That question was at the heart of discussions in Malé, as the Island Investment Forum (IIF) a pillar of the SIDS Centre of Excellence, was officially launched.
The launch took place alongside the 2026 SIDS Global Business Network Forum,bringing together more than 200 participants from over 30 countries, including governments, businesses, investors, development partners, business associations, civil society, academics and researchers.
Over three days, participants explored the challenges and opportunities facing SIDS,while building connections between governments, the private sector and potential investors.
But the launch of the IIF was about more than a new platform. It was about creating a practical pathway between what SIDS need and what investment can make possible.
Turning priorities into opportunities
Small Island Developing States have no shortage of development priorities. Across the SIDS community, governments are working to strengthen economies, expand trade,develop resilient infrastructure, transition to renewable energy, support businesses and create opportunities for their people.
Yet translating these priorities into investment-ready projects, and connecting those projects with the right investors and partners, can be challenging.
The Island Investment Forum is designed to help bridge that gap.
One of the four pillars of the SIDS Centre of Excellence, the IIF will connect governments and investment-ready projects with investors, businesses, financial institutions and development partners. The aim is to create a stronger and more consistent pathway for investment, project development and partnerships across SIDS.
The Forum offers an opportunity to increase the visibility of investment opportunities emerging from the region and create greater engagement around financing,project development and private-sector partnerships.
A platform built around partnership
The IIF was launched through a partnership between the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, the Government of Maldives and the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS).
The partnership reflects an important principle: advancing sustainable development in SIDS requires collaboration across governments, businesses, investors and development partners.
This spirit was reflected throughout the SIDS Global Business Network Forum, held under the theme “Innovative and Inclusive Partnerships for a Sustainable and Resilient Future.”
The programme brought together perspectives from across the public and private sectors, with discussions spanning trade and investment, digitalisation and artificial intelligence, tourism, renewable energy, MSME development,innovative financing and sustainable economic transformation.
An MSME marketplace, investment showcases, networking opportunities and government-to-business engagements provided participants with opportunities to move beyond discussion and explore potential partnerships.
From ABAS to action
The launch of the IIF also represents another step in implementing the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS), the 10-year development framework adopted by SIDS at the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) in 2024.
Antigua and Barbuda has played a central role in advancing mechanisms to support the implementation of ABAS, including the establishment of the SIDS Centre of Excellence.
For the Centre, the IIF is part of a broader effort to ensure that the commitments made through ABAS can translate into practical outcomes.
As H.E.Dr. W. Aubrey Webson, Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda to the United Nations, noted:
“The launch of the Island Investment Forum represents an important step in translating the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS from ambition into action.”
He emphasised that the Forum is intended to provide a practical platform for SIDS to connect investment-ready opportunities with investors, businesses and development partners, while strengthening the partnerships needed to build resilient and sustainable island economies.
“We are pleased to see this mechanism established through the SIDS Centre of Excellence and look forward to working with partners to ensure that the momentum generated here in the Maldives leads to tangible investment and development outcomes for SIDS,” Ambassador Webson added.
The work starts now
The real test of the IIF will be what happens after the Forum: which projects move forward, which partnerships are formed, which investors engage, and ultimately,whether new opportunities translate into tangible development outcomes for island communities.
The ambition is therefore for the IIF to operate as more than an annual convening.It is intended to become a year-round mechanism for investment facilitation and partnership-building, helping SIDS develop and present investment opportunities while creating stronger connections with the investors and institutions capable of supporting them.
For the SIDS Centre of Excellence, this means building on the momentum generated in the Maldives and continuing to work with governments, investors, businesses and development partners to strengthen the IIF.
The launch is a beginning.
And for SIDS, the goal is clear: to move from commitments to opportunities, from opportunities to investment, and from investment to resilient prosperity.