
Will 2026 be an even bigger year for small islands?
From Small Islands Big Picture by ODI Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI)
January 29, 2026 · 54 min · Season 1 · Episode 22
About this episode
The episode reflects on the events of 2025 for small islands and anticipates the challenges and developments of 2026.
In this episode, Emily, Matt and the other RESI Directors look back on everything that happened in the world of small islands during 2025, discussing hot topics, highlights and lowlights while looking forward to 2026 will bring. The team also discusses how their own policy and research has shaped conversations around different SIDS agendas - from debt and oceans to geopolitics and climate justice. NB: Hurricane Melissa cast a very long shadow over the final months of 2025 and will continue to do so for Jamaicans as they rebuild their country. If you would like to support those efforts, you can make a donation to the government’s relief fund here . Featuring: o Emily Wilkinson (host) | RESI Director and Principal Research Fellow at ODI Global o Matthew Bishop (host) | RESI Director and Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield o Courtney Lindsay | RESI Director and Senior Research Officer at ODI Global o Gail Hurley | RESI Director and Development Finance Expert o George Carter | RESI Director and Deputy Head…
People in this episode
Hosts: Emily Wilkinson, Matthew Bishop
Topics covered
- small islands
- climate justice
- geopolitics
- debt
- oceans
- policy
- research
Keywords
- small islands
- Hurricane Melissa
- climate justice
- geopolitics
- debt
- oceans
- policy
- research
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: ODI Global, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI)
Places: Jamaica
More episodes of Small Islands Big Picture
- Defending the SIDS special case: what happened at the SIDS Future Forum 2026? · June 3, 2026 · 42 min
- Have health outcomes in small islands recovered a half-decade after the Covid-19 pandemic? · May 8, 2026 · 54 min
- Drama and decisions: was COP30 a win for Small Islands? · December 22, 2025 · 1h 2m
- Is AI a threat or an opportunity for small islands? · December 1, 2025 · 45 min
- What does the ICJ climate change decision mean for small islands? · September 24, 2025 · 58 min
- Protecting our oceans: is impact investing the big ticket for small islands? · August 27, 2025 · 50 min
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