YouSaid · the spoken record

Charles Angelo Savarin

lines on the record: 86
first: 2014-09-24
most recent: 2023-09-24
sittings or episodes: 4
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“To help us to overcome that potential challenge, in 2018 the Government established an execution agency to enable Dominica to develop its Climate Resilience Recovery Plan, coordinate reconstruction work and facilitate the smooth and efficient implementation of projects. My Government is most appreciative of the support provided by the bilateral partners who worked with us in setting up the execution agency, and we are especially grateful to the British Government, operating through the Department for International Development, to Canada and to the World Bank for their support in its establishment and operation. Dominica is by any measure an insignificant contributor to greenhouse-gas emissions. Notwithstanding that, we believe our actions must match the spirit of the climate conventions we have signed.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“The targets, and our plans to achieve them, are articulated in greater detail and precision in the sector strategies. The strategy is a live document that will be adjusted and updated every four years, based on annual monitoring and evaluation exercises and on data emerging from new studies and surveys. Following Hurricane Maria, which caused damage and loss estimated at 226 per cent of our gross domestic product, urgent priority was assigned to rebuilding the country and to building back better. However, experience had taught us that a new approach to project management and implementation had to be adopted if our intended targets were to be met in a timely manner.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“We applaud the leadership shown by the Government of the United Kingdom in assisting countries such as Dominica in building greater resilience to the effects of climate change. We thank the nations that have recently committed to doubling their pledges and increasing contributions to the Green Climate Fund, as well as to making further resources available to small island developing States to help us adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change. However, the issues of accessibility and timely disbursement of funds must be addressed if our urgent needs are to be met. In pursuit of its vision of becoming the world’s first climate-resilient nation, we have prepared a national resilience development strategy, which is a broad framework providing a road map and guidelines to enable Dominica to reach climate resilience by 2030.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Soon the phenomenon of climate refugees will also be a new norm. Then there is the problem of forest fires, not just in Brazil and the Amazon but here in the United States, in Europe and in the Far East. When fire strikes a neighbourhood, we do not hold a meeting to determine whether our neighbours are insured. We call out the fire brigade. That is what we need now — urgent action. Our planet is on fire and we must take immediate steps to quell it. Dominica reaffirms its commitment to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and once again pleads for the resources pledged to be released, so that we can implement actions designed to reduce risks and mitigate the impacts of climate change.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“As experts predicted, such tropical storms are becoming more frequent and more intense, and sea temperatures are rising. What they did not predict is that a storm of such ferocity could virtually sit over an island, wreaking incalculable havoc for some 40 hours. We are left with no choice but to accept that category 5 hurricanes may become the new norm. We therefore have to go back to the drawing board to reassess national approaches to risk mitigation and disaster preparedness. It is not only on small island States, however, that climate change is having an impact. We are seeing heart-wrenching reports and disturbing images of flooded cities and severe droughts that are driving millions from their traditional homes and occupations. The results are homelessness, starvation and mental anguish.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Despite the commitments they have made to take action to slow the rate of global warming, too many countries continue to pursue the same policies that are contributing to nature’s angry response to our overindulgence and reckless exploitation of our planet’s resources. If the devastating effects of Hurricanes Irma and Maria did not convince us in 2017, we can look to the calamity of Hurricane Dorian in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas just a few weeks ago. Dominica stands in solidarity with the people of Abaco and Grand Bahama, two of the island communities of the Bahamas archipelago whose lives and livelihoods have been devastated by the destructive forces of the category 5 Hurricane Dorian, which inflicted total destruction and considerable loss of life.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“For many island States, and particularly the smallest, the message being sent is that rising sea levels, violent tropical storms and hurricanes, periods of severe drought alternating with floods and forest fires, new plant diseases, and vector-borne diseases such as chikungunya and Zika present an existential threat. The time for action is now. Competent scientific authorities are now advising that the rate of global warming is progressing faster than was originally believed. The effects of climate change are cross-cutting, affecting every sector and every facet of life on earth.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“One of the deficiencies of the international system is the long gestation period between pledges and commitments and the delivery on those promises. We urge those who have pledged to support us in creating this new, climate-resilient nation to deliver. Time is of the essence. As we meet, more and more evidence is emerging that a new chapter is being written by the forces of nature, and the evidence is right before our eyes. That chapter speaks to the catastrophic effects of climate change, and as we are deliberating this week, many countries are reeling from its devastating effects.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“The rivers and watercourses have been dredged and the greenery has returned to our hills, valleys and mountains. Practically everyone visiting Dominica in recent times has described the country’s transformation after Maria as miraculous, and indeed it is. But we acknowledge that we have not done it alone. We are doing it together. The global community, including non-governmental organizations and faith-based organizations, many of which are still hard at work in Dominica as I speak, is playing its part. All of Dominica says thanks, and we recognize that we owe the global community an everlasting debt of gratitude. We also hasten to say that the task is far from complete. Building resilience is a momentous and expensive task.