A/RES/49/100 Page 2 as to complement the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, 2/ adopted at the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, Noting that many island developing countries are least developed countries, 1. Expresses its appreciation to the States, organizations and bodies, within and outside the United Nations system, that have responded to the special needs of island developing countries; 2. Welcomes the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States 2/ and the Declaration of Barbados, 3/ adopted at the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, held at Bridgetown, from 25 April to 6 May 1994 (hereinafter referred to as the Barbados Conference); 3. Takes note with appreciation of the report of the SecretaryGeneral on a development strategy for island developing countries; 4/ 4. Welcomes the efforts made by island developing countries at national and regional levels to enhance their international competitiveness and to expand their trading opportunities; 5. Calls upon the international community to implement all the commitments achieved and the recommendations made at the Barbados Conference and to take the necessary action to give effective follow-up to the Programme of Action, and, in relation to trade and development issues with respect to island developing countries, reiterates the appeals made in paragraph 6 of resolution 47/186; 6. Notes the valuable role of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in support of island developing countries, as recalled in resolution 47/186, and welcomes the provision made in paragraph 13 of its resolution 49/122 of 19 December 1994 for strengthening the capacity of the Conference to carry out, in accordance with its mandate, research and analysis necessary to complement the work of the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development of the Secretariat; 7. Invites the Commission on Sustainable Development to convene, during its session in 1996, a high-level panel to discuss the challenges faced by island developing countries, particularly in the area of external trade, and to assist the Commission in its review of the implementation of the Programme of Action agreed at the Barbados Conference, and also invites the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development to organize that panel in 2/ Report of the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, Bridgetown, 25 April-6 May 1994 (A/CONF.167/9 and Corr.1 and 2) (United Nations publication, Sales No. 94.I.18 and corrigenda), chap. I, resolution 1, annex II. 3/ Ibid., annex I. 4/ A/49/227 and Add.1 and 2. /...