In another day of the 78th United Nations General Assembly, focused on climate change, the war in Ukraine and the economic, humanitarian and security crisis around the globe, the representative and Prime Minister of Grenada, Dickon Mitchell, takes the stage. teleSUR
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00:00 And we go live to the 78th General Assembly of the United Nations.
00:04 Let's listen to the statements of the Commissioner, Prime Minister of Grenada.
00:09 His Excellency, Dennis Francis, President of this 78th session of the United Nations
00:20 General Assembly.
00:21 His Excellency, Antonio Guterres, Secretary General, Heads of State and Government, Heads
00:28 of Delegations, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen.
00:33 Mr. President, please accept my warmest greetings and congratulations on your election to the
00:40 Presidency of this 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
00:46 I take this opportunity to commit my delegation's fullest support and cooperation with you and
00:52 your office as you work towards fulfillment of the four priority areas that you have identified,
00:59 the same being peace, prosperity, progress, and sustainability, all of which I also view
01:09 as important areas in this challenging and dynamic global agenda.
01:17 I also commend and thank your predecessor.
01:19 Mr. President, His Excellency, Károlyi Károlyi of Hungary, for his leadership and guidance
01:26 of the last session of the General Assembly.
01:31 Mr. President, it is my privilege once again to speak from this center podium where one
01:38 year ago I addressed the Assembly Hall for the very first time as Prime Minister.
01:46 It was exactly 15 months ago when the people of Grenada, Karaköy and Pitimatnik, exercising
01:53 their democratic right through free and fair elections, voted my government into office
02:00 on a transformation agenda that promised to bring about fundamental change that would
02:06 have a discernible and positive effect on the daily lives of all our citizens.
02:13 So here we are, Mr. President, exactly one year ago, removed from my own inaugural address
02:21 to this assembly and against the backdrop of this year's 78th Sessions' theme of
02:28 rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity, accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and
02:37 its sustainable development goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability
02:45 for all.
02:48 But what does this all mean, Mr. President?
02:52 Excellencies, friends, when we continue to live in a global environment and context where
03:01 citizens are still plagued with issues such as hunger, poverty, gender-based violence,
03:09 climate-related disasters and other such issues that affect our planet, but especially those
03:17 that touch and concern such aspirations as achieving all 17 of the sustainable development
03:24 goals.
03:27 Against this backdrop, Mr. President, I'm pleased to take this opportunity to announce
03:33 that Grenada will soon be celebrating its 50th anniversary of national independence
03:38 on the 7th of February, 2024.
03:42 In this regard, it could not be a more fitting occasion for my government and citizens to
03:49 not only celebrate the upcoming Jubilee's milestone, but also to take the occasion to
03:55 reflect and look ahead with respect to Grenada's continued role in the United Nations, where
04:03 we must have a reimagined and renewed commitment to upholding the fundamental principles of
04:11 the United Nations Charter and international law.
04:18 Further to Mr. President, and looking ahead, particularly in a post-pandemic world, we
04:29 can report that Grenada, like many others, was not spared the devastating and blunt post-trauma
04:37 effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, coming to a close and which took a deadly toll through
04:44 the loss of many lives of our citizens in our Spice Island.
04:49 Still, and notwithstanding the many traumatic experiences of that period, Mr. President,
04:56 a period which saw the tragic loss of lives, lockdowns, mandates, and ultimately some relief
05:04 through vaccine development, relief and its administration, the resilience of the Grenadian
05:11 people rang true, and we ultimately prevailed as a people against an invisible enemy who,
05:19 during its reign, took the lives of those whom we knew and called family and friends
05:26 and loved ones.
05:28 But we as a people survived.
05:33 In that regard, Mr. President, and as the world and international community continue
05:38 on its way to recovery and rebuilding, and as Grenada reflects on this particular experience,
05:46 it would be remiss of me if I did not emphasize and remind us all of how important it is to
05:54 have international cooperation with each other, along with the sharing of resources, information,
06:03 and having continued dialogue through such multilateral forum as we find ourselves gathered
06:10 here today.
