ROSEAU, Dominica, Oct. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The President of the Commonwealth of Dominica, Charles Savarin, addressed the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York recently and discussed a number significant issues facing the world, such as climate change, poverty, inequality, the growing challenges of chronic non-communicable diseases and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
He reiterated Dominica’s appeal to the international community to prioritise the disbursement of climate financing agreed upon at COP27, which aims to support the adaptation and resiliency efforts of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) seeking to minimise the loss and damage caused by extreme climate events.
President Savarin noted that the world is facing a number of climate challenges with both immediate and long-term implications. He added that there has been only marginal progress towards finding solutions and resolving the significant challenges of climate change.
"Today, planet earth is under severe threat and stress and may become uninhabitable if we further delay decisive corrective action. We need to talk less and start taking concrete action to reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere.
"In addition to tropical storms and hurricanes, we are facing the prospect of drought, warming seas, and rising sea levels, all of which will affect lives and livelihoods."
He stated that Dominica would continue to champion the call for collective global action in the fight against climate change and the need to build resilience to natural disasters triggered and exacerbated by climate change.
"We must lay a path for development that is sustainable and people-focused. Small states like ours have stood at this very podium and at many other such podiums across the world seeking to convince the developed world to change destructive practices that threaten our planet and our very lives and livelihoods," said the President.
Savarin noted that the impact of climate change on SIDS was well known and that funding should, as a priority, be made available to these states. He noted that despite best efforts, not enough corrective action was being taken, and not enough support was being given to SIDS to adapt and build resilience.
"What we need from our developed partners is the recognition and acceptance of responsibility that translates to a commitment to provide the funding required to enable our small states to become resilient. This must be readily accessible and available to all of us on grant and concessional terms, with the only criteria for access being our vulnerability to extreme weather events."
Savarin recalled the devastation caused by Tropical Storm Erika in 2015 and Hurricane Maria in 2017. The two storms caused over 90 and 220 percent loss of GDP, respectively. Lives were lost, people were displaced and livelihoods were shattered. "These experiences triggered our goal of becoming the first climate-resilient nation in the world, and we have realigned our focus to concentrate on adaptation efforts and build[ing] back better in every sector of the economy."
The President also pointed out that SIDS, like Dominica, are “disproportionately affected” by climate change. He said that extreme weather phenomena would escalate as global temperatures rise, noting that rising sea levels would lead to some SIDS disappearing, and others being subject to coastal erosion, with infrastructure, villages, towns and cities being destroyed.
Additionally, President Savarin discussed the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and that all member states have embraced the SDGs as an ideal to be pursued universally and achieved by 2030. However, he also noted that SIDS would face greater challenges than many larger nations in achieving these goals.
Savarin also discussed other challenges including the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the unfolding war in Ukraine.
About the Covid-19 pandemic, President Charles Savarin noted that like most other UN member states, Dominica and the Caribbean were ill-prepared for the health emergency. He added that the pandemic had exposed the limitations of health systems in countries across the world, whether large or small, developed or underdeveloped. "The reality is that not all people have equal access to vaccines and life-saving medicines even when faced with a pandemic declared by the World Health Organisation," he said.
He also condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He noted that as a result of the war, economies around the world had fallen victim to skyrocketing prices for oil and petroleum products, and that these prices had negatively impacted the cost of electricity and all aspects of transportation.
He emphasised the effect that the war has had on the world’s food supply, “[a]s Russia and Ukraine are among the leading suppliers of grain, this conflict has created a shortage in the world's supply of grain, with implications for hunger in countries which rely on imports of grain from these two countries."
"The invasion of one country by another must always be condemned, and Dominica condemns the attack on Ukraine without reservation,” he said. “[W]hat happens in one part of the world affects us all, and so it is with the war in Ukraine."
The Commonwealth of Dominica has stood with other countries in calling for an immediate end to the conflict raging in Ukraine. It has welcomed the deal brokered between Ukraine and Russia with the support of the United Nations Secretary-General and assistance from Turkey. The deal has allowed for significant quantities of grain to be shipped from Ukrainian ports to various destinations, thereby alleviating the emerging global food crisis.
Just a few months prior in July 2022, Dominica presented its first Voluntary National Review (VNR) to the UN in keeping with its international obligations and the spirit of "Global Governance". In the Review, Dominica reported on the tremendous progress it had made towards achieving its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), noting that its national agenda was guided by an aspiration to become the world's first climate-resilient nation.
The Review also indicated that the country's primary industries are showing signs of positive recovery since the destructive weather events of 2015 and 2017. With tourism and agriculture remaining the main income-generating sectors, Dominica’s GDP is projected to reach pre-pandemic levels by 2023. With infrastructure projects and improved air access supporting its recovery, the country anticipates an average five percent GDP growth per annum from 2022 to 2026.
Discussing Dominica's resilience agenda during his address at the UN General Assembly, President Savarin noted that new and modern climate-resistant homes were being constructed for low and middle-income families across the island. He said that modern and smart health and wellness centres were also being built across urban and rural communities. These initiatives would help the country to withstand the impact of extreme weather and to remain operational during natural emergencies and pandemics.
"Ensuring our citizens enjoy long and healthy lives will always be a priority,” Savarin said. “[T]herefore, what we grow and consume has to be a critical component of our resilience agenda. Global trends indicate that food security issues are not unique to Dominica.” He reminded delegates at the assembly that the second Sustainable Development Goal towards ending world hunger “calls on governments to pursue smart and sustainable food production to help alleviate the perils of hunger."
He added that Dominica was working to strengthen its agricultural sector to reduce its reliance on food imports. The country was also renewing its emphasis on growing and providing affordable and high-quality products for consistent export.
Concluding his UN Assembly address, President Savarin reiterated his gratitude to the country’s international partners as well as those governments that had provided support during its darkest days in the aftermath of Storm Erika and Hurricane Maria.
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