By Azara Lavia
During their recent presentations at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Caricom leaders expressed their endorsement for the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS).
“In May of this year, we gathered in Antigua and Barbuda for the fourth international conference on Small Island Developing States and I call on the international community and the multilateral system to let us work together to ensure that the promise created in Bridgetown in 1994 is delivered and realised through the Antigua and Barbuda agenda for SIDS 2024, otherwise known as ABAS,” Barbados’ Prime Minister, Mia Mottley said
St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves joined Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne and Mottley in advocating for worldwide assistance for the 10-year framework.
“The Antigua and Barbuda agenda for SIDS adopted earlier this year encompass an action-oriented framework for the way forward,” Dr Gonsalves said. “The recently adopted pact for the future by the United Nations General assembly provides a wider and promising buttress.”
The ABAS has been creatively reproduced in the form of a pocketbook with images that capture some of the special moments of SIDS4 in Antigua and Barbuda in May of this year.
It is now a handy tool that details the new 10-year framework that was adopted at SIDS4. The ABAS outlines the requirements for SIDS to achieve resilient prosperity and sustainable development.
The project was undertaken by the Antigua and Barbuda Mission in New York and was warmly welcomed by Prime Minister Browne who led a high-level delegation to the UNGA.
The nation’s leader told the assembly of leaders that it was incumbent on them to place their full political weight behind the ABAS, as it is now in a form that allows for an easy read that will help to increase their familiarity with the details of the ABAS.
He also reflected on key aspects of the ABAS and the overall ambition for SIDS as they seek to escape the grasp of external shocks, climate change and its severe consequences.
“The ABAS offers highly tailored solutions. These are not one-size-fits-all mandates but bespoke strategies specifically crafted to meet the unique challenges we face,” Prime Minister Browne noted.
He referenced initiatives like the SIDS Centre of Excellence, the SIDS Debt Sustainability Support Services and the MVI as robust solutions that will place SIDS solidly on the road to building a resilient future for generations to come.
He also emphasised that these are among the deliverables contained in the ABAS that leaders need to have prime focus to ensure that there is no delay in their implementation “or else we would have failed in our shared mission to transform the lives of our people and save our islands,” he said.
The UN General Assembly is the main policy-making organ of the organisation. Comprising all Member States, it provides a unique forum for multilateral discussion of the full spectrum of international issues covered by the Charter of the United Nations. Each of the 193 Member States of the United Nations has an equal vote.
The general debate of the 79th session of the General Assembly opened on September24 and concluded on Monday, September 30th.
The theme for the general debate of the 79th session of the General Assembly was “Leaving no one behind: acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations”.
