Small Island Developing States

Developing countries that are small island countries

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May 27 2025	Timor-Leste Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced Timor-Leste's admission as the 11th full ASEAN member during the upcoming October 2025 ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur.
2025	Singapore PAP wins 65.5% of the vote and 87 out of 97 seats in Parliament under Lawrence Wong's leadership.
2025	Cook Islands The Cook Islands signed a seabed mineral exploration agreement with China.
2025	New Caledonia French Navy plans to deploy a second offshore patrol vessel of the D'Estienne d'Orves class to New Caledonia.
2025	Effects of climate change on small island countries Caribbean SIDS projected to face average annual economic losses of 5%.
March 3 2025	Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embaló contradicted his previous statement and announced he would run for a second term in November.
January 12 2025	São Tomé and Príncipe Américo Ramos was appointed as the new prime minister, succeeding Ilza Amado Vaz.
January 9 2025	São Tomé and Príncipe Ilza Amado Vaz briefly served as prime minister, succeeding Patrice Trovoada.
2024	Maldives The Maldives was ranked 106th in the World Press Freedom Index.
2024	Cape Verde Cape Verde received a Fragile States Index score of 57.2, suggesting moderate state stability and governance challenges.
2024	Cape Verde Cape Verde ranked 0.62 in the e-Government Readiness Index, indicating moderate digital government development.
2024	Maldives Ex-President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom was freed from his 11-year conviction, with the High Court ordering a new trial.
2024	Kiribati Population of South Tarawa estimated at 69,710, showing substantial urban growth since 1978.
2024	Singapore Singapore was ranked 4th in the Global Innovation Index.
2024	Cape Verde Daniel Varela de Pina became the first Cape Verdean to win a medal at the Olympic Games.
2024	Cape Verde Cape Verde was ranked 90th in the Global Innovation Index, indicating its ongoing efforts to improve technological and research capabilities.
2024	Montserrat Government population census revealed a total population of 4,386, representing a 10.9% drop compared to 2011.
2024	Bahrain Bahrain ranked 72nd in the Global Innovation Index.
2024	Bahrain The Royal Bahraini Air Force expects to receive 16 modernized F-16 Block 70 aircraft, to complement its current 20 F-16C/D and 12 F-5E/F fighters.
2024	Singapore Singapore spent 2.7% of its GDP on military, the highest in the region, and was ranked 5th most peaceful country in the Global Peace Index.
2024	Singapore Changi Airport was again superseded as the world's best airport.
November 10 2024	Haiti Alix Didier Fils-Aimé replaced Conille as acting prime minister.
October 16 2024	Tuvalu Australia handed over a Guardian-class patrol boat to Tuvalu, which was named HMTSS Te Mataili III.
September 11 2024	Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embaló initially announced he would not seek a second term in the November 2025 presidential elections.
July 9 2024	Singapore Max Maeder wins Singapore's first Olympic medal in sailing, achieving bronze in the Men's Formula Kite at the Paris Olympics on National Day. At 17, he becomes Singapore's youngest Olympic medalist.
June 2024	Maldives The Maldives government decided to ban Israeli passport holders from entering the country in response to the ongoing Gaza war.
June 10 2024	Bahrain The Bahrain Olympic Academy received the Athena honorary distinction for supporting sports advancement in the region, with the medal presented to Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa by Isidoros Kouvelos, President of IOA.
June 3 2024	Haiti Garry Conille was sworn in as acting prime minister.
May 2024	Solomon Islands Jeremiah Manele is elected as Solomon Islands' new prime minister, succeeding Manasseh Sogavare.
May 2024	Haiti Toussaint Louverture International Airport reopened after a three-month closure due to violence, with expectations to help alleviate shortages of medications and basic supplies.
May 15 2024	Singapore Lawrence Wong became Singapore's fourth Prime Minister, the first prime minister born after independence.
April 2024	Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu's People's National Congress (PNC) won 66 seats in the parliamentary election, with allies taking an additional 9 seats, creating a super-majority that could potentially allow constitutional changes.
April 2024	Bahrain Bahrain experienced widespread flooding after heavy rainfall affected the Gulf region.
April 25 2024	Haiti The Transitional Presidential Council took over governance of Haiti, scheduled to remain in power until 2026. Michel Patrick Boisvert was named interim prime minister.
March 2024	Haiti Ariel Henry was prevented by gangs from returning to Haiti and agreed to resign once a transitional government was formed.
March 18 2024	Tuvalu Fiji Airways began additional flight service on Mondays between Nadi and Funafuti International Airport, expanding transportation options.
March 3 2024	Haiti Armed gangs launched a massive prison break at the main prison in Port-au-Prince, resulting in the escape of approximately 3,700 inmates and the deaths of 12 people during the incident.
February 2 2024	Cape Verde Cape Verde became the third African country to be free of malaria.
January 18 2024	Bahrain Bahraini Navy received a second Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, the former USS Ford, renamed RBNS Khalid bin Ali.
2023	American Samoa A feature film adaptation of 'Next Goal Wins', directed by Taika Waititi, was released.
2023	Maldives The Maldives was ranked 100th in the World Press Freedom Index.
2023	Niue Niue, along with Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Tonga, and Vanuatu, launched the 'Port Vila Call for a Just Transition to a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific', advocating for phasing out fossil fuels, transitioning to renewable energy, and strengthening environmental laws.
2023	Solomon Islands Solomon Islands hosted the Pacific Games.
2023	Solomon Islands Solomon Islands government, along with other Pacific island states (Fiji, Niue, Tuvalu, Tonga, and Vanuatu), launched the 'Port Vila Call for a Just Transition to a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific', advocating for phasing out fossil fuels and transitioning to renewable energy while strengthening environmental laws.
2023	Cook Islands Jennifer Henry (née Matheson) became the Executive Director of Cook Islands Bank.
2023	Kiribati Kiribati became the first Pacific island country to receive Starlink services.
2023	Tonga Bergman Gallery hosted 'Tukufakaholo, Tongan Contemporary' exhibition in Auckland, New Zealand, featuring eight prominent Tongan contemporary artists, highlighting the growing international recognition of Tongan art.
2023	Tonga Tonga, along with Fiji, Niue, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu, launched the 'Port Vila Call for a Just Transition to a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific', advocating for phasing out fossil fuels and transitioning to renewable energy.
2023	Guinea-Bissau An attempted coup reportedly occurred in Bissau, leading Embaló to order the dissolution of the opposition-controlled parliament.
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This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles Solomon Islands, American Samoa, São Tomé and Príncipe, Cape Verde, Montserrat, Bahrain, Niue, Singapore, Timor-Leste, Kiribati, Tonga, Tuvalu, New Caledonia, Samoa, Maldives, Cook Islands, Effects of climate change on small island countries, Haiti & Guinea-Bissau, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Small Island Developing States

See Also

United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States

Caribbean Community

Pacific Islands Forum