The UN trusts the leadership of the Caribbean, says Guterres, and insists on deploying force in Haiti

He General secretary of the UN stressed this Monday in Trinidad and Tobago the defense of climate action that the Caribbean countries have madebeing small island developing States themselves.

António Guterres traveled to that country to participate in the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), a forum in which he highlighted the cooperation of Caribbean nations on all frontsfrom economic and social development to the fight against illegal drugs and gender parity among other essential issues.

“The United Nations trust in the experience and leadership of the Caribbean”, he emphasized, after insisting on the urgency of deploying an international force in Haiti to assist that people in building security based on solid democratic institutions.

The Caribbean supports a force in Haiti

“The challenges we see in Haiti require a greater commitment and solidarity. And this is precisely the founding spirit of CARICOM”, he stressed.

Before the meeting with the leaders, Guterres held a press conference in which he noted that the Caribbean nations have offered to support such a force, but added that they lack the required equipment, so The countries that have those resources and have the logistics would also have to participate in the operation.

In this regard, he reiterated his call to all partners to increase support for the Haitian national police, in the form of financing, training or equipment. He also said that more must be done collectively to help the Haitian people chart a path toward elections and a political solution.

After addressing the issue of Haiti -the country he was in over the weekend-, the head of the UN focused his speech for the CARICOM Conference, above all, on two of the greatest challenges for Caribbean countries: financial justice and the climate crisis.

A very heavy load

Referring to the financial sphere, he said that the debt burden has become heavier with the crisis stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, which collapsed its income from tourism and exportsand shot up the prices of fuel and food.

“Today’s crisis has revealed a obsolete, dysfunctional and unfair international financial system”, he pointed out, adding that for this reason he has proposed a series of measures that include investments in sustainable development and climate action, as well as an improved and effective debt relief mechanism.

Other measures proposed by Guterres are the debt swaps for investment in climate adaptationthe increase in the capital base of multilateral development banks, the rechanneling of special drawing rights, the change of fossil fuel subsidies and greater access of middle-income countries to financing for crises or related disasters with the weather.

climate justice

Regarding the climate crisis, António Guterres recalled it is still possible to limit the increase in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, as long as carbon emissions are reduced by 45% in the remainder of this decade.

He alluded to his Climate Solidarity Pact that urges governments to to accelerate their net zero emissions deadlinesmarking 2040 for industrialized countries and 2050 for emerging economies.

It also urges developed countries to meet its financial commitments to developing countrieswhich include doubling financing for climate adaptation.

Finally, the Secretary General thanked the Caribbean leaders for their calls for climate justice, which highlighted the global action on loss and damage, investment in renewable energy and the safeguarding of biodiversity. All this with the participation of indigenous communities.

“Our world needs the islands. We need to come together around CARICOM”, Guterres pointed out.