Grenada

It is an honour to address you, Sir, and this organ in my capacity as Minister for Foreign Affairs, International Business and CARICOM Affairs of Grenada. I extend congratulations to the President on his election as President of the General Assembly at its seventy-sixth session. We reiterate our confidence in him and his team to lead this session and we offer our support for the work ahead this year, under the theme, “Building resilience through hope — to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainably, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people and revitalize the United Nations”. I also join my esteemed colleagues in commending and thanking the outgoing President of the General Assembly at its seventy-fifth session, His Excellency Mr. Volkan Bozkir, for his able stewardship of the General Assembly during the past year. I take this opportunity to congratulate Secretary- General Antonio Guterres on his reappointment to serve and lead this institution for another five years. I applaud his tireless efforts and commitment in addressing the growing global challenges, including the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and the climate-change crisis, as we collectively pursue sustainable solutions. As we continue to grapple with COVID-19, its death toll, the negative impact on our economies, the social fallout and the inequitable access to vaccines, particularly for small island developing States (SIDS) like Grenada, all of which undermine the stability and survival of our peoples, the theme for this year’s session could not have been more appropriate. COVID-19 has indeed wreaked immense havoc on economies across the world, with a particular intensity and lasting effect on small economies such as ours. Prior to the first case of COVID-19 on the island in March 2020, the Grenadian economy had been on an upward trajectory since 2013, growing at an average rate of 4.5 per cent per year. That growth was mainly driven by robust activities in the construction, tourism and private-education sectors. That upward trend in output was disrupted by the pandemic, with preliminary estimates showing that the economy contracted by 13.7 per cent in 2020. Stark declines were recorded in several sectors, most notably tourism and air transport. Unemployment rose from a record low of 15.1 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2019 to 28.4 per cent in the second quarter of 2020, with 14,000 jobs lost as a direct consequence of the pandemic. The socioeconomic fallout from the pandemic has been especially severe for vulnerable groups, particularly women, young people and the unskilled, who are overrepresented in the tourism and informal sectors, which were hardest hit by the pandemic. Sixteen months after the first COVID-19 case was reported on the island, the local economy continues to experience the lingering effects. For the first six months of the year, economic activity was below pre-COVID-9 levels but slightly above the levels for the comparable period in 2020. Data for the first quarter of 2021 show periods of declines in most sectors, including hotels and air transport. However, there are indications of improved economic activity relative to 2020, as evidenced by the second-quarter data available for most sectors. Visitor arrivals also increased during the second quarter of 2021 relative to the same period in 2020. That trend is expected to continue in the second half as vaccination roll-outs increase and cross-border travel improves globally. Enhanced implementation of the Public Sector Investment Programme should further stimulate the economy and increase investor confidence. Following the spike in the second quarter of 2020, the unemployment rate fell to 18.5 per cent in the fourth quarter but increased slightly in the first quarter of 2021 to 19.5 per cent, which is the most recent data available. The rate of recovery globally and locally is slower than initially projected. Inequity in vaccine access, slower than anticipated vaccination rates, vaccine hesitancy, the emergence of new COVID-19 variants, second and third waves of the pandemic in several countries, trade disruption and rising commodity prices and freight costs are factors that hinder global, and therefore local, economic recovery. Nonetheless, the Government of Grenada continues to implement policies and measures to protect lives and safeguard livelihoods during this period of extreme uncertainty. The priorities for the 2022 budget are based on the Government’s strategic policy agenda for recovery, transformation and resilience, which is set out in its medium-term action plan for the 2022- 2024 period. The various actions in that multi-year action plan are the vehicles through which the national sustainable development plan 2020-2035 is being implemented. The 2022-2024 medium-term action plan sets out the strategic actions for implementation, the entities responsible, the performance indicators and the alignment with relevant Sustainable Development Goals, under each national goal and outcome of the national sustainable development plan. It is imperative that we continue to stress and address the reclassification of our status by the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation Development, which has resulted in the marginalization of the quantum of development assistance to the region. That is clearly problematic. We again urge advocacy and support from organizations, including those under the umbrella of the United Nations, towards the dismantling of those unfair rulings. We reiterate that economic data such as gross domestic product per capita does not reflect the true nature of the vulnerability of Caribbean States. We therefore repeat our call for the creation of a multidimensional vulnerability index that adequately addresses those vulnerabilities. We strongly urge that it be completed no later than the end of 2022. Small and vulnerable to natural disasters and the effects of climate change, we continue to call for advocacy where the international financial institutions are concerned to allow us to effectively face the development challenges posed by the pandemic and regain access to concessional financing. We take this opportunity to thank all States, including Cuba, Mexico, Argentina, the