06:11 To that end, Mr. President, it cannot be overstated how much these last three years have allowed
06:20 us to hopefully learn from the tragedy and adversity as seen during the crisis of the
06:27 pandemic.
06:30 We all must never forget that whenever and wherever there are severe challenges, and
06:37 especially human suffering, the United Nations and its members must come together and respond
06:44 to such crisis with the greatest urgency through its multilateral efforts and cooperation,
06:52 so that we can all come together in the aid of our neighbors and citizens in the time
06:58 of their need.
07:02 In that regard, Mr. President, and as Grenada looks towards its future and casts its eyes
07:08 upon our own embrace and pursuit with hopes of achieving all of the 17 Sustainable Development
07:16 Goals, I'm indeed pleased to highlight and speak briefly on SDG 4, quality education.
07:24 On this front, Mr. President, Grenada, under my government's leadership, has made significant
07:30 advancements in improving access to quality education for all of its citizens of Grenada.
07:37 Further to Mr. President, and to ensure that no one is left behind, our premier community
07:45 college for youth exiting the secondary school system in Grenada, the T.A. Marshall Community
07:50 College, has implemented skills to access the Green Economy Project in partnership with
07:58 a significant member of this body to allow many of our youth to receive the acquired
08:05 job-related education and training in a variety of identified vocational disciplines.
08:11 Additionally, Mr. President, my government has developed and commenced a free tuition
08:18 policy which allows all students access to a post-secondary school and tertiary level
08:25 education at no tuition cost to them as part of our commitment to a good quality education
08:34 to as many across sections of our student population and wider population as possible.
08:41 SDG 5, gender equality. Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Grenada can also speak to its engagement
08:51 and implementation work with respect to SDG 5 and the very important issue of gender equality.
08:59 In this regard, my government continues to make numerous advancements towards achieving
09:05 gender equality, including but not limited to having gender themes reflected in several
09:11 policy frameworks, including our medium-term action plan.
09:17 We have implemented the Spotlight Initiative, which aims to end violence against women and
09:22 girls, and which highlights the all-of-society approach required to advance the attainment
09:29 of this very important SDG 5. This initiative has come with the assistance from the United
09:37 Nations Development Program, whom we thank, and which is designed to focus attention,
09:44 coordinate human effort, and strategically apply resources to the implementation of a
09:50 well-conceived comprehensive national program to contribute to ending family violence and
09:57 all forms of violence against women and girls in Grenada, Karikou, and PT Martin.
10:05 SDG 8, decent work and economic growth. With respect to SDG 8, Mr. President, as it pertains
10:16 to decent work and economic growth for our citizens, and given what we have seen and
10:21 experienced during the pandemic, and now a post-pandemic world, where there were disruptions
10:27 to supply chains, economic inflation, and recession in many parts, we do acknowledge
10:34 and recognize that our unemployment rates remain a challenge, and there remains much
10:40 work to be done.
10:42 However, and notwithstanding, Mr. President, Grenada has sought to mitigate against these
10:48 harsh realities and push back against these shocks, with several projects being implemented,
10:55 including our land bank project, the Grenada Climate Resilient Water Sector Project, and
11:03 the UNDP Climate Resilience Agricultural Program.
11:09 These initiatives and projects, Mr. President, have served as critical activity areas that
11:14 have created many forms of employment for our citizens, especially our young people,
11:21 giving them a renewed sense of hope that they too can have equal access to employment and
11:26 economic opportunities.
11:29 SDG 14, life below water. Mr. President, as another example, the 14th SDG goal, life below
11:42 water. Grenada understands all too well how important our oceans are to countries like
11:49 Grenada, who are big ocean states, where many of our citizens rely on the ocean, especially
11:59 the fishing community. They heavily depend on the ocean for their daily sustenance and
12:06 livelihoods. As such, my government has embarked on the Fiscal Resilience and Blue Grout Development
12:13 Policy Credit Project, which aims at giving support to Grenada's transition to a blue
12:20 economy.
12:21 Additionally, Mr. President, Grenada has embarked on the creation of additional marine protected
12:29 areas, legislative and policy frameworks, including the Integrated Coastal Zone Management
12:35 Plan. These are all geared towards protecting the integrity and lending support to marine
12:41 areas management on our island.
