🇬🇩Ingrid JacksonGrenada · UNGA 81 speech

Mr. President, distinguished heads of states and governments, Mr. Secretary-General, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen. Let me thank the government and people of Grenada for this privilege bestowed upon me. And thank Grenada's visionary Prime Minister, honorable Deacon Mitchell for the trust. Grenada congratulates you, mister president, as president of the eighty-first session of the General Assembly. And we thank the former president, Annelina Burbach. Mister President, One year ago, standing at this very podium, the Prime Minister of Grenada addressed this General Assembly not only as a head of government, but as a proud son of the Caribbean. He reminded us that our region continues to literally and figuratively weather storms, yet continues to rise with resilience, dignity, and hope. Today, as I stand before you representing the people of Grenada, I speak of transformation because resilience alone is no longer enough. Our task cannot simply be to survive one crisis after another. We must transform the conditions that make people vulnerable in the first place. We must renew our global systems, strengthen our multilateral partnerships, and summon the collective will necessary to build a world worthy of the next generation. And that transformation must begin with people. Mr. President, Grenada joins CARICOM in calling for the timely renewal of the mandate of the Gang Suppression Force, its full and rapid deployment in close partnership with the Haitian National Police, and the provision of the personnel, financing, equipment, and logistical support necessary for it to fulfill its mandate effectively with appropriate human rights safeguards. These security efforts are essential to creating the conditions for credible, free, fair, and inclusive Haitian-led elections, the strengthening of national institutions, and the restoration of constitutional governance. Haiti is not a failed state. Haiti represents a promise yet to be fulfilled. It is a promise to the Haitian people that the international community must honor, not with pity, but with purpose, not temporarily, but sustainably. And even as we respond to the security crisis, humanitarian assistance must remain at the center of our efforts. Mr. President. Grenada remains deeply concerned about the continuing hardship endured by the Cuban people. Our humanitarian conscience cannot be indifferent to the circumstances of ordinary households, particularly children, the elderly, and other vulnerable persons, whose difficulty deepen with each passing day that the present impasse remains unresolved. We call for constructive engagement that places the well-being of the Cuban people at its center and opens a path toward meaningful relief, improved living conditions, and renewed opportunities. This requires Cuba and the United States of America to address the very difficult but not insurmountable challenges of ending of sanctions, the removal of the embargo and blockade against the Cuban people. And importantly, the necessary reforms required to ensure the continued well-being of the Cuban people. Some of such reforms, Grenada notes are already being undertaken. Mr. President, as we speak of transforming our multilateral system, we must also ensure that its leadership reflects the diversity, experience, and aspirations of the people it serves. Grenada therefore proudly joins the CARICOM family in giving or unequivocal support to the candidacy of Ambassador Carolyn Rodriguez Bickett of Guyana for the position of Secretary General of the United Nations. CARICOM heads of government have endorsed her as the region's candidate. recognizing the experience and leadership she brings to this important moment for global multilateralism. Her distinguished service as Guyana's foreign minister and permanent representative to the United Nations has demonstrated a deep commitment to diplomacy, dialogue, and international cooperation. The Caribbean has long demonstrated that size does not determine the strength of our ideas, the quality of our leadership, or the values of our contribution to the international community. We believe Ambassador Rodriguez Bocket is eminently qualified to serve the entire United Nations membership. Her election would represent a historic milestone for Caribbean region and a powerful affirmation that every region including small island developing states can contribute to leadership at the highest level of a multilateral system. Mister President, We meet at a time of significant global transformation. The challenges before us are complex, but they also present an opportunity to renew our commitment to cooperation and create practical solutions that improve the lives of our people. The theme of this session, Restoring Trust, Managing transformation, a United Nations that delivers for all, challenges us to move beyond declaration towards delivery. For Grenada, removing trust means demonstrating through our actions that international cooperation produces results. It means listening to one another. It means respecting the voices of small states as much as those of large ones. It means building genuine partnership. And it means ensuring that every country has the opportunity to pursue its legitimate development aspirations. Grenada approaches this general assembly in a spirit of partnership, optimism, and constructive engagement. We remain firmly committed to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, international law, peaceful dialogue, and the peaceful settlement of dispute. In an increasingly interconnected world, cooperation is not merely desirable, it is indispensable. Mr. President, The transformation we advocate internationally must also take place at home. Grenada is advancing an ambitious long-term road map towards our 75th anniversary of independence. Anchored in our national sustainable development plan of 2020 to 2035, vision 75 charts a transformational course for our nation. Rooted in sustainability, resilience, equity, and opportunity. At the heart of Vision 75 are five strategic pillars: education and skill training, healthcare, agriculture and food security, the environment and energy, and housing. These are not simply sectors