I bring warm greetings from the citizens of the Commonwealth of Dominica.
My delegation, and by extension the Government and the people of the Commonwealth of Dominica, wish to congratulate Mr. Dennis Francis on his elevation to the office of President of the General Assembly at its seventy-eighth session and wish him every success during his term. As Dominica currently holds the chairmanship of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). I also extend to him the support of CARICOM during his tenure.
His appointment is testament to the fact that the contribution of small island developing States (SIDS) to the multilateral system is of crucial importance, particularly with the innumerable challenges confronting such States globally. Having served as Ambassador of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago for several years. Mr. Francis’s experience and knowledge of many of the current issues impacting Member States should serve him well in leading the Assembly over the next year.
It is quite evident that the challenges being faced globally can be daunting. The climate crisis seemingly will not go away, as evidenced, for example, by the recent wildfires in Hawaii and Canada, thereby illuminating the discussion on the need to give even more urgent attention to mitigation and climate financing. Global inflation has had a significant impact on the livelihood of the most vulnerable, while there is justification for increasing concern over chronic non-communicable diseases adversely impacting the health and wellness of our people.
The conflict in Ukraine continues unabated, amidst the global call for an end to that terrible war. Such a situation would normally be unthinkable in the twenty- first century. As the conflict escalates, the World Bank’s most recent estimate for reconstruction and recovery of Ukraine is placed at $411 billion dollars. That figure is expected to increase the longer the conflict persists.
All conflicts must eventually end at the negotiating table. Dominica therefore calls for an end to the fighting and for good-faith negotiations to prevail. We join all those resolute in their international obligation to uphold peace, as outlined in the Charter of the United Nations, and we support the call for a resolution to the issues giving rise to the conflict. To that end. Dominica endorses the joint declaration of the Group of 20 (G20) on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and other global issues, issued at the end of the eighteenth G20 Summit, held recently in New Delhi.
While we in Dominica are opposed to coups and attempted coups, we are also aware that in 2010 there was a series of uprisings affecting Arab countries of the Middle East and North Africa, which was dubbed in the West the “Arab Spring”. Those uprisings, with at least the tacit support of the West, resulted in the removal of several Governments. There was no talk of sanctions or military intervention to restore the ousted Governments.
Today we are witnessing what I refer to as the “African Summer” and we are hearing the drumbeat of sanctions and military intervention. What is the difference between the Arab Spring and the African Summer. I ask? The international community should pay heed to the wisdom of the leaders of the African Union, who have opposed military intervention and urged diplomatic engagement. The question is: Whose interest would military intervention serve? It is certainly not that of the people of Africa. We in Dominica and the Caribbean urge that, in all such situations, the interest of the population be foremost in any consideration of intervention by neighbouring countries and. indeed, by the international community.
This year’s theme for the general debate is in keeping with the strides we should all be making at the international and multilateral levels to achieve the accelerated and progressive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The challenges faced by small island developing States in achieving that objective are considerable. Typically, the narrow fiscal space and the increase in economic and environmental losses attributable to changes in weather patterns and other climate-related events have served to increase our vulnerabilities exponentially. The evidence suggests that we live in an imperfect world by virtue of our inherent geophysical and socioeconomic characteristics, and that some countries. Dominica included, will always be disproportionately disadvantaged by the actions of others. In that regard, we welcome the High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development and the call of the Secretary-General to convene the Climate Ambition Summit. We are optimistic that this forum will be a practical demonstration of a commitment to securing the necessary funding to initiate transformative change.
The key elements for accelerating realization of the 2030 Agenda include the harnessing of information and communications technologies (ICTs) and the role that science will play in ensuring effective decision-making. ICTs can provide a platform to get more done within a shorter period of time and further create an impetus to bridge the generational gap. allowing innovation and creativity to emerge to the fore.
Our youth must be continually engaged, thereby engendering a sense of trust in their leaders and institutions. That is critical to ensuring that the significant gaps that currently exist between the haves and the have-nots are addressed and drastically reduced. Access to quality education, clean water, food security, proper health care, decent work, proper housing and economic growth, taken altogether, must be the foundation upon which we continue to ensure that no one is left behind.
The immiserating of our more vulnerable societies by the unfair trade practices, must be replaced by trade practices that reasonably benefit primary producers and support and/or encourage downstream processing and manufacturing, while international resources must be targeted at the most vulnerable and indigent among us. Only then can we be assured of achieving a society of prosperity, progress and sustainability for all.
Advancement towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) must be people-centred and complemented by policies that allow for security and peace. The Government of Dominica recognizes the central role of its citizens in the decision-making process on major national issues and. to that end. Government has engaged the expertise of the international community in reviewing its electoral system and has embarked on a wide cross-sectoral consultation to hear varying views from every segment of society on recommendations for electoral reform in the country. It is therefore anticipated that when the final measures are brought before Parliament. they will be in keeping with the views of the majority.
The Commonwealth of Dominica will continue to identify with and champion the agenda of small island developing states at the international level. Accordingly, we wish to emphasize the need for the implementation of the loss and damage fund agreed upon at the twenty-seventh Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The implementation of the fund will allow SIDS to access the required resources earmarked for the recovery of our vulnerable economies post-disaster and further facilitate the creation of a vital safety net for our people.
