UNITED NATIONS, C.M.C. – Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne Friday said that the United Nations Climate Change Conference (C.O.P. 28) to be held in Dubai in November will be crucial for the planet’s future, tiny island development states (S.I.D.S.).
“Not only does COP28 come when the world is witnessing climate chaos firsthand, but this summit is crucial because it will include a global stocktake. Countries will assess how far they have come on cutting planet-heating pollution,” Browne told the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (U.N.G.A.).
C.O.P. 28 takes place in Dubai from November 30 to December 12. Prime Minister Browne told the international community that the awful truth is already clear eight years after the climate agreement in Paris, “global progress has been far from sufficient.
“The world is currently not in line with the temperature targets outlined in the Paris Agreement,
According to the European Union’s Climate Change Service, this year’s June to August period was not only the warmest since 1940, but it also saw temperatures soaring towards 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.”
Browne said that a red line once deemed holy, will be crossed if urgent action is not taken, saying warnings have turned to imminent danger.
“Therefore, what was already a crucial matter for action at COP28 has become imperative. And that is the Loss and Damage Fund for which small island states have been praying, pleading, and begging.”
Prime Minister Browne recalled that at the COP27 last year, the world’s greatest polluters agreed “only at the last minute that such a fund was necessary.
“But the agreement needed to be established. We got the formation of a transitional committee to make recommendations for consideration at COP28. The issue was once again deferred.
“We must insist at COP28 that the loss and damage fund must be operational and adequately funded. It must also provide sufficient financing to help S.I.D.S. withstand the inevitable ruin that the actions of the major polluters continue to wreak.”
Prime Minister Pierre, also the co-chair of the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law (C.O.S.I.S.), warned that if COP28 fails in this critical mission, it risks undermining global trust, potentially sabotaging cooperative efforts on myriad global challenges.
“It is my ardent hope that when we gather in Dubai, the shared spirit of responsibility will prevail, such that the flame of action can reignite the dying embers of hope,” he said.
Prime Minister Browne said that Antigua and Barbuda has embarked on strategies, building alliances with the willing, to counter the threats they all face from the impacts of climate change, and the failure of the international financial institutions and their policymakers to respond to the urgent needs of our peoples.
He said one such initiative led to the formation of C.O.S.I.S. earlier this month, which sought an Advisory Opinion from the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea (I.T.L.O.S.) concerning the obligation of states to combat pollution linked to climate change and its ensuing marine repercussions, such as rising ocean temperatures, sea-level rise, and ocean acidification.
He defended the decision to take the matter before the I.T.L.O.S., saying it is the guardian of the 1U.N.2 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.
“It is the natural venue to seek legal clarity on the obligations of states to protect our marine environment. S.I.D.S. are primarily maritime states. We depend on the ocean for sustenance, a crucial part of our heritage and identity. The ocean is also a vital carbon sink.”
Browne said that with increasing ocean and terrestrial temperatures reaching record highs this summer, burning the planet, and simultaneously causing unprecedented storms, flooding, and droughts, all nations must act now to safeguard the oceans as a critical component of the Earth’s climate system.
He said that the countries of C.O.S.I.S. are not seeking to rewrite laws, but “we are seeking clarity on existing ones.
“S.I.D.S. cannot sit idly while our countries sink beneath our feet or are crippled by a burden of debt, as we are left – abandoned by the international system to rebuild within our limited means, one disaster after another,” Brown said, noting that taking a case to I.T.L.O.S. is not an initiative just for the survival of S.I.D.S.
“It is a vital effort to preserve and prosper all nations in our shared world.
In this connection, Antigua and Barbuda and the other members of C.O.S.I.S. will also stand with this General Assembly in its decision, initiated by Vanuatu, to seek an Advisory Opinion from the International Court of Justice on the obligations of states concerning climate change. We consider this a duty of care for the world’s peoples.”
Prime Minister Browne, who is among several Caribbean Community (C.A.R.I.C.O.M.) leaders that will address the U.N.G.A., said that S.I.D.S. has also championed the need for the adoption of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) to replace the Gross National Income (G.N.I.) per capita as a primary measure for concessionary financing.
