My warmest greetings and congratulations go to Mr. Dennis Francis on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its seventy-eighth session. I take this opportunity to commit my delegation’s fullest support for and cooperation with him and his Office as we work towards the fulfilment of the four priority areas that he has identified: peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability, all of which I also view as important areas in this challenging and dynamic global agenda. I also commend and thank his predecessor. His Excellency Csaba Korosi of Hungary, for his leadership and guidance of the previous session of the General Assembly.
It is my privilege to once again speak from this centre rostrum from which one year ago I addressed the Assembly for the very first time as Prime Minister. It was exactly 15 months ago when the people of Grenada. Carriacou and Petite Martinique, exercising their democratic right through free and fair elections, voted my Government into office on a transformation agenda that promised to bring about fundamental change that would have a discernible and positive effect on the daily lives of all our citizens.
So here we are. exactly one year removed from my own inaugural address to the Assembly, against the backdrop of this year’s seventy-eighth session’s theme of “Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all”.
But what does this all mean when we continue to live in a global environment and context in which our citizens are still plagued with issues such as hunger, poverty. gender-based violence, climate-related disasters and other such issues that affect our planet, especially those that touch on and concern such aspirations as the achievement of all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?
Against that backdrop. I am pleased to take this opportunity to announce that Grenada will soon be celebrating its fiftieth anniversary of national independence, on 7 February 2024. In that regard, it could not be a more fitting occasion for my Government and our citizens to not only celebrate the upcoming jubilee milestone but also to take the occasion to reflect on and look ahead with respect to Grenada’s continued role in the United Nations, where we must have a reimagined and renewed commitment to upholding the fundamental principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law.
Looking ahead, particularly in a post-pandemic world, we can report that Grenada, like many others, was not spared the devastating and blunt-force trauma effects of the coronavirus disease pandemic coming to our shores, which took a deadly toll, resulting through the loss of many of the lives of our citizens in our Spice Island.
Still, and notwithstanding the many traumatic experiences of that period, which saw the tragic loss of lives, lockdowns, mandates and. ultimately, some relief through the development and administration of vaccines; the resilience of the Grenadian people rang through and. ultimately, we prevailed as a people against an invisible enemy that during its reign took the lives of those whom we knew and called family, friends and loved ones. But we as a people survived.
In that regard, and as the world and international community continue on their way to recovery and rebuilding, and as Grenada reflects on that particular experience, it would be remiss of me if I did not emphasize and remind us all of how important it is to have international cooperation, along with the sharing of resources and information and continued dialogue through such multilateral forums as the one in which we find ourselves gathered here today.
To that end. it cannot be overstated how much these last three years have allowed us to. hopefully, learn from tragedy and adversity as seen during the crisis of the pandemic. We all must never forget that whenever and wherever there are severe challenges and especially human suffering, the United Nations and its Members must come together and respond to such crises with the greatest urgency through its multilateral efforts and cooperation, so that we can all come together in aid of our neighbours and citizens in their time of need.
In that regard, and as Grenada looks towards to its future and casts its eyes upon its own embrace of its goals and pursuits, with hopes of achieving all 17 SDGs. I am pleased to highlight and speak briefly on SDG 4: quality education.
On that front. Grenada, under my Government’s leadership, has made significant advancements in improving access to quality education for all citizens of Grenada. Also, to ensure that no one is left behind, our premier community college for youth exiting the secondary school system in Grenada, the T.A. Marry show Community College, has implemented the Skills to Access the Green Economy Programme. in partnership with a significant member of this body, to allow many of our youth to receive job-related education and training in a variety of identified vocational disciplines.
Additionally, my Government has developed and commenced a free tuition policy that allows all students access to a post-secondary-school and tertiary-level education at no tuition cost to them, as part of our commitment to providing a good-quality education to as broad a cross-section of our student and wider population as possible.
Grenada can also speak to its engagement and implementation work with respect to SDG 5 and the very important issue of gender equality. In that regard, my Government continues to make numerous advancements towards achieving gender equality, including, but not limited to. having gender themes reflected in several policy frameworks, including our medium-term action plan.