12:46 SDG 15, life on land. Mr. President, with only 35 percent forest to total land ratio,
12:59 Grenada has made advancements in the measures that we have taken to protect our forests.
13:05 Our forest policy provides the overarching framework to ensure the resilience and sustainability
13:12 of this finite and precious marine resource through a number of strategic directions.
13:19 Which leads me, Mr. President, to perhaps the equally important SDG number 17, partnership
13:27 for the goals.
13:29 In this regard, Mr. President, I'm pleased to state that multi-stakeholder partnership
13:35 has proved invaluable and have paved the way for SDG advancement in Grenada, as stakeholders
13:43 recognize the need for an all-of-government and all-of-society approach to advancing and
13:49 attaining Grenada's progress towards sustainable development.
13:55 Finally, Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, allow me to further address the one subject that
14:03 is perhaps arguably the single most encompassing and prevailing issue of our time, and it relates
14:10 to SDG 13, climate action. Mr. President, every year, we, the leaders of these 193 member
14:24 states of this august institution, gather here in New York to give a status update as
14:32 to the progress that we have made in our respective countries and the future that we would like
14:37 to see as viewed through our own lenses coming from the various regions of our international
14:43 community.
14:46 In that context, Mr. President, if there is one thing that we can all be certain of, it
14:53 is the likely occurrence of a climate disaster of some kind among one or several of our member
15:00 states, and which will have devastating impacts on our citizens, our economies, and inevitably
15:08 affect the state and progress of that country's development.
15:15 Mr. President, last year I called for the escalation of the urgent action that is required
15:22 by our community of nations to give specific focus to redoubling our efforts on climate
15:29 action. In this regard, at this year's Climate Ambition Summit, the summit was an opportunity
15:37 for government leaders and other partners to present credible and concrete actions to
15:44 keep the 1.5 degree Celsius goal of the Paris Agreement alive and deliver climate justice
15:52 to those on the front lines of the climate crisis.
15:57 The International Governmental – the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change confirmed that global
16:04 emissions are at their highest levels in human history and only continues to rise. Such increase
16:14 increases, Mr. President, will only continue to wreak havoc on communities, economies,
16:22 businesses, and create a severe strain on public finances.
16:29 Mr. President, the states that contribute least to the climate crisis are the ones bearing
16:36 the heaviest burden. And without immediate and deep emissions cuts across the globe,
16:44 I'm afraid that we are on a trajectory for far worse outcomes if we don't take significant
16:52 action today.
16:55 Mr. President, as we look forward to the upcoming COP28, my own region and colleague CARICOM
17:03 heads of government have emphasized the critical importance of urgent efforts to address financing
17:11 to address the impact of climate change. These heads of governments also agreed on the need
17:20 for strong political advocacy from the region on key action areas to keep the 1.5 temperature
17:27 goal within reach, focusing on areas of finance for adaptation and loss and damage, improving
17:37 access to finance for SIDS, de-risking, debt sustainability, and innovation as key points.
17:49 Grenada shares these concerns on these important issues and continues to be and remain vulnerable
17:56 to the harsh climate crisis and its devastating effects.
18:03 Grenada has implemented several policy frameworks, such as the National Climate Change Policy
18:09 and the National Adaptation Plan, which are geared towards assisting in advancing the
18:15 country's strategic approach to climate adaptation and building resilience. Adaptation efforts
18:23 will be scaled up through initiatives such as the Climate Smart Agriculture Program and
18:30 our second nationally determined contribution, which has set an emission reduction target
18:36 of 40 percent below 2010 levels.
18:42 Against this background and further to our own efforts in Grenada, Mr. President, last
18:50 day at this time, I said this, and I quote, "I call on all young people to take action.
19:01 It is not yet too late to do what is necessary to safeguard our planet for future generations,
19:09 but the time for action is now."
19:14 We cannot continue to give lip service to climate change when climate change is showing
19:20 us every day what it is capable of doing. The reality is the leaders of today will not
19:30 be around to feel the consequences of their decisions. It is therefore up to our youth
19:38 to lead the charge for the future they want to see. This remains true today as it was
19:45 last year and will remain true for many years to come.