of government policy. They are investment in people. We are investing in health and wellness, education and skills, food security, renewable energy, digital innovation, and environmental sustainability. We are creating greater opportunities for young people and preparing them not simply for the jobs that exist today, but for the industry they will define tomorrow. For Grenada, transformation must always be people-centered. It means building resilience while creating opportunities, expanding our economy while protecting our environment, and embracing technology while safeguarding humanity. Mr. President, as a small island developing state, Grenada understands resilience. But experience has also taught us that resilience cannot begin after disaster strikes. We must invest before the storm, prepare before the emergency bill, before the damage is done, and finance resilience before countries are forced to borrow simply to rebuild what they have lost. This requires Greater international cooperation in climate adaptation, disaster preparedness, resilient infrastructure, and accessible financing. Small island developing states should not be viewed simply as victims of climate change. We are also laboratories of resilience. Climate action remains one of the areas in which collective effort can make a profound difference. Grenada remains committed to strengthening resilience and advancing sustainable and low carbon development. But ambition without implementation is merely aspiration. For vulnerable countries, climate commitments must be accompanied by reliable access to the resources required to deliver them. Climate financing must become more accessible, predictable, and responsive. Our objective should not simply be to help vulnerable countries recover from the next disaster. Our objective must be to transform vulnerability into resilience and resilience into sustainable opportunity. Mr. President, this transformation must also take place in the international financial system. Grenada welcomes growing recognition that development and vulnerability cannot be accessed by income alone. The Multidimensional Vulnerability Index offers an important opportunity to better recognize the structural circumstances of small island developing states. Our vulnerabilities are shaped by exposure to climate change, natural disasters, external economic shocks, and other circumstances that cannot adequately be captured through income per capita. Grenada, therefore, encourages Member States, development partners and international financial institutions to advance vulnerability-informed approaches to development financing. Greater access to concessional financing, climate finance, disaster risk financing, and innovative financial instruments can help countries move from vulnerability to resilience and from recovery to sustainable growth. Mr. President, at the center of all of this must be our young people. Their creativity, energy, and ideas are among our greatest national and global assets. Our responsibility is to give them the education, skills, technology, and opportunities necessary to shape the world they will inherit. Digital transformation and emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, offer enormous possibilities for education, healthcare, agriculture, public administration, and economic development. But access must be equitable. The technology shaping humanity's future must not create another divide between those countries that can afford to innovate and those that cannot. and access alone will not be enough. As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in our economies and societies, we must develop credible AI governance frameworks that encourage innovation while protecting people, privacy, security, democratic values, and public trust. Technology must remain a tool for human development, not a replacement for human responsibility. We must prepare young people not only to use new technologies, but to question them, govern them, and deploy them ethically. Mr. President, Grenada approaches the future with confidence. We recognize the challenges before us, but we also see enormous possibilities. Our Vision 75 embodies our determination to build a stronger, healthier, a more resilient and more prosperous Grenada. Our commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals reflects our belief in shared global progress, and our engagement in this United Nations reflects our conviction that partnership remains one of humanity's greatest sources of strength. But partnership must deliver. So let this Assembly send a clear message. Let us restore hope in Haiti. Let us protect children and civilians wherever conflict threatens their lives. Let us choose dialogue over division. Let us allow cooperation with Cuba and with all nations to be guided by the interests and well-being of people. Let us ensure that small island developing states have fair access to the financing necessary to build resilience before disaster strikes. Let us equip our young people. to lead the technological transformation rather than become casualties of it. Let us protect our oceans and our planet, and let us transform our multilateral institutions so that they deliver not simply promises, but progress. The measure of this United Nations cannot only be the resolutions we adopt. It must be the lives we improve, the children we protect, the conflict we help prevent, the opportunities we create, and the hope we restore. Mr. President, Grenada stands ready to work with all member states and the international partners in advancing a future that is peaceful, resilient, inclusive, and sustainable. One year ago, Grenada came before this assembly with a message about resilience and education. Today, we build upon that message. Resilience gives us the strength to endure. Transformation gives us the power to change. Partnership gives us the ability to do both. Together, through renewed trust and genuine partnership, We can build a United Nation that delivers, a United Nation that protects, a United Nations that listens, a United Nation that acts, and ultimately, a world in which no country, no community, and no person is left behind. May God bless the United Nations. I thank you, Mr. President.