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

Saturday, September 23, 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