Barbados PM Mortley Calls for Attention to Climate Crisis at UN Meeting

Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Amor Motley, Sept. 27, 2024. Photo: teleSUR

September 27, 2024 Hour: 12:16 pm

She reminded that Barbados and other Caribbean countries have faced hurricanes, droughts, and wildfires.

On Friday, Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Amor Motley urged the international community to more forcefully combat the climate crisis, which is severely affecting island nations.

During the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, she reminded that Barbados and other Caribbean countries have faced hurricanes, droughts, and wildfires. Motley called for greater international cooperation so that low-income nations can better manage the effects of global climate change. She also asked all countries to reduce CO2 emissions to prevent further global warming.

The Barbadian Prime Minister demanded a reform of international financial institutions and criticized the overwhelming burden of external debt, which forces developing countries to cut resources for health, education, and infrastructure funding. Therefore, Motley urged for the rescheduling of debt for low- and middle-income nations, emphasizing the need to inject liquidity into their economies.

She also stressed the urgent need to resolve armed conflicts in countries like Myanmar, Sudan, and Palestine. Referring to the Ukrainian conflict, Motley pointed out that Western countries have allocated vast resources to a war that could have been used to address development challenges in poor nations.

🇵🇸🇭🇳"I also raise my voice demanding the end of this genocide!"

Honduran President Xiomara Castro has called for an end to the genocide in Gaza, an end to the attacks on Lebanon, and an end to the blockade against Cuba and sanctions against Nicaragua and Venezuela.

Global… pic.twitter.com/JkbVIoJzVF
— Peoples Dispatch (@peoplesdispatch) September 25, 2024

Motley emphasized that Barbados recognized the Palestinian state, stating that Palestinians have the right to their own independent state. Besides supporting a two-state solution, the Barbadian PM criticized the disproportionate use of force by Israel, accusing it of violating all existing international treaties.

She also raised concerns about the future national security risks posed by the alarming number of U.S. assault weapons arriving in the island nations of the Caribbean. In this region, the international community must rethink its relationship with Haiti, a nation that not only needs security but also development, the Barbadian PM pointed out, inviting countries to collaborate in achieving this goal.

Motley condemned the economic, commercial, and financial blockade that the United States has imposed on Cuba for more than 60 years. Finally, she indicated that the persistence of colonial structures does not help resolve the various crises of the contemporary world, including racism against Black people. For this reason, Motley called on nations to extend the deadline to 2034 to end this scourge.