“S.I.D.S., though not the poorest countries, are highly vulnerable to climate and other shocks, and lack resilience due to structural problems; limited human and financial resources, lack of economies of scale and higher costs due to their isolation from significant manufacturing hubs. “
Browne said, therefore, the sole criterion of per capita income, “denying us access to concessional financing, is unfair and unjust,
“The MVI is not just a tool; it is our gateway to essential financing, to robust national planning, to debt servicing, and possibly our final beacon when seeking insurance and compensation against the rising tides,” he said, promising to continue to advance these contentions in the international financial institutions.”
He said that S.I.D.S. will raise “this urgent issue” at the joint meeting of the International Monetary Fund (I.M.F.) and World Bank in Marrakesh next month.
“We call on all S.I.D.S. and all fair-minded countries to join us in advancing the MVI as a vital component in facilitating access to concessional financing.”
Browne informed the international body that his island will host the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States from May 27th -30th, 2024, under the theme “Charting the Course Towards Resilient Prosperity”.
“I have highlighted the stark realities faced by S.I.D.S. We are grappling with the impacts of global phenomena, from the lingering effects of COVID to climate change and the international economic and financial repercussions of Russia’s incursion into Ukraine.
“Additionally, we are burdened with staggering debts, unfavorable trade terms, and a global financial architecture that fails to meet our needs. Our upcoming conference is more than just a forum,” he said, adding, “We must aim to develop a bold, decade-long strategy that will illuminate the path forward, addressing our unique and interconnected challenges to ensure a resilient and prosperous future for our citizens.”
Prime Minister Browne said that given these challenges, and in collaboration with the private sector U.N.d UN entities, Antigua and Barbuda will establish a Centre of Excellence for S.I.D.S. that will enable all S.I.D.S. to achieve sustainable, resilient prosperity.
“The truth is unavoidable: many major greenhouse gas emitting countries have not met their commitments. The previously set boundary, a temperature rise of no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, will be breached on the current trajectory.
“The risks we face are not just on the horizon; they are here and now, requiring an urgent commitment to reduce emissions. Small Island States’ capacity to adjust and to build resilience cannot keep pace with the fast occurrence of extreme climate events,” he adds, emphasizing “that we will suffer first, but what we will endure is only the precursor of the fate, of every nation.”
The Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister also noted that his island asserts that climate justice and reparatory justice are deeply intertwined and that it is essential for the U.N.G.A. to understand that climate justice is not a standalone concern.
“Historically, the nations that thrived on the industrial revolution did so on the backs of enslaved and victimized generations from the Caribbean and other corners of the African diaspora.
“It is unjust that countries that paid the highest human price are bearing the heaviest climate burden, Browne said, noting that a recU.N.t U.N. Report aptly underscores that while legal routes to compensation may be complex, it by no means nullify the moral and ethical obligations stemming from these historical wrongs.
“We urge the nations complicit in the dark legacy of enslavement to recognize, reconcile, and redress soonest. Our shared future must be built on justice, understanding, and cooperation.”
As has been the case before, Prime Minister Browne joined the chorus of Caribbean leaders calling on the United States to end its 60-year trade and economic embargo against Cuba and the sanctions imposed against Venezuela.
“I urge the United States to revisit its stance on Cuba. It is high time for the U.S. U.S. to remove Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism and to bring an end to the outdated embargo that harms the Cuban populace.
“Similarly, we advocate for removing sanctions on Venezuela, especially those that hinder the Venezuelan government’s access to the U.S.U.S. financial system and block oil imports from the state-owned P.D.V.S.A.
“It cannot be ignored that these sanctions amplify the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, contributing to many refugees into neighboring countries. The sanctions also harm innocent Caribbean countries that hitherto benefitted from the Petro Caribe initiative, which served as an energy price stabilization mechanism for these countries.”
Browne said that as members of the United Nations, “we are all bound by its Charter that enshrines dialogue and peaceful conflict resolution.
“Today, I fervently urge every nation, to recommit to these cornerstone principles, ensuring they are respected, and followed, as the bedrock of all international relations,” he added.
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