University Consortium of Small Island States Five Universities have signed an agreement on the setting up of a University Consortium of Small Island States. The founding members of the consortium  are the University of Malta, the University of the West Indies, the  University of the South Pacific, the University of Mauritius and the University of the US Virgin Islands.

The consortium was launched by the Prime Minister of Mauritius during the plenary session of a United Nations International Meeting attended by Prime Ministers and other dignitaries from most countries of the world. The session was also addressed by Professor Lino Briguglio, during the launching of the consortium, in his capacity as delegate of Professor Roger Ellul Micallef, Rector of the University of Malta.

The project has found the support of the United Nations Development Programme, and has attracted the interest of other international organisations, including the World Bank, the Commonwealth Secretariat and UNESCO.

The Consortium will organise academic and training courses with a focus on small island states. Distance learning modules will be developed to enable students from remote areas of the Pacific and other regions to follow the courses.

The University of Malta has pioneered such courses, and currently 20 students are following the course leading to the MA in islands and small states studies.

17.01.05