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Roosevelt Skerrit, stood at this rostrum a mere five days later to address the Assembly and indicated his resolve to set Dominica on a path to becoming the first climate-resilient nation in the world. Our Climate Resilience Recovery Plan is nearing completion, our new implementing agency is fully operational and the work of building resilience has begun. Thousands of homes have been repaired or rebuilt and hundreds more are contracted to be built. New resilient housing units are being constructed all over the island. The public utilities have all been restored. All children have been back in school since January 2018, although some schools still have to be rebuilt. The road network has been vastly improved, and most of the damaged or destroyed bridges have been repaired or are being rebuilt to higher standards.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“As the smallest nation State ever to accomplish that historic feat, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines gives assurance to all small States that they too can sit as equals among much larger, richer and more powerful Member States and ensure that their voices are heard on matters affecting global interests and security. I want to convey my warmest greetings to everyone here from the grateful people of the Commonwealth of Dominica. We are profoundly thankful for all the attention and support from the Organization and its Member States and specialized agencies in the aftermath of the massive devastation inflicted on us by the category 5 Hurricane Maria in September 2017. Two years ago, when Dominica lay in ruins after being ravaged by Maria, our Prime Minister, Mr.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“I would first like to extend our sincere congratulations to President Muhammad-Bande on his appointment and to wish him a successful, satisfying and productive tenure. We live at a critical and defining moment in the history of our planet, and decisions and commitments made under this presidency will be as important as any made before in determining our collective stewardship of the planet and the quality of life of all for whom it is home. My delegation and I also recognize our fellow Caribbean Community (CARICOM) sister State, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and congratulate it on its election as a non-permanent member of the Security Council for the period from 2020 to 2022.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“That new configuration will allow for the development of SIDS through sustainable agriculture, tourism and inclusive industrial development. However, such efforts must be propelled by sustainable energy that maximizes the use of renewable SIDS-appropriate energy resources in the most energy efficient manner. Finally, I wish all participants in this sixty-ninth session every success in their deliberations.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Our ability to survive depends not only on the individual and collective actions taken by SIDS, but also on the actions of the rest of the international community. A legally binding outcome to the climate change negotiations is a critical component in a series of actions to be taken by Member States. That should be buttressed by a post-2015 agenda that includes poverty eradication, increased access to education and training, health care, potable water and sanitation, and promotes sustainable and inclusive economic development. The outcomes of the third United Nations Conference on SIDS in Samoa should serve as a blueprint for the growth and development of SIDS. That should include the restructuring of the international financial and trading architecture so that the vulnerabilities and special circumstances of SIDS are taken into account.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Such an approach would end the paralysis in the Security Council, thereby creating a real partnership among the United States, the Russian Federation and China and enabling the United Nations to fulfil its mandate to assist in conflict resolution, combat the greatest threats facing the world today, namely, armed conflict and terrorism, and create a more peaceful international community. In conclusion, I wish to reiterate to the General Assembly that the impact of climate change is a major threat to the development efforts and to the very existence of small island developing States. The incidence of severe weather conditions, including coastal erosion and sea-level rise, continues to impact island States in the worst ways possible.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The United Kingdom currently faces the question of Scottish independence. Once again, only last week on 18 September, the United Kingdom resorted to the ballot box to decide the matter. While the supporters of the campaign in favour of independence will be disappointed by the results, the real victors are not the supporters of the campaign for continued union with the United Kingdom but democracy itself. With that experience, the United Kingdom is uniquely placed to counsel the European Union, the United States, Kyiv and Moscow about how to grant the people of Ukraine the same opportunity to decide their destiny for themselves, according to their regional preferences and without coercion either from the East or from the West.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Our efforts in the region should be focused instead on combating the real threats to global peace and security. Similarly, the events unfolding in Ukraine are a proxy tug-of-war between the European Union and the United States, on the one hand, and the Russian Federation, on the other. The Ukrainian people are the victims of the contest, which is a throwback to the Cold War. The United Kingdom, when confronted with the question of Irish nationalism in 1918, resolved the matter through the ballot box with a county-by-county referendum on the future of Ireland. Most counties opted for independence, but five counties opted for continued union with the United Kingdom. Three years later, the island was partitioned into the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, the latter remaining part of the United Kingdom.