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Prime Minister Gaston Browne Opens 55th OAS General Assembly with Powerful Call for Collective Action, Peace, and Regional Transformation
JABBERWOCK – ST. JOHN’S, Antigua and Barbuda – June 25, 2025…..In a landmark address that set the tone for the 55th Regular Session of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), Prime Minister the Honourable Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda called on the nations of the Americas to reject isolationism and embrace unity, empathy, and bold multilateralism in tackling the region’s most pressing crises.
Addressing high-level delegates and dignitaries from across the hemisphere at the AUA Convention Centre in Antigua, Prime Minister Browne emphasized that the Assembly is not a ceremonial gathering, but a necessary and urgent forum for collective action in the face of overlapping global and regional threats.
“This Assembly is not a mere formality—it is an imperative,” he stated. “At a moment when multiple crises confront each of us and all of us, we cannot afford isolationism or narrow nationalism.”
With rising tensions in the global order, Prime Minister Browne stressed the importance of international cooperation, not rivalry.
He urged large economies to work in partnership with Latin America and the Caribbean to drive inclusive trade, technology transfer, and infrastructure development—rejecting zero-sum approaches that treat the hemisphere as a battleground for influence.
Prime Minister Browne also issued a dire warning about the existential threat of climate change, especially to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) like Antigua and Barbuda.
He painted a vivid picture of the potential devastation that unchecked warming could inflict on the Caribbean’s culture, economy, and very geography.
“We are fighting climate change unrelentingly. We are fighting for our homeland, for our civilization, for our very soul.”
He called for deep cuts in emissions, massive investments in renewable energy and resilient infrastructure, and urgent climate finance from the world’s biggest polluters.
Following through on a theme developed earlier in the day during a side event to the Assembly, Prime Minister Browne underscored the historic importance of the OAS resolution on “Addressing the Critical Mental Health Crisis in the Americas”, which Antigua and Barbuda proudly led.
He revealed shocking statistics: 16 million adolescents suffer from mental disorders, and over 10 youth suicides occur daily in the region.
“Mental illness is no abstraction—it drives untold human suffering and exacts a profound economic toll,” he said.
“By investing just 5% of our health budgets in mental health, we can avert far greater costs in human lives and economic loss.”
He called on leaders to banish stigma, ensure mental health is treated equally with physical health, and prioritize community-based interventions.
On the issue of organized crime, migration and guns, the Prime Minister condemned the spread of transnational organized crime, illegal firearms trafficking, and the escalating humanitarian crisis in Haiti, where gang violence has displaced more than 1 million people.
He called for tougher import/export controls and collective enforcement to halt the flow of weapons and reduce the burden on law enforcement and vulnerable communities.
He also urged the OAS to strengthen regional coordination on migration, ensuring host countries can uphold human dignity and provide durable solutions, while addressing the root causes of displacement.
Meanwhile, amid growing threats to democracy and the spread of disinformation, Prime Minister Browne defended the relevance and necessity of the OAS as the region’s premier democratic institution.
“Without this Institution, we would lose the only hemispheric forum where democracies convene to defend human rights, consolidate peace, and pursue shared prosperity.”
He praised the election of Secretary General Albert Ramdin, the first CARICOM national to lead the OAS, and urged member states to provide the resources necessary to empower the Secretariat to meet today’s complex demands—from cybersecurity to drug trafficking.
In looking to the future, Prime Minister Browne proposed a bold new hemispheric initiative—“A Bridge to Prosperity”—to unlock the region’s potential through infrastructure, digital connectivity, and trade liberalization.
He called on governments, civil society, business leaders, and labour organizations to partner with the OAS to realize the Americas’ untapped power as a global economic force.
In conclusion, Prime Minister Browne called for deliberations to “ignite a new era of cooperation, shared responsibility, and mutual respect,”. “Above all, let us empower this Organization—our unique hemispheric forum—to uplift every citizen of the Americas,” Prime Minister Browne concluded
With over 2,000 delegates gathered in Antigua and Barbuda for the first-ever hosting of the OAS General Assembly by the twin-island state, Prime Minister Browne’s opening remarks set a hopeful and ambitious course for the days ahead. (ENDS)
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PM Browne really show up strong—small island but big leadership on that global stage.
Love how Antigua holding space for big conversations. Dis history right yah now.
Antigua rise. Caribbean rise. We ready for real change.
Real leadership. Stand up for small island states. Stand up for the Caribbean.
I’m so proud of our Government lead by the Honorable Prime Minister Gaston Alphonso Browne. They have bring so much pride to our nation. Antigua and Barbuda is respected all over the Americas with the holding of this summit. I cannot imagine what and where Antigua would have been under a UPP government with Pringle as Prime Minister. I’m glad God saved us from that shame and disgrace. And to think that not too long ago they conspire with the russian lady to bring this government into a very disgraceful act of corruoption. So glad this government took the bull by the horn and tamed it. Not afraid to disclose its finances the PM published all the transactions of the sale of the Alfa Nero. These people will sink very low to the bottom in order to try and gain power. But God doesn’t sleep. And who God Bless let no man curse. Our Prime Minister is truly blessed. God Bless our Nation.
You think he knows that Ron Singh told everybody that he is paying for all these fineries and this big chance to show off with Chinese money?
You think that the Americans don’t know that? You think they don’t know that while his people do not have the basic necessities he is spending so much money to impress them?
Please tell him that these people are very upset that he is promoting the Chinese in their affairs. That is a very bad look. Very bad
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