The Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica addresses the general debate of the 72nd Session of the General Assembly of the UN
New York, 19 - 25 September 2017
Highlights:
- Dominica holds dear the ideals of the United Nations;
- Dominica stands in solidarity with all nations affected by recent Hurricanes and the earthquake in Mexico;
- Thousands of storms now form to pound the Caribbean;
- Only been two years since Tropical Storm Erika devastated Dominica;
- To deny climate change is to procrastinate while the earth sinks;
- We did not start the war on nature - the war has come to us;
- While the big countries talk the small islands suffer;
- The Caribbean does not produce greenhouse gases or contribute to global warming but we are the victims on the front line;
- Our livelihoods are part of the eco-system, it is how we survive, but the reality is pure devastation;
- We are shouldering the consequences of the actions of others;
- We have buried loved ones and are likely to discover more fatalities;
- We are declaring a national humanitarian emergency;
- 72,000 Dominicans lie on the front line in a war they did not choose with extensive casualties in a war they did not start;
- We need all of humanity to come together to save our planet;
- A new paradigm of green economic development is needed