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The embargo notwithstanding, the Cuban people continue to make a tremendous contribution to human development across the globe. For decades, Cuba has been training doctors, nurses, engineers and other professionals, deploying them to provide technical assistance to developing countries as part of its South- South cooperation. Cuba also offers professional training in various disciplines to thousands of students from all over the developing world. Cuba continues to add its voice in the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking in the Caribbean and the rest of the world. It is for that reason that Dominica fails to comprehend the continued listing of Cuba as a State sponsor of terrorism. We therefore call for the removal of Cuba from the list of countries that sponsor terrorism.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“That unilateral action by the United States of America against our sister Caribbean island, whatever the excuses might have been 55 years ago, cannot be justified today, nor can the suffering of our brothers and sisters in the Republic of Cuba, as a result of their exclusion for 55 years from the world banking and trading system, be defended. It is well established that, whatever the objectives were 55 years ago, they are not likely to be achieved through the continuation of the embargo. The Government of Dominica therefore calls on the United States to heed the call of the General Assembly to lift the embargo against Cuba and to support the full integration of the Cuban people into the global financial and trading systems.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Those policies should include, but not be limited to, a change in the criteria for the graduation of SIDS from preferential access to multilateral concessionary financing. The new criteria must take into account the inherent vulnerabilities of SIDS and the need for building resilience to the impact of climate change and the vagaries of the global financial, economic and trading systems. Therefore, any measure that inhibits any State Member of the United Nations family from becoming fully integrated into the global financial and trading system should be removed. In that vein, the economic embargo against our brothers and sisters in Cuba continues to be of concern to us in the Caribbean.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The creation of jobs and the delivery of social services should touch the lives of all our people, especially the indigenous people, the elderly, the disadvantaged, the disabled, the vulnerable, and those people who are excluded from mainstream society. The development of agriculture, tourism, the energy sector and industry should therefore be inclusive and sustainable. Dominica therefore joins the rest of the Caribbean Community in calling for development partners to conduct their macroeconomic and trade policies in a way that facilitates opportunities for SIDS to promote economic growth, shrink existing income gaps, reduce the levels of poverty and achieve their development aspirations.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Such natural disasters affect the daily lives of our people and significantly retard our efforts to bring about social and economic development. We therefore call on all States Members of the United Nations to take immediate actions to approve a legally binding agreement to reduce the impact of climate change. The climate change agenda must be an integral part of the post-2015 agenda. The creation of wealth and the generation of economic growth are essential for the eradication of poverty and the improvement of the quality of life of our people. However, economic growth and development should be inclusive and sustainable.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Within less than 12 hours, each of those countries suffered significant loss: Dominica — $17 million, or 3.4 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP); Saint Lucia — $19 million, or 1.4 per cent of GDP; and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines — $93 million, or 12.8 per cent. The indirect impacts, which include the loss of agricultural production and interruptions in other economic activities, such as tourism, would increase the overall effect significantly. The most devastating hurricane to hit Dominica in living memory was Hurricane David, on 29 August 1979, a category-5 hurricane that left the island devastated as if by war, resulting in 43 deaths and with all public utilities, infrastructure, 60 per cent of homes, roads and sea defences totally destroyed.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“A post-Ivan study conducted by the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States reported that: “The macro-economic assessment of the damages caused by Hurricane Ivan, which wreaked havoc on Grenada, inflicted damages totalling $1 billion, more than twice the value of that country’s GDP”. In more recent times, on 24 December 2013, a time outside the traditional hurricane season, the Caribbean islands of Dominica, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines were severely affected by a trough system that brought with it heavy rains and high winds. That slow-moving weather system left behind approximately $128 million worth of direct damage.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“According to a 2008 publication by the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Caribbean has the second-greatest risk of hurricanes in the world. The report also highlights the increased frequency of tropical cyclones in our region. The islands of the Caribbean are also prone to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, torrential rains with accompanying landslides and flash flooding. We in the Caribbean have therefore been on the receiving end of the impact of climate change for decades. A case in point is the impact of Hurricane Ivan, a category-3 system that devastated the island of Grenada on 7 September 2004. Hurricane Ivan exposed the vulnerability that is inherent in SIDS. Twenty- eight lives were lost and 18,000 people were left without shelter, food or belongings.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Additionally, the impact of climate change remains an existential threat to the people throughout the world who call small island States their homes. The location, level of development and vulnerability of our islands make them very susceptible to the impact of climate change. Very often, we refer to climate change and its effects as a phenomenon that is to impact our global community at some future date. The unfortunate reality is that SIDS have already been suffering from the impact of climate change. The increasing severity of storms and hurricanes is becoming more prevalent, and with every strike the extreme weather claims lives and threatens our development efforts.