PM Briceno Urges Global Leaders at UNGA to Address Climate Change Inaction

Prime Minister John Briceno has sounded the alarm to global leaders that the goals in combatting climate change are moving further and further away due to inaction and an effective global response. He noted that since the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2016, each year sees the change in climates and global warming, breaking previous records.  The prime minister made these remarks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, USA, where he is currently leading a Belize delegation.

John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize:  “The adoption of the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact, and the Declaration on Future Generations must not be seen as an end but rather as a beginning. While these outcomes lay a foundation for action, they represent only a floor for a much greater ambition that is needed to transform our world for present and future generations. Then Paris alone will not be enough, nor will our promise to accelerate implementation of the 2030 agenda. These are unprecedented times. They demand unprecedented action across whole systems at all levels and at all times guided by values and principles we espouse as a United Nations. Bringing the voices from the margins to the center, the voices of young people, women, indigenous people, and the voices of countries like my own, the small island developing states. They should benchmark our collective ambition because a better tomorrow can only be realized if solutions respond to the most urgent of needs, their needs. In Belize, the youth are calling for opportunities to harness individual and technological potential. They need sustained investments in good, decent education, comprehensive healthcare, and a greener and bluer economy that targets support for micro, small, and medium enterprises and startups. We can go further, faster with international support, but that support must be tailored to the unique characteristics of small island developing states. The Antigua and Barbuda agenda for SIDS is a forward-looking blueprint for resilient prosperity.

Prime Minister added that the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS is a blue print that defines the vision of small island developing states.  He noted that Belize is one of several countries that lack inclusion in decision making, and that 5 minutes on the world stage such as the UN, is merely a placebo.  Prime Minister Briceno returns home on Friday.  Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde is serving as Acting Prime Minister