I am proud to observe that this organ is under the dedicated leadership of our Caribbean sister nation Trinidad and Tobago and that a distinguished citizen and experienced diplomat of that country is at the helm of the General Assembly at its seventy-eighth session.
This is my fourth statement to this global organ, and I am afraid to conclude that not much has changed for the better in that time with regard to the essential elements of peace, prosperity and climate in our world. On the other hand, the challenges and crises have increased and deepened. I do not need to mention those crises, because we know them all and refer to them every single time we speak to an international or regional audience. The more important and relevant matter at hand is to decide what to do about them. We make promises that are often not kept. We express noble goals, but their delivery is poor. That cannot go on. Business as usual cannot be our mantra. No country is spared the effects of those crises, especially developing countries, such as my own country. Suriname. And no country can solve those challenges alone.
It is worth mentioning that we humans are responsible for those crises, and we must take responsibility for them. We must also exercise collective leadership to solve those problems effectively. A new approach to conceptualizing our relationships is needed to adequately address those crises. We need a new kind of multilateralism that is more just and effective and that compels us to unite — one that will demonstrate respect for. and commitment to. international law and cooperation. It is therefore of the utmost importance to transcend national interests and look to our common goals. We must put aside ideological differences in order to constructively deliver for the prosperity of our people and the protection of our planet. We simply cannot expect durable solutions in a rapidly changing world if we do not reset the buttons.
As world leaders, we have stressed that upholding firm commitments to international principles and international law. the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and effective multilateralism are a sine qua non condition for addressing those global challenges and threats. The United Nations role in defending and upholding those principles through dialogue, constructive engagement and concrete action remains crucial. A strong, determined and united United Nations is therefore a must.
The multiple global and national crises, such as the debt burden, the domestic effects of climate change, the financial-economic downturn following the coronavirus disease pandemic and the impact of the war raging in Ukraine, have put tremendous pressure on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals on a major scale. Limited financial and technical resources had to be allocated for many emergencies just to make sure that no one was left behind. Let us remember that building resilience and leaving no one behind is not a choice. I want to reiterate that, for small developing countries with low-lying coastal areas, the fiscal pressure due to other crises beyond our doing
is a real and daily problem. However. I remain of the view that the earmarked transformation envisioned in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development remains both possible and essential.
As we know, food security is a major challenge. Just a few days ago in Cuba. I stressed the importance of science, technology and innovation for increasing food production and optimizing the inputs needed to make agriculture more productive. During my visit. I personally experienced the negative impact of the longstanding embargo — one that does not achieve what it was meant for. The Caribbean Community’s food security programme is an example of efforts to reduce the region’s food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025 and promote local production with modern technology.
The reach and impact of digital technologies will only continue to increase in the coming years, and it is crucial for the benefits of those innovations to be leveraged to ensure an accessible, transparent, safe and secure digitally transformative environment. To implement that comprehensive strategy in a coherent manner, my country recently designed and adopted a national digital strategy for the period 2023-2030.
The political. humanitarian and security environment in Haiti is deteriorating. While I appreciate the efforts made to date to assist in finding an immediate solution, many more political efforts need to be made to translate those intentions into real actions. The people of Haiti are looking to the regional and international community for assistance. At the same time, the Haitian stakeholders, who are divided into opposing groups, must demonstrate the will to engage in dialogue and reach a consensus for a way forward in the shortest time possible.
Another climate conference, the twenty-eighth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, is on our doorstep as we experience the reality of the increased intensity of the devastating global impact of climate change. It is regrettable to admit that, despite some efforts, the world is still far from reaching the required decrease in emissions to prevent irreversible damage to our global environment and society. And we are bearing the brunt of that. Suriname is currently experiencing extraordinarily high temperatures, resulting in challenges with regard to the availability of drinking water. Our inland areas are increasingly flooded by heavy rainfall, and our coastal areas are threatened by sea level rise. As a consequence, the people living in remote parts of our vast interior are deprived of work, education and basic utilities, and food security is under threat. As one of the only three carbon-negative countries in the world. Suriname remains committed and continues to play its part in protecting the planet through national actions but also by engaging in strategic international public and private partnerships that will help to ensure that we remain carbon-negative now and in the future.
We cannot go to Dubai in less than two months and hear the same analyses, stories, policies, speeches and promises with noble goals, only to have nothing happen after that. Yes. it takes too long to make the required decisions that will have a meaningful impact and improve our living conditions. We need easier access to climate financing to implement mitigation and adaptation policies. We must walk the talk where loss and damage are concerned. We must join the efforts that call for compensating highly forested countries for so- called removal credits, because so far those countries have been acting as carbon sinks for the whole world without any compensation. Many of us have raised the issue of urgent and comprehensive reform of the international financial architecture as the most critical action needed to address the economic, financial and environmental challenges facing developing countries. An integral part of that reform process must be the discussion of new ways to classify countries. I ask all of us to contribute to the proposed multidimensional vulnerability index.
My country. Suriname, is on the cusp of promising commercial development of newfound oil and gas resources. Those developments and capital generation will enable us to provide our population with a social, health and education system that will facilitate increased production in other sectors, creating a sustainable future for our current and succeeding generations. Over the past three years. Suriname has undergone a financial and economic reform process in which my country’s citizens had to sacrifice in many ways. Coupled with the coronavirus disease pandemic, the impact of climate change, the effects of the war in Eastern Europe and a high debt burden, the impact on our people has been even worse.
I want to assure the international community that my Government is committed to remaining a carbon-negative country with an enormous biodiversity pool and a low deforestation level. During the Amazon Summit held last August in Belem do Para, in Brazil, we and seven other countries committed to better management of the Amazon region. We even committed to stopping deforestation by the year 2030. We are committed to the application of high international environmental standards so that the impact on the environment can be minimized. We are doing that to finance our committed transition to an economy based primarily on renewable, non-carbon-based energy generation by 2060.
With a certain degree of pride. I would like to announce that we recently registered our carbon credits for the first time on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change registry. That was done with our own. albeit limited, capabilities. We shall see how the market responds to those new resources. All of those commitments are being made to contribute to saving the planet and life on Earth. I call on all heavy polluters to start that process as well and not to try to manage, tax or punish environmentally friendly production in developing countries, which are the least responsible for the climate crisis. Real change must come from the more developed countries in particular.
In conclusion, together let us harness our collective strengths, knowledge and determination to create a world where resilience and inclusivity are not just aspirations but realities. Only through joint efforts can we build a future where no one is left behind and where the Sustainable Development Goals become a shining beacon of hope and progress for all. We owe that to our current and future generations. I appeal to all of us to work constructively and collectively towards a new and better world order and to recommit to the original goals of the Charter of the United Nations, only now with more dedication, passion and love for one another.