We have implemented the Spotlight Initiative, which aims to end violence against women and girls and which highlights the all-of-society approach required to advance the attainment of this very important SDG 5. This initiative has come with the assistance of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which we thank, and which is designed to focus attention, coordinate human effort and strategically apply resources to the implementation of a well- conceived comprehensive national programme to contribute to ending family violence and all forms of violence against women and girls in Grenada. Carriacou and Petite Martinique.
With respect to SDG 8. on decent work and economic growth for our citizens, given what we saw and experienced during the pandemic and now in the post-pandemic world, where there were disruptions to supply chains, economic inflation and recession in many areas, we acknowledge and recognize that our unemployment rates remain a challenge and that there remains much work to be done.
Notwithstanding that. Grenada has sought to mitigate those harsh realities and push back against those shocks, with several projects being implemented, including our Land Bank Project, the Grenada Climate Resilient Water Sector project and the UNDP climate resilience in agriculture programme.
Those initiatives and projects have served as critical activity areas that have created many forms
of employment for our citizens, especially our young people, giving them a renewed sense of hope that they. too. can have equal access to employment and economic opportunities.
Looking further, and as another example, on Goal 14. life below water. Grenada understands all too well how important our oceans are to countries like Grenada that are big ocean States and where many of our citizens, especially the fishing community, depend heavily on the ocean for their daily sustenance and livelihoods.
As such, my Government has embarked on the Fiscal Resilience and Blue Growth Development Policy Credit project, which is aimed at giving support to Grenada’s transition to a blue economy.
Additionally. Grenada has embarked on the creation of additional marine protected areas as well as legislative and policy frameworks, including the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Policy. Those are all geared towards protecting the integrity of our island and lending support to the management of its marine areas.
I now turn to SDG 15. concerning life on land. With a ratio of forest to total land of only 35 per cent. Grenada has made progress with the measures that we have taken to protect our forests. Our forest policy provides an overarching framework to ensure the resilience and sustainability of that finite and precious green resource through a number of strategic directions. That leads me to SDG 17. which is perhaps equally important, on partnerships for the Goals. In that regard. I am pleased to state that multi-stakeholder partnerships have proved invaluable for us and have paved the way for the advancement of the SDGs in Grenada, as stakeholders recognize the need for an all-of-Government and all- of-society approach to advancing our progress towards sustainable development.
Finally, allow me to further address the one subject that is arguably the most all-encompassing and predominant issue of our time. It relates to SDG 13. concerning climate action. We. the leaders of the 193 States Members of our Organization, gather here in New York every year to provide updates through our own lenses on the progress we have made in our countries and the future that we would like to see. reflecting the views of the various regions of the international community. In that context, if there is one thing that we can all be certain of. it is the likelihood of a climate disaster of some kind occurring in one or several of our Member States, with devastating impacts on their citizens and economies and inevitable effects on the state and progress of those countries’ development.
Last year I called for accelerating the urgent task that our community of nations needs to focus on by redoubling our efforts on climate action (see A/77/PV.12). In that regard, this year’s Climate Ambition Summit was an opportunity for Government leaders and other partners to present credible and concrete action aimed at keeping the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement alive and deliver justice to those on the front lines of the climate crisis. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has confirmed that global emissions are at their highest levels in human history and are only continuing to rise. Those increases will continue to wreak havoc on communities, economies and businesses and create a severe strain on public finances.
The States that contribute the least to the climate crisis are the ones bearing the heaviest burden, and without immediate and deep emissions cuts across the board. I am afraid that we are on a trajectory to far worse outcomes if we do not take significant action today. As we look forward to the upcoming twenty-eighth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, my own region and fellow Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government have emphasized the critical importance of making urgent efforts to address financing aimed at tackling the impact of climate change. Those Heads of Government have also agreed on the need for strong political advocacy from the region on key areas for action to keep the 1.5°C temperature goal within reach, focusing on finance for adaptation, loss and damage, improving access to financing for small island developing States, de-risking, debt sustainability and innovation.
