UNITED NATIONS – Dominica, which is moving towards becoming the world’s first climate resilient country, Wednesday appealed to the international community to honour its obligations made as a result of the impact of climate change on small island developing states (SIDS) like itself.
Dominica’s President, Sylvania Burton addressing the United Nations General Assembly“We stand today at a critical juncture in human history. Climate change, as we know, is not just an environmental challenge; it is a threat to every aspect of life as we know it. For Dominica, as for many Small Island Developing States, this is not a distant or abstract issue; it is a daily reality,” President Sylvania Burton told the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Burton, the first President of indigenous descent from Dominica, told her global audience that on an annual basis, Dominica and other SIDS brace for the onslaught caused by intensified hurricanes, devastating floods, and prolonged droughts.
She recalled that in 2015 Dominica suffered at the passage of Tropical Storm Erika which wiped out 96 per cent of the island’s gross domestic product (GDP) and then again in 2017, when Hurricane Maria destroyed over 225 per cent of Dominica’s GDP in a matter of hours.
“This year, we watched in agony as Hurricane Beryl swept through the island-states of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Barbados, and Jamaica,” she said, noting that these tragic occurrences embolden the region “to state firmly that the time for rhetoric has long passed.
“Business as usual, simply will not suffice. We need urgent, bold, and decisive action to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as science clearly dictates. But to do this, we must drastically reduce emissions, boldly honour financial commitments, and build critical resilience infrastructure in regions particularly vulnerable in relation to climate change.
“This is a moral imperative, a matter of the utmost urgency, a matter of climate justice. Our very future depends on the decisions made in these halls,” Burton told the audience.
She said that the UNGA is meeting at a time when Dominica and the rest of the Caribbean direct “our gaze to the east and on the storms and hurricanes that emerge in the Atlantic.
“There is no denial that climate change is happening. We see. Indeed, we feel its disastrous impacts on a daily basis. Already the warnings of weather scientists regarding global warming and the consequent increase in frequency and severity of storms, have proved to be accurate.”
She said Dominica along with other Caribbean countries have already prioritized the development of national climate adaptation strategies; invested in resilient infrastructure and agriculture, invested in community education and in renewable energy.
“Still, the reality is that, as important as our interventions in this crucial space are, they will remain ineffective if our friends and partners in the industrialized world do not honour their commitments, to reduce global warming and provide the funding that is required, to enable our low emitting States to become resilient.
“We therefore seize this opportunity to again urge that the ethical pledges made via the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement, the Climate Action Summit and within the framework of the Green Climate Fund, be honoured in the interest of the global community.
“The high-emitting countries need to recognize and and accept responsibility for their destructive practices and do the noble thing. We will not relent until they do, ” Burton said.
She said that another issue of concern to Dominica despite the resources and publicity given to UN Agenda 30, the outputs so far do not inspire confidence that the global community is on track to realize the much-heralded goals.
“Alarmingly, the 2024 Sustainable Development Goals Report indicates that far from building on the progress achieved during the first five years, “fully half of the 17 targets are showing minimal or moderate progress” while “over one-third appear stalled or going in reverse”.
“It is, therefore, the hope of my government and the Caribbean Community of which we are proud members, that this Assembly will be known as (Sustainable Development Goals) remain central to our claim, that our civilizations are caring and progressive and that our collective management, scientific and diplomatic capabilities will be assigned to ensuring that the well-being of the present and future generations is guaranteed.”
She said for example, despite SDG 3, Good Health and Wellbeing, the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), is an urgent crisis that calls for a unified and aggressive approach by all global leaders.
Burton said that the World Health Organization (WHO), concludes that NCDs such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, cancers and chronic respiratory diseases, account for 75 per cent of all deaths worldwide.
“These diseases not only shorten individual lives but also imperil the future of our societies, our economies, and our shared global development goals. The fight against NCDs is not one that any nation, particularly a nation as small as ours, can win alone. That fight requires strong leadership, innovative strategies, and collaboration at every level.
“In Dominica, we have made significant progress in enhancing our healthcare system, to better meet the needs of those at risk or living with NCDs,” she said.
In her wide ranging address, the Dominican head of state called for continued support for ensuring peace and stability to Haiti, the removal of the US trade and economic embargo against Cuba, Washington’s mposition of sanctions against Venezuela, the end to the wars in Ukraine, Gaza and the respect for human rights worldwide.
“My ancestors, the Kalinago people, lived in harmony with Mother Nature, drawing on nature for food and general wellbeing, including medicinal products. The benefits to a life in harmony with Mother Nature are many.
“Their impact on the environment was minimal. The benefits to human health were long active lives, with minimal burden of chronic diseases. My ancestors also lived a communal life marked by social cohesion. My delegation recommends this way of life, of our Kalinago people, to this body,” Burton said.
