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Antigua and Barbuda and Other Developing Countries Won’t Meet UN Goals Due to Lack of Support, PM Says
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Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne has warned that most developing nations are unlikely to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the 2030 deadline, citing a persistent lack of financial support.
Speaking on his weekly Pointe FM programme on Saturday, Browne pointed to systemic inequalities in global development financing that disadvantage small island developing states (SIDS).
He said many nations, including Antigua and Barbuda, are being excluded from much-needed assistance due to outdated eligibility criteria based on per capita income.
“If they had the support in terms of climate financing and finance for development, they would have been far advanced,” he said. “Perhaps they would have been on target to achieve the sustainable development goals.”
Browne, who co-chaired a United Nations expert panel that developed the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI), argued that vulnerability—not just income—should be a key factor in determining access to aid.
“You have to take into consideration the vulnerability of these countries and the lack of resilience,” he said, noting how natural disasters such as hurricanes can shut down entire economies overnight.
He cited the example of Hurricane Luis, which devastated Antigua and Barbuda in 1995, and Hurricane Maria, which struck Dominica in 2017 and from which the country “has not fully recovered up to now.”
Browne described as “backward-looking” the notion that countries like Antigua and Barbuda are too wealthy to qualify for concessional loans or grants, particularly during times of crisis. “At a time of distress, there’s no revenue. That is when we require the international community to step in,” he said.
He called for broader use of the MVI to supplement gross national income (GNI) when assessing development needs, adding that climate finance should be made available without conditionalities.
Browne also praised Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s Bridgetown Initiative, which calls for reform of the global financial system to better support vulnerable countries.
His remarks come as world leaders prepare to assess progress towards the SDGs at international forums, with growing recognition that financial reform will be critical to closing the gap.
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