DICKON MITCHELL, Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Physical Development, Public Utilities, Civil Aviation and Transportation and Minister for National Security, Home Affairs, Public Administration, Information and Disaster Management of Grenada, noted that the international community must never forget the “blunt force trauma effects of the COVID-19 pandemic”, which took a deadly toll on his country.  “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,” he stated.  Looking forward to domestic progress, he noted his Government has made significant advancements in improving access to quality education for all citizens, implementing a free tuition policy, which gives all students access to a post-secondary school and tertiary level education.  On gender equality, Grenada has launched the “Spotlight Initiative”, which aims to end violence against women and girls, highlighting the “all-of-society” approach, a well-conceived comprehensive national program to contribute to ending that scourge in Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique.

Addressing life below water, he reaffirmed that “many of our citizens, especially in the fishing community, heavily depend on the ocean for their daily sustenance and livelihoods.”  His Government has embarked on the projects aimed at supporting Grenada’s transition to a blue economy, as well as the creation of additional marine protected areas, legislative and policy frameworks, all geared to protecting the integrity and lending support to marine areas management.  In a related vein, with only 35 per cent forest-to-total-land ratio, Grenada has made advancements in measures to protect that resource.  He recalled that States that contribute least to the climate crisis are the ones bearing the heaviest burden and without immediate and deep emissions cuts, “we are on a trajectory for far worse outcomes”.  Grenada’s adaptation efforts will be scaled up through initiatives such as the Climate Smart Agriculture Programme and its second nationally determined contribution, which has set an emission reduction target of 40 per cent below 2010 levels.

Turning to issues concerning “those of us in the Global South of the Caribbean Archipelago”, he renewed the call that the Caribbean region remain a zone of peace and an environment that continues to facilitate the social, economic and environmental development of all Caribbean States and the world at large.  In this regard, in light of the just concluded “G-77 + China Summit” in Havana, he urged the United States to remove its economic, commercial, and financial blockade against Cuba, and remove the country from the State Department’s list of countries that are co-sponsors of terrorism.  He expressed deep concern over the deteriorating situation in the rule of law in Haiti, and the very troubling escalation of violence in that 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 this is meandering slowly through the Security Council,” he emphasized.  CARICOM welcomes Kenya’s willingness to lead such a multi-national force and the offers of support from Rwanda, Bahamas and Jamaica to contribute personnel.  Inter-Haitian dialogue is also key, he affirmed, for any progress in addressing the multifaceted crisis.  He noted that CARICOM is providing its good offices through an Eminent Persons Group consisting of three former Prime Ministers of the region to facilitate these efforts.  A resolution of the political crisis in Haiti is also key to free and fair elections to place the country back on a constitutional path and to open the door to an improved future for its citizens.  “The people of Haiti deserve no less,” he stressed.  He further called for the end of unilateral coercive measures against Venezuela.