Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves has called on the United Nations to address the issues which severely threaten the development of small island developing states (SIDS).
Addressing the 77th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, the Prime Minister said the United Nations must undergo some level of reform to better address the needs of small island developing states such as access to the resources to mitigate against the impact of climate change.
Dr. Gonsalves added that other critical issues include the availability of optimal financing for development; an arrangement for SIDS in international trading arrangements and the cessation of the unacceptable weaponising of the financial system.
The Prime Minister also used the opportunity to call for international attention to be paid to the continued situation in Haiti and condemned the neglect in this regard by the international community.
“Haiti’s eleven million people deserve better; further a safe and prosperous Haiti means a far more secure and peaceful Caribbean,” Dr. Gonsalves affirmed.
The Prime Minister also spoke to other issues of concern in the region including reparations for native genocide and slavery which he said has left the region with legacies of underdevelopment.
“Reparations is a just and juridically grounded demand that ought not to evoke confrontation from well-meaning peoples but support,” Dr. Gonsalves said.