Consistent with the promotion of economic and social development, the Governments of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Nauru, Niue, Palau and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), in consultation with civil society, have targeted the energy sector, especially the identification and use of new and renewable sources of energy, as the area of concentration for 9th. EDF funding.
Energy is a key component of any poverty eradication and sustainable development strategy, and it is critical to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. In this respect, the EU has launched an Energy Initiative for Poverty Eradication and Sustainable Development at the WSSD. This programme is fully coherent with that Initiative.
The five Pacific States targeted in this programme are all characterized as Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Their development challenges are particular, compared to other developing countries, given their very small population (from 1,200 in Niue to 116,000 in FSM), their isolation in the South Pacific Ocean, their relatively small GDP per capita (from €1,100 in RMI to € 6,157 in Palau) and their fragile environment. While FSM, RMI and Palau have numerous outer islands, Nauru and Niue are single-island states.
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