While some participants expressed similar reservations, others were heartened by the process itself, and the role played by NGOs. "For the first time on an international level, the issues and problems of small islands were described through a process that reflects the concerns not only of governments, but also of the non-governmental community," said Dr. Waldaba Stewart of the Pan African Movement, who chaired the southern diaspora delegation and participated in the writing of the action plan. "In many instances, governments and NGOs tend not to work together. They seem to think, 'this is my turf, that is your turf.' The Barbados conference showed that NGO participation could be meaningful and constructive."
Non-governmental organizations also created two exhibition areas, SusTech '94 and the Village of Hope, which displayed appropriate technologies and artistic presentations. A parallel conference, the NGO Islands Forum '94, consisted of daily plenary sessions for NGOs, briefings with government and UN agency representatives, and workshops on such topics as colonialism, militarism, natural resource management, and the cultural, religious and spiritual aspects of sustainable development. The Hope and Horror puppets were a contribution of the Bahá'í community of Barbados.
Joseph Dolphin, a representative of the Bahá'í International Community to the government segment of the Conference, said one key success of the meeting was that it brought together people from islands all over the world -- ranging from the Seychelles to Japan -- and allowed them to see that their problems were not all that different.
"Sharing this common experience of concern was one of the
benefits of this conference," Mr. Dolphin said, "the idea
that superseding cultural diversity is the commonality of all
problems."