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We embrace all our development partners and look forward to the deepening and strengthening of our partnerships for the benefits of all our people. In spite of those achievements, we are a long way from where we aspire to be. The spectre of the deadly Ebola disease and the scourges of HIV/AIDS and non-communicable diseases has the potential to significantly impact our people and threaten the gains made so far by small island developing States. Therefore, that myriad of challenges calls for collective global action to protect the gains that small island States like Dominica have been able to achieve over the past two decades and to lay a path for development that is sustainable and people-focused.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Our partnerships with the European Union, the United States of America, Japan and other developed countries have all contributed significantly to the progress we have been able to make thus far. The recent approval by the World Bank of the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience, which will undertake a number of infrastructure projects designed to transform Dominica into a climate-resilient and low- carbon developing country and is expected, among other benefits, to positively impact agricultural productivity and food security in our rural communities. South-South cooperation with partners from developing countries, notably the People’s Republic of China, Cuba, Morocco and Venezuela, and from the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America, has been able to complement the decreasing assistance from traditional partners.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The first production and reinjection wells have been completed, and the results of the flow tests indicate that the geothermal reservoir has a capacity to generate sufficient electricity for domestic consumption and for export to the neighbouring French territories of Martinique and Guadeloupe. The first plant for purely domestic consumption is expected to be commissioned in 2016. Dominica’s development achievements in general, and the attainment of the MDGs in particular, have been realized through the strong, visionary and compassionate leadership of Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit and his Cabinet, complemented by our hard- working citizens and the kind cooperation of our development partners.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We therefore have much that we can share with the United Nations family on the subject of the sustainable use of natural resources. In our efforts to protect and ensure environmental sustainability and to rid our country of its reliance on fossil fuels for generating electricity, the Government of Dominica has invested, and continues to invest, in renewable energy. Today about 20 per cent of the island’s electricity needs are met from “clean” hydropower. Additionally, however, the Government has been pursuing the development of the country’s geothermal resources. To date, the Government has invested over $20 million in geothermal development.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Absolute poverty, as measured by the indigence rate, has also declined from 10 per cent in 2003 to 3.1 per cent in 2009.” Our achievements in education have also surpassed the targets set by the MDGs. Recognizing the importance of education to our development agenda, Dominica continues to make major investments in improving access to quality education for our people. To date, we can boast of universal access to education at the early childhood, primary and secondary levels, and access to post-secondary education is available to all secondary-school graduates. Dominica has always been guided by the principle of the sustainable use of its natural resources and the protection of its physical environment. For those reasons, Dominica has been called the “Nature Island of the Caribbean”.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Almost 15 years since the Millennium Declaration was adopted (resolution 55/2), only a few countries in the developing world have registered tangible gains. The majority continue to wait for the promised improvements in their living conditions. Nonetheless, Dominica has been able to meet most of the MDGs, notably in reducing poverty, improving access to education, ensuring environmental sustainability and building strong bilateral and multilateral partnerships. Our progress in poverty reduction has been noted by the Caribbean Development Bank, which stated in its 2009 report on Dominica that “the level of poverty in Dominica has fallen from 39 per cent in 2003 to 28.8 per cent in 2009.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Twenty of the 30 members of the Alliance of Small Island States have signed on to the treaty. As Chair of the SIDS DOCK Steering Committee, the Government of Dominica wishes to thank the host country, Samoa, the other Member States that are signatories to the treaty, our partners — Denmark, Japan, the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the Clinton Foundation, the secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme, the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre — and the SIDS DOCK secretariat and all the volunteers for making that historic event possible. Unfortunately, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the post-2015 agenda have not progressed at a pace that those of us in the SIDS group would have liked.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“223/3) to create a new basis on which to address the implementation gaps that continue to stymie any movement towards sustainable development in SIDS. I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate the Government and people of Samoa on hosting a major international conference. Their tenacity, determination and commitment are a demonstration of what can be achieved by SIDS, despite the many challenges they face. One major outcome of the Samoa Conference was the historic establishment of an all-SIDS — that is, SIDS- SIDS — initiative aimed at creating an international organization to serve as a platform for the development of sustainable energy in SIDS, known as SIDS DOCK. On 1 September, a treaty formally establishing SIDS DOCK as an international organization was opened for signature.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The OECS States are not simply small island developing States (SIDS), they are very small island developing States, and therefore among the most vulnerable members of the United Nations family. Twenty years after the adoption of the Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, and 10 years after the approval of the Mauritius Strategy for Implementation, most of the commitments made to promote sustainable development in SIDS have yet to be delivered. However, we remain hopeful that the recently concluded third United Nations Conference on Small Island