UNCTAD has been calling for a narrative change for the development of SIDS, including in the context of the UNCTAD Strategy for SIDS. The strategy aims to maximize synergies and exploit a paradigm shift in development policy towards building socioeconomic resilience by fostering productive capacities and structural economic transformation and enhancing SIDS’ international economic engagement with an aim to achieve inclusive growth and sustainable development. As part of the efforts to operationalize the Strategy and assess the gaps in productive capacities, UNCTAD relies on the multidimensional Productive Capacities Index (PCI).
The objective of the meeting is to sensitize representatives from the four beneficiary countries of the project along with experts from international and regional organizations and academia about productive capacities-centred policies and forge consensus on the way forward. More specifically the event discusses the preliminary version of the SIDS satellite Productive Capacities Index (PCI), its policy implications, and the challenges associated with measuring productive capacities in Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
This discussion builds on the outcomes of the PCI Statistical and Technical Advisory Group (STAG) meeting held on 23 June 2025 in Lisbon and the Brainstorming session on the development of a SIDS satellite Productive Capacities Index (PCI) held online on 30 July 2025. It also draws on the continuing interactions with the four pilot countries on the two statistical workstreams of the project: the conceptualization of the Satellite and the dashboards on the availability of input indicators.
The meeting is expected to generate expert insights to enhance the methodological soundness and policy relevance of the SIDS satellite PCI and its use in policy formulation and implementation. Participants will contribute to refining its alignment with UNCTAD’s conceptual framework on productive capacities—particularly in relation to the eight core categories and the selection and mapping of input indicators.
In addition, the meeting will support the formulation of National Productive Capacities Gap Assessments (NPCGAs) and the development of Holistic Productive Capacities Development Programmes (HPCDPs) for beneficiary countries starting in 2026 and beyond. Therefore, this event also serves as a launching pad for UNCTAD’s support to SIDS under the current project framework.
