Home to more than 50 million people, small island nations differ significantly in terms of size, social and economic conditions. Nonetheless, most are extremely vulnerable to environmental and economic shocks. At the Regional Policy Briefing on ‘Building resilience in small island economies: from vulnerabilities to opportunities’, participants focused on new opportunities for small island states to share experiences, best practices and exploit commonalities to enhance their resilience. Opportunities include new developments in technology and communications, favourable international economic conditions and advantageous policy frameworks.