The UN Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and the Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2001 through its resolution 56/227 with functions recommended by the Secretary-General in paragraph 17 of his report A/56/645. In this same resolution the General Assembly requested Member States, all United Nations system organizations, and other relevant multilateral organizations to extend full support and cooperation to the Office of the High Representative.
The key functions of the Office of the High Representative in accordance with the Secretary-General’s report A/56/645 are as follows:
(a) To assist the Secretary-General in ensuring the full mobilization and coordination of all parts of the United Nations system, with a view to facilitating the coordinated implementation of and coherence in the follow-up and monitoring of the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries at the country, regional and global levels;
(b) To provide coordinated support to the Economic and Social Council as well as the General Assembly in assessing progress and in conducting the annual review of the implementation of the Programme of Action;
(c) To support, as appropriate, the coordinated follow-up of the implementation of the Global Framework This Global Framework has now been replaced by the Almaty Declaration and Programme of Action, 2003 for Transit Transport Cooperation between Landlocked and Transit Developing Countries and the Donor Community and the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States;
(d) To undertake appropriate advocacy work in favour of the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States in partnership with the relevant parts of the United Nations as well as with the civil society, media, academia and foundations;
(e) To assist in mobilizing international support and resources for the implementation of the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries and other programmes and initiatives for landlocked developing countries and small island developing States;
(f) To provide appropriate support to group consultations of Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States.
The SAMOA Pathway; outcome of the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States, expanded the mandate of UN-OHRLLS as pertaining to SIDS by requesting the Office under its advocacy mandate, to ensure the mainstreaming of the SAMOA Pathway and SIDS related issues in the work of the UN system and to enhance the coherence of SIDS issues in UN processes, including at the national, regional and global levels and likewise continue to mobilize international support and resources to support SIDS implementation of the SAMOA Pathway. [paragraph 120 of SAMOA Pathway]
In the above context, the UN-OHRLLS programmes/activities for Small Island Developing States are as follows:
- Support the coordinated follow-up of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States.
- Undertake advocacy work in favour of the small island developing States in partnership with the relevant parts of the United Nations as well as with the civil society, media, academia and foundations.
- Assist in mobilizing international support and resources for the implementation of the Programme of Action.
- Provide support to group consultations of SIDS.
- Ensure the mainstreaming of the SAMOA Pathway and SIDS related issues in the work of the UN system and to enhance the coherence of SIDS issues in UN processes.