22 September 2024 | .
United Nations Headquarters, New York
President of the General Assembly,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen,
In this era of a multipolar world, we stand at a crossroads, grappling with existential challenges that not only threaten the very fabric of our global community but tear at its increasingly fragmented seams. The stakes of our deliberations at this Summit cannot be emphasised enough.
The Pact for the Future must not just mirror the aspirations of all nations – it must embody the hopes and dreams of the most vulnerable among us. We cannot afford to make commitments to strengthen global cooperation on climate action, sustainable development, and equitable access to resources only to see them diluted in implementation. The harsh truth is that, despite our ambitions, there is a real risk that these commitments will fall short, continuing to marginalise those who are already most at risk, shutting them out of the very decision-making processes that shape their futures.
To ensure that the Pact for the Future truly represents all sectors of society, we must actively engage young people in the development process, as their involvement is crucial to building a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable world today. The youth are not merely the leaders of tomorrow; they are the essential stakeholders of today. Their active and early involvement is critical to ensuring the sustainability of our initiatives.
Addressing the digital divide is just as crucial. This inequality threatens to widen the gap between the haves and have-nots, making targeted action essential. Strong partnerships are vital to ensuring equitable access to the technologies and infrastructure that underpin modern development. These efforts must be supported by resilient multilateral institutions, international cooperation, global solidarity and shared responsibility, as no nation can tackle these immense challenges alone.
To truly embody the principles of cooperation and shared responsibility, we must recognise and preserve the strategic significance of regions like the Indian Ocean, where fostering peace and collaboration is vital for both regional stability and the broader success of our global community.
Just as the stability of the Indian Ocean is crucial to our collective prosperity, so too is the success of initiatives like the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS, which demands our unwavering commitment and the active support of the international community to turn its promise into reality.
To ensure that the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS truly succeeds, we must move beyond rhetoric and into action. We urge multilateral institutions to recognise the critical importance of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index and to implement it as a key tool in their policies, ensuring that the unique vulnerabilities of the most at-risk nations are given the priority they deserve in global financing strategies.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
Our collective future depends on the strength of our multilateral institutions and the solidarity of our global community. The challenges we face are daunting, complex, and deeply interconnected. No single country can hope to overcome them alone. We must restore trust in multilateralism and ensure that our global governance structures are not only responsive and inclusive but also effective and just.
But amidst these challenges, there is hope!
Let us remember that the decisions we make today will determine the world of tomorrow. For my small nation, the stakes could not be higher. We are ready – eager – to contribute to a future that is sustainable, equitable, and just. But we cannot do this alone. It is only through cooperation, mutual respect, and shared responsibility that we can hope to tackle the enormous challenges that confront us all. We need your partnership, your solidarity, and your unwavering commitment to ensuring that no one—no nation—is left behind.
Thank you.
