The fiscal space of these Small Island Developing States ( SIDS ), reducing the ability of SIDS governments to reform education systems and offer solutions. viable for distance learning. SIDS are among the countries with the highest number of days without online teaching during the pandemic. Small Island Developing States also have some of the highest rates of young people not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET). Poverty, lack of nutrition, domestic violence and teenage pregnancies are some of the main drivers of low learning outcomes and rising school dropout rates across Samoa and the Pacific. On the island of Nauru, % of youth are not in education, employment or training – the highest percentage in the region. In Samoa, the percentage of young people who are neither in education, employment nor training is %.

The lack of income-generating opportunities

In domestic markets means that labor migration has become a common solution to cover shortages and address unemployment. As a result, dependence on inflows of remittances and imported goods and fuels continues to grow. According to our recent joint policy report on How do structural vulnerabilities impede progress towards achieving SDG in Small Islands Developing States , there is a strong correlation between increasing public Hong Kong WhatsApp Number List investment in education and improving rates of young people not in education, employment or training and improvements in overall education outcomes. It is clear that to deliver on this much-needed economic diversification and enable digital transformation across the region, we must support Small Island Developing States governments to reimagine their education systems.

Boys and girls in school uniform sitting on

Bamboo mats on the floor. Caption: The United Nations multi-country team in Samoa works with the governments of the countries and territories of the Pacific to encourage more young people to continue their education and acquire the professional skills necessary to obtain better-paying and more secure jobs. Photo: © Resident Coordinator Simona Marinescu To address the complex root causes of this learning crisis, as UN Resident Coordinator Lebanon Phone Number List in Samoa, Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau, I led a joint UN country team effort to mobilize resources from the Joint SDG Fund ( Joint SDG Fund ) and other instruments to implement awe have introduced new social protection measures, launched programs through the Spotlight Initiative to end domestic violence, including violence against minors, and developed an integrated national financing framework to improve the management of development financing.