Over the past 30 years. SIDS have been advocating for resilience-building measures based on our inherent vulnerabilities and the frequency and magnitude of increase in global shocks. The lack of adequate assistance from development partners and international financial institutions has forced Governments to borrow at unfavourable terms, resulting in high repayment costs and unsustainable debt levels for our fragile economies. To that end. Dominica fully supports the work on the multidimensional vulnerability index, which can contribute to unlocking the type of financing that is so urgently required.
In addition. Dominica pledges its full support and participation in the upcoming fourth International Conference on SIDS, to be held in Antigua and Barbuda in 2024. The Conference should serve as a watershed moment for all SIDS, such that action-oriented outcomes can be derived. Moreover, mindful of the confluence of challenges confronting SIDS today, there should be no further delay in the much-needed reform of international financial institutions to address the contemporary realities of debt distress and debt solvency. Dominica therefore joins fellow States members of CARICOM in support of the Bridgetown Initiative as a core blueprint for restructuring the architecture of sovereign debt.
My delegation unreservedly welcomes the adoption of the agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction. Building on the legacy of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. that achievement reaffirms the United Nations role in facilitating the implementation of multilaterally agreed solutions to global challenges. Dominica supports the early entry into force of the agreement, as well as its implementation. My delegation further welcomes the commitments, shared by all. to ensure capacity building and transfer of marine technology to support developing countries in their quest to implement and benefit from the said agreement.
The prevailing situation in our fellow CARICOM member State of Haiti is a dire one that deserves urgent international intervention. Haiti faces deep-rooted
crises on multiple fronts, many of them arising from its post-independence relations with the international community, poor governance over the years and the lingering effects of the catastrophic devastation visited on that country by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in January of 2010. To date, while there may have been preliminary figures. I am not aware of any comprehensive assessment detailing the extent of the destruction of the 2010 earthquake or of a World Bank estimate of the cost of reconstruction, as has been done with the situation in Ukraine.
The fact remains that since 2010. Haiti has been hit by several earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, pandemics and sociopolitical instability. If ever there was a cause deserving the full attention of the international community, that cause is Haiti. The Commonwealth of Dominica aligns itself with processes outlined by the Organization of American States in August 2022 to support the people of Haiti, and decisions taken by CARICOM. at its 45th regular meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in July, to lend active support to the Government and the people of Haiti in their efforts to arrive at a Haitian-led solution to the ongoing crisis. While both those institutions have offered commendable and necessary recommendations, even collectively those will not be sufficient to normalize the current situation in Haiti.
We have accepted that the crises in Haiti are not limited to food shortage and security. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report lays bare the severity of Haiti’s food crisis, noting that nearly half of the population of 11 million is grappling with high levels of acute food insecurity. Additionally, the humanitarian situation is being further aggravated by a national security problem, including the illicit flow of arms and ammunition and gang-related violence.
The Commonwealth of Dominica is of the view that a strategy that addresses the root causes of instability in Haiti will be embraced by the people of Haiti. We also underscore that such an approach cannot be pursued without the unwavering support of the international community. My delegation therefore calls on the Security Council to move decisively to offer support to Haiti in key priority areas, including security, governance, education, health, water and electricity, sustainable livelihoods and long-term development planning and advocacy.
Dominica continues to stand with the overwhelming majority of the international community in calling for the removal of the 60-year-old economic blockade imposed on the Republic of Cuba by the United States. In November 2022. this organ voted overwhelmingly in favour of resolution 77/7— 185 to 2 — condemning the embargo; even Ukraine could not bring itself to support the United States in that outdated and unjust measure and abstained in the voting. This organ must continue to condemn that egregious violation until it is lifted, as it has severely impacted the lives and livelihoods of ordinary Cuban citizen for the past six decades. Additionally, the inclusion of that country on the United States State Department’s unilateral list of State sponsors of terrorism is entirely unjustified.
Furthermore, my delegation supports the lifting of sanctions imposed on the people of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. That hegemonic situation constitutes a violation of the human rights of the Venezuelan people. We therefore stand in solidarity with the Government and the people of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and look forward to a complete lifting of all such sanctions, thus allowing for the realization of the great potential for rapid socioeconomic development of that great nation.
Finally, as one of the more vulnerable small island States that were devastated in 2015 by Tropical Storm Erika, resulting in significant loss of life and the loss of over 90 per cent of our gross domestic product (GDP), and was again struck by Hurricane Maria in 2017. resulting in the loss of 226 per cent of our GDP. we empathize with the Government and the people of the Kingdom of Morocco, who were struck by a 6.8 magnitude earthquake on 8 September, resulting in over 3.000 deaths and twice as many injuries and the complete devastation of several communities.
Similarly. Dominica empathizes with the Government and the people of Libya, who experienced flooding of biblical proportions, resulting in the loss of more than 20.000 lives, with thousands of citizens still unaccounted for. according to United Nations reports, and incalculable devastation in terms of infrastructure and built heritage. We welcome the responses of neighbouring countries and the international community to the catastrophes in both of those North African countries and urge even greater response in line with the magnitude of these natural disasters.
I end by calling on all States Members of the United Nations to recommit themselves to the Organisation as an instrument of our joint obligation to the global community, and I wish all representatives to this seventy-eighth session every success during these deliberations.