Prime Minister Thomas, his St, Lucian counterpart, Stevenson King, his
Belizean colleague Dean Barrow and CARICOM Secretary General Edwin
Carrington were among a number of Caribbean delegates attending the
first day of the three day meeting in New York on Wednesday.
The Grenadian leader joined the Belizean Prime Minister, who spoke on
behalf of Caricon, in outlining the difficulties the crisis presented
to their respective countries, the region and other small islands
states, and challenged the UN to come up with a coordinated,
structured programme for recovery.
“Indeed the very survival of my country, Grenada, and the other
Caribbean Small Island states are particularly threatened due to
economic fragility, as we are already experiencing the harmful effects
of this crisis,” Prime Minister Thomas told the General Assembly.
He said the meeting was important as it provided an opportunity to
“raise our collective understanding of the impacts of this multi
dimensional crisis and contribute in the fashioning of a global
response, with well coordinated and inclusive policies and actions at
the global, regional and national levels.”
Mr. Thomas said the fact that the full impact of the crisis has not yet
been felt in the region has led to real anxiety, that the social and
economic gains made over the past two decades can be eroded and
replaced by a period of widespread poverty, particularly with expected
continued declines in tourism, remittances and the onset of the 2009
Hurricane season.
He reiterated his call for a new financial architecture with a stronger
regulatory framework and better surveillance and monitoring mechanisms
to identify economic and financial threats on the horizon in order to
protect our global societies and secure a better future.
“This new approach must address the fundamental imbalances in the
global economy. In the face of the real and imminent dangers facing the
world, multilateral institutions must play a leading role in helping
small, open and highly indebted countries, such as Grenada, to cope
with the present and unfolding crisis,” the Prime Minister said.
The Grenadian leader who has been championing the issues surrounding
climate change in the international community, also took the
opportunity to bring the subject to the attention of the General
Assembly.
“We are uniquely vulnerable and do require special attention. We hope
that as the United Nations respond to these crises, with among other
measures, a massive global fiscal stimulus, a large portion will be
invested in creating green jobs and spur green growth,” the Prime
Minister declared, noting that these measures will protect the
environment for generations to come.
The conference ends on Friday.
Richard Simon reports from New York
