FERDI is strongly involved in this work. Patrick Guillaumont and Laurent Wagner spoke at the opening of the first session of the High-Level Panel on 28 March to present the conclusions of the United Nations report "Possible Development and Uses of Multi-Dimensional Vulnerability Indices. Analysis and Recommendations". This report which they were the lead authors and which is to serve as a basis for the Panel's work.

In his speech, Patrick Guillaumont stressed that in order to be an instrument guiding international policy, the multidimensional vulnerability index must meet the 3 following criteria: 1/ the index must be truly multidimensional (economic, environmental and social), 2/ it must be universal - and able to compare the vulnerability of small island states to other countries, 3/ it must make it possible to identify what is exogenous or structural from what depends on the countries' current policies.

Sosso Feindouno and Laurent Wagner, research fellows at FERDI, were asked by the UN to coordinate the work of the High-Level Panel.