President Higgins hosted a meeting with representatives of the group of Small Island Developing States.
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are a distinct group of developing countries, facing specific social, economic and environmental vulnerabilities. They were recognised as a special group of countries at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development "Earth Summit" in 1992 - a UN summit also attended by Michael D. Higgins.
The meeting at Áras an Uachtaráin follows the 'Our Ocean Wealth Summit', an international meeting assessing the impact climate change is having on small island states.
In April 2018, President Higgins addressed representatives of small island developing states, at an event in the American Irish Historical Society in New York. You can watch the President's speech here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSF2dCaFVMg&feature=youtu.be