The Alliance of Small Island States, (AOSIS)

The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) is a coalition of small island and low-lying coastal countries that share similar development challenges and environmental concerns, particularly their vulnerability to the adverse effects of climate change.

It functions primarily as a lobbying and negotiating group, amplifying the collective voice of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) within the United Nations system.

The Small States Conference on Sea Level Rise, held in Malé from 14 to 18 November 1989, and the adoption of the Malé Declaration on Global Warming and Sea Level Rise contributed to the creation of AOSIS.

The Maldives served as the Chair of AOSIS from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2018. During its tenure, the Maldives sought to strengthen the voices of small island states during a period of milestones, while further enhancing AOSIS’s role as a norm entrepreneur and bridge builder, within the international community. The current Chair of AOSIS is H.E. Ilana Victorya Seid, Permanent Representative of Palau to the United Nations.