People’s Republic of China, the United States of America, the United Kingdom and others, which continue to provide direct medical assistance to Grenada to deal with the pandemic. CARICOM member States, including Grenada, have reaffirmed our commitment to tackling the phenomenon that is climate change. We call for continued support and assistance, not only with mitigation but also with building human-resource capacity, which should be complemented by sustainable growth and transformation. Increased resource capacity and resilient infrastructure will clearly assist with risk reduction and resilience. Like many small island developing States, Grenada faces extreme risks in the agriculture sector that not only affect our food security but also have negative impacts on our main export crops, fruit crops, forestry, livestock and fisheries. In order to respond to those impacts and increasing threats, Grenada is moving quickly to implement climate-smart agriculture as one of our climate change adaptation strategies for reducing impacts. We therefore have an urgent need to access additional resources to guarantee the survival of our agricultural sector through climate-smart practices. We have to grapple not only with climate change but also with ensuring the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources. That continues to be one of Grenada’s top policy items. Our Government has adopted an ambitious “Blue Growth” agenda to sustainably utilize our vast maritime territory, which is more than 70 times the size of our land space, and its countless resources, which represent a significant contribution to our gross domestic product. Grenada looks forward with great hope to the United Nations Ocean Conference to be held in 2022 and to advancing long-overdue global ocean action through science-based innovative solutions for sustainable development as we embark on the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. We cannot discuss climate change in isolation from health. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Grenada calls for advocacy for an enabling environment to promote and adopt the “One Health” agenda at the global level, an approach that recognizes the connection between well-being, prosperity and a healthy environment. As we seek to prevent, detect and respond to future pandemics, non-communicable diseases, including mental health, must also be examined. Our planetary health and climate change require an integrated policy and, among other things, cooperation, leadership, governance and political will, as well as the sharing of resources and expertise to find better and more urgent solutions. Let me categorically state that Grenada, as part of the Caribbean Community, strongly condemns racism, intolerance and discrimination in any form, as well as acts and crimes associated with racism and discrimination. Grenada welcomes the General Assembly’s unanimous adoption, on 2 August, of resolution 75/314, entitled “Establishment of the Permanent Forum of People of African Descent”, a momentous undertaking on the anniversary of the abolition of slavery across CARICOM, almost 200 years ago. Even as contemporary issues demand our focus and attention, Grenada and the Caribbean Community remain conscious of the history and impact of slavery. From our standpoint, we understand all too well the challenges faced in turning global political commitments into meaningful reality. We therefore call for greater international attention to that issue. The international community cannot address sustainable development without considering its interconnectedness with human rights. It is with immense pride that I also highlight the historic and successful inaugural Africa-CARICOM Summit, graciously hosted by the President of the Republic of Kenya, on 7 September 2021. Moreover, with the establishment of a CARICOM Mission in Kenya, it is our sincere hope that the Caribbean and African regions will continue to build on and deepen our bonds of friendship and cooperation. Every year, Grenada reiterates the counterproductivity of the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba and the inhumane socioeconomic hardships it places on the people of the Republic of Cuba, a country that has provided a wealth of humanitarian assistance around the world, including during the onslaught of COVID-19, but is nevertheless hindered from participating in the global economy. We again thank our sister island nation of Cuba for its solidarity and its invaluable contribution and support to Grenada, our region and the world in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and for its support in many other areas. Grenada votes annually with the overwhelming majority of the General Assembly in support of General Assembly resolutions calling for the removal of the embargo against the Government and the people of Cuba. We again issue another clarion call this year for the complete removal of that embargo and for respect for the rights of the Cuban people. We also call for the readmission of Cuba, unhindered, to the economic, commercial and financial community of nations. Grenada also calls for a stronger global response for Haiti’s recovery and for an increased response to other humanitarian and security crises unfolding around the globe. As I conclude, Grenada reiterates its steadfast support for the pursuit of international peace and security and believes that law and security are fundamental for the facilitation of the peaceful settlement of disputes, a vital component to achieving and maintaining international peace and security. Grenada reiterates its call that the United Nations membership reflect on its governing principles, as set out in its Charter. It is against that backdrop that we, the community of nations, working in tandem in our relentless pursuit of the achievement of the goals of the Organization, can relish in hope — for a more just and inclusive society; for rebuilding sustainable societies that adequately respond to the needs of our shared home, Earth; to reinvigorate and revitalize our United Nations and that, by standing together, with mutual respect, we prove to be resilient to and overcome the challenges of today. Now is the time to turn hope into meaningful action, for the benefit of all our peoples.