Antigua PM calls for unity among small and developing nations

Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne has called on small and developing nations to “join together to advance their collective interest”.

Browne issued the call today during his address at the United Nations General Assembly.

Browne said for far too long these countries, who are the most vulnerable to global challenges like climate change, aren’t included in discussions that affect the daily lives of their citizens.

Browne outlined that Antigua and Barbuda has been working to unite its fellow small island countries to take on the major polluting nations under the banner of the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law (COSIS).

Browne and the Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Kausea Natano approached the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) for an Advisory Opinion on the obligation of states to combat pollution linked to climate change.

The matter began on September 11^th in Hamburg, Germany and will continue until September 25^th.

Browne explained that taking the legal route was a necessary action for small island states.

“We went to ITLOS because it is the guardian of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. It is the natural venue to seek legal clarity on the obligations of states to protect our marine environment. Small island developing states (SIDS) are primarily maritime states,” he said.

“We depend on the ocean not just for sustenance, but as a crucial part of our heritage and identity. The ocean is also a vital carbon sink. With increasing ocean and terrestrial temperatures reaching record highs this summer, burning the planet and simultaneously causing unprecedented storms, flooding and droughts; all nations must act now to safeguard the Oceans as a critical component of the Earth’s climate system.”

Browne continued: “The countries of COSIS are not seeking to rewrite laws; we are seeking clarity on existing ones. SIDS cannot sit idly, while our countries sink beneath our feet or are crippled by a burden of debt, as we are left – abandoned by the international system – to rebuild within our own limited means, one disaster after another.”

Browne stated that COSIS members have given their full support to Vanuatu who is seeking an Advisory Opinion from the International Court of Justice, on the obligations of states with respect to climate change.

As world leaders prepare to meet in Dubai for the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), Browne said it is crucial for a decision to be made to save our planet. -LOOP

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