Grenada shares the concerns about those important issues and continues to remain vulnerable to our harsh climate crisis and its devastating effects. Grenada has implemented several policy frameworks, such as its national climate change policy and national adaptation plan, geared to assisting in advancing our strategic approach to climate adaptation and building resilience. Our adaptation efforts will be scaled up through initiatives such as our climate-smart agriculture programme and our second nationally determined contribution, which has set an emission-reduction target of 40 per cent below 2010 levels. Against that
backdrop and further to our own efforts in Grenada, in my address to the Assembly last year I said.
“I call on all young people to take action. It is not yet too late to do what is necessary to safeguard our planet for future generations, but the time for action is now. [We cannot continue to pay lip service to climate change when climate change is showing us every day what it is capable of doing.] The reality is that the leaders of today will not be around to feel the consequences of their decisions. It is therefore up to our youth to lead the charge for the future they want to see” (A/77/PV.12, p. 14).
That remains as true today as it was last year, and it will remain true for many years to come. Today I am making a further clarion call to all Member States, through their leaders and high-level representatives, to take decisive action and do what is necessary to safeguard our planet for future generations — but the time for such action is now. Now is the time for global leaders to follow through on the commitments they have made at the multilateral level. Our goal as responsible global citizens should be to leave this planet in as good a condition as we found it. if not much better.
Finally, on issues concerning the countries of the Caribbean archipelago that are part of the global South, conscious of the President’s first priority pillar of his presidency — that of peace — we renew our call for the Caribbean region to remain a zone of peace and an environment that contributes to facilitating the social, economic and environmental development of all Caribbean States and the world at large. In that regard, and in the light of the recently concluded successful summit of the Group of 77 and China, held in Havana. Grenada reiterates its call for the removal of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States on Cuba, for Cuba to be removed from the United States State Department’s list of countries that are co-sponsors of terrorism and for it to be recognized once again among the peace-loving nations of the international community.
With regard to another issue in our Caribbean community. Grenada remains deeply concerned and must also raise awareness about the deteriorating situation of the rule of law in Haiti and the very troubling escalation of violence in our fellow CARICOM member State. The urgent support of the international community needs to be ramped up. in particular in the humanitarian and security areas, where the needs are greatest. The need for robust security assistance to counter the rampaging armed gangs is clear, yet the decision to enable it is meandering slowly through the Security Council. CARICOM welcomes the Government of Kenya’s willingness to lead such a multinational force and the offers of support and contributions of personnel from Rwanda, the Bahamas and Jamaica. The Caribbean Community hopes that the establishment of the multinational force will be endorsed by the Security Council as a demonstration of the international community’s commitment to supporting the restoration of law and order and improving humanitarian conditions for the people of Haiti. Inter-Haitian dialogue is key to any progress in addressing the multifaceted crisis. For its part. CARICOM is facilitating those efforts by providing its good offices through a group of eminent persons consisting of three former Prime Ministers of the region. A resolution of the political crisis in Haiti is also key to enabling the free and fair elections that are needed to put the country back on a constitutional path and open the door to an improved future for its citizens. The people of Haiti deserve no less. In that regard. Grenada calls on all friends of Haiti and on the Secretary-General to continue to use their good offices to support the people of Haiti.
With respect to Venezuela, we further reiterate and remain resolute in our call for an end to the imposition on that country of unilateral coercive measures, which are contrary to the rules and principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations.
In conclusion, with a challenging and complex yet dynamic global agenda, it is still incumbent on us. as global leaders, to look to our world with a renewed sense of hope and sincere optimism. It is with that renewed sense of hope that we must continue to press forward and aim not only to achieve the 17 SDGS adopted by this multilateral forum but to dramatically affect for the greater good the lives of the people whom we have been entrusted to lead. I do not take that position for granted. Along with my Government. I envision the possibility that the pursuit of those Goals in accordance with the 2030 Agenda can and will be met. With steadfast commitment, a shared vision and cooperation from all of us. we can indeed achieve peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all our citizens and all peace-loving nations represented and assembled in this Hall.