19:52 Today, Mr. President, I make the further clarion call for all member states, through their
19:58 leaders and high-level representatives, to take decisive action and do what is necessary
20:06 to safeguard our planet for future generations. But the time for such action is now, Mr. President.
20:15 Now is the time for global country leaders to follow through on those commitments made
20:22 at the multilateral level.
20:24 Our goal as responsible citizens should be to leave this planet in as good a condition,
20:32 if not much better, than we actually found it.
20:37 Finally, Mr. President, on issues concerning those of us in the global south of the Caribbean
20:44 archipelago. Mr. President, being conscious of your first priority pillar, that of peace,
20:54 we renew our call that the Caribbean region continues to remain a zone of peace and an
21:02 environment that contributes to social, economic, and environmental development of all Caribbean
21:11 states and the world at large.
21:15 In this regard, and in light of the just-concluded successful G77 and China summit in Havana,
21:23 RENATA reiterates its call for the removal of the U.S.-imposed economic, commercial,
21:31 and financial blockade against Cuba, and a further call for Cuba to be removed from the
21:37 U.S. State Department's list of countries that are co-sponsors of terrorism, and that
21:43 it be allowed to rejoin and be renamed among the peaceful, loving nations of the international
21:50 community.
21:51 Still in our Caribbean community, Mr. President, RENATA remains deeply concerned and must also
22:01 raise awareness over the deteriorating situation in the rule of law in Haiti and the very troubling
22:09 escalation of violence in our fellow CARICOM member state. The urgent support of the international
22:15 community needs to be ramped up, in particular in the humanitarian and security areas where
22:22 the needs are greatest. The need for robust security assistance to counter the rampaging
22:29 armed gangs is clear, yet the decision to enable this is meandering slowly through the
22:37 Security Council.
22:41 CARICOM welcomes the Government of Kenya's willingness to lead such a multinational force
22:47 and the offers of support from Rwanda, the Bahamas, and Jamaica to contribute personnel.
22:55 The Caribbean community hopes that the establishment of a multinational force will receive endorsement
23:02 by the United Nations Security Council as a demonstration of the commitment of the international
23:08 community to support the restoration of law and order and to improve the humanitarian
23:15 conditions of the people of Haiti.
23:20 Inter-Haitian dialogue is also key to any progress in addressing the multifaceted crisis.
23:27 CARICOM, for its part, is providing its good offices through an eminent persons group consisting
23:36 of three former Prime Ministers of the region to facilitate these efforts.
23:42 A resolution of the political crisis in Haiti is also key to free and fair elections to
23:49 place the country back on a constitutional path and to open the door to an improved future
23:56 for its citizens. The people of Haiti deserve no less.
24:04 In that regard, Mr. President, RENEDA calls on all friends of Haiti and the good offices
24:10 of the Secretary General to continue to support the people of Haiti.
24:16 With respect to the Republic of Venezuela, Mr. President, we further reiterate and also
24:21 remain resolute in our call for an end to the imposition of unilateral coercive measures
24:28 against Venezuela, contrary to the rules and principles of international law and the Charter
24:34 of the United Nations.
24:38 In conclusion, Mr. President, with a challenging, complex, yet dynamic global agenda, it is
24:46 still incumbent upon us as global leaders to still look to a world with a renewed sense
24:54 of hope and sincere optimism. It is with that renewed sense of hope that we must continue
25:03 to press forward and aim to achieve not just the 17 SDGs of this multilateral forum, but
25:11 we must seek to dramatically affect the greater good, the human lives that we have been entrusted
25:20 to lead.
25:22 It is a position that I do not take for granted, Mr. President, but envision, along with my
25:28 government, that the pursuit of those goals pursuant to the 2030 Agenda can be met and
25:36 will be met with steadfast commitment and a shared vision and cooperation from all of
25:44 us so that we can indeed achieve, Mr. President, peace, prosperity, progress, and sustainability
25:55 for all our citizens and all peace-loving nations represented and assembled in this
26:01 great Assembly Hall.
26:04 Thank you.
26:05 (Applause.)
26:06 (Music.)