October 21, 1997 - Ministers responsible for Sustainable Development of the member countries of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean/Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (ECLAC/CDCC) will meet to agree on specific activities for the implementation of the programme of action for the sustainable development of small island states. These activities will be undertaken jointly by governments,non-governmental organizations, national, regional and international agencies working in the Caribbean. The meeting will be held between November 13 and 14, 1997 in Barbados.

Immediately prior to this, from November 10-13 a technical session will be held, during which governmental and non-governmental advisors in sustainable development will identify those activities to be contained in a work programme which will be formulated during this meeting. The event, termed " The Way Forward" is being hosted by the Government of Barbados and will take place at the Sherbourne Centre in Barbados.

The main purpose of the meeting is to gain political endorsement for a series of activities that are crucial to implementing the Programme of Action for Small States. Debates will also take into account the progress made by national, regional and international agencies since the historic Global Conference on Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States SIDS was held in Barbados, in 1994 and the work yet to be done in preparation for the United Nations General Assembly Review of the implementation of the SIDS Programme of Action, to be held in 1999.

This conference, convened by ECLAC/CDCC, with the collaboration and support of other regional and international organizations, is being viewed as the most important event in the region for sustainable development since the SIDS conference and is the first of its kind in the region at the Ministerial level.