geopolitical uncertainty, and limited fiscal space.But in a rapidly shifting global system, that recognition is under increasing strain. How do small island states ensure their needs are still understood, prioritised and acted on?In this episode, we explore the key questions at the heart of that debate, drawing on insights from the SIDS Future Forum 2026, a space which brought over 50 experts together - SIDS diplomats, officials from international organisations, representatives of donor governments and researchers - to reflect on the future of the global SIDS agenda and the implementation of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS), the UN’s ten-year programme of action.In an extended version of our “Big Picture” segment, we hear reflections from senior SIDS representatives to the UN, including Tania Romualdo (Cabo Verde), Walton Webson (Antigua and Barbuda), Ali Naseer Mohamed (Maldives) and Nicholas Cox (Barbados), on what it will take to keep the “special case” relevant and credible in a world of sustained geopolitical upheaval. In “No Stupid Questions”, Matt and Emily explore some of the new ideas that emerged from the Future Forum, including why fresh evidence, insights and arguments are needed to defend the UN-recognised “special case” for sustainable development that SIDS have held since the first UN programme of action in the 1990s. LISTENER SURVEY: To help us make Small Islands, Big Picture even better, we’ve put together a short audience survey and would love your input. You can find the survey at this link and your feedback will help us shape future episodes, topics, and guests. If you have a moment, please fill it out: it only takes a couple of minutes would mean a lot to us. Thanks for listening and supporting the show! Featuring:Emily Wilkinson (host) | RESI Director and Principal Research Fellow at ODI GlobalMatthew Bishop (host) | RESI Director and Senior Lecturer at the University of SheffieldTania Romualdo | Permanent Representative of Cabo Verde to the UNWalton Webson | Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda to the UNAli Naseer Mohamed | Permanent Representative of Maldives to the UNNicholas Cox | Deputy Permanent Representative of Barbados to the UN Resources:Programme page | Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI)RESI Book | Sustaining Development in Small IslandsRESI Report | How SIDS view their development partnersTrailer for new RESI film | Climate Blueprint: BarbadosSIDS Future Forum 2026 | Opening session recording: navigating the nowSIDS Future Forum 2026 | State of SIDS Report Chapters 1 and 2 recordingSIDS Future Forum 2026 | State of SIDS Report Chapters 2 and 3 recordingSIDS Future Forum 2026 | Event homepage and resourcesSIDS Future Forum 2026 | Wilton Park Event ReportSIDS Future Forum 2024 | Shaping the Future of SIDS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show More Show Less
    42 mins
  • Have health outcomes in small islands recovered a half-decade after the Covid-19 pandemic?

    Have health outcomes in small islands recovered a half-decade after the Covid-19 pandemic?
    May 8 2026
    Small islands generally did far better during the pandemic than bigger (and often richer) countries with more complex health systems. In this episode, Emily and Matt ask: what have been the longer-term effects of Covid-19 more than five years on? Have lessons have been learned for the next shock? Where can we see both improvements and things to worry about in health provision and outcomes? We welcome two global public health experts for our “Explainer”. Sophie Harman tells us why we should worry about not only the decline of multilateral health governance, but also what might be replacing it. Simon Rushton talks us through some of the longer-term effects of the pandemic on the Global South. Then, in the Big Picture, we are joined by Roannie Ng Shiu from Samoa and Aviane Auguste from St Lucia to learn why SIDS did relatively so well in the pandemic but why more prosaic health challenges – from measles to dengue and non-communicable diseases like diabetes – are of greater immediate concern. Finally, in no stupid questions, Matt and Emily ask whether small size and islandness are actually secret weapons in helping SIDS to achieve better health outcomes. LISTENER SURVEY: To help us make Small Islands, Big Picture even better, we’ve put together a short audience survey and would love your input. You can find the survey at this link and your feedback will help us shape future episodes, topics, and guests. If you have a moment, please fill it out: it only takes a couple of minutes would mean a lot to us. Thanks for listening and supporting the show! Featuring:Emily Wilkinson (host) | RESI Director and Principal Research Fellow at ODI GlobalMatthew Bishop (host) | RESI Director and Senior Lecturer at the University of SheffieldSophie Harman | Professor of International Politics, Queen Mary, University of LondonSimon Rushton | Professor of International Politics, University of SheffieldRoannie Ng Shiu | Director, Institute for Pacific and Global Health, University of AucklandAvianne Auguste | Assistant Professor, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational health, McGill University Resources:Programme page | Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI)Sophie’s profile | Professor Sophie HarmanSophie’s film | PiliSophie’s book | Sick of it: the global fight for women’s healthSimon’s profile | Professor Simon RushtonSimon’s award | ESRC Impact Prize: Improbable DialoguesSimon & Sophie’s recent Lancet article | Global health partnerships for a post-2030 agendaRoannie’s profile | Dr Roannie Ng ShiuRoannie’s Lancet article | The 2024 small island developing states report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate changeAviane’s profile | Dr Aviane AugusteA public lecture by Aviane | Improving health outcomes in small islandsAn important Lancet piece | SIDS standing together on NCDs and mental health Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show More Show Less
    54 mins
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
No reviews yet