Assembly/AU/ /Decl.3(XXIII) Page 1 DECLARATION IN SUPPORT OF SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES AHEAD OF THE THIRD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES TO BE HELD IN SAMOA FROM 1 TO 4 SEPTEMBER 2014 We the Heads of State and Government of the African Union meeting in our TwentyThird Ordinary Session in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, from 26 to 27 June 2014; Reaffirming the spirit of pan-Africanism and the aspirations of all Africans as expressed through the Constitutive Act of the African Union; Recognizing that the sustainable development of Africa‟s Islands is indivisible from the African Union‟s goal of transforming Africa‟s development as per the objectives of its Agenda 2063 which aims to mobilize the potential of the blue ocean economy and build resilient economies for all its Member States; Recognizing both the environmental and economic vulnerability of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and that Africa and its islands are particularly vulnerable to climate change; 1. UNDERLINE our profound support and solidarity to the development of Small Island Developing States ahead of the Third International Conference on SIDS to be held in Samoa from 1 to 4 September 2014 aimed at improving the development framework available for the sustainable development of islands; 2. CALL FOR improved mechanisms towards building resilience of all Small Island Developing States at a global level and MANDATE the Commission to consult with a view to establishing a mechanism to better support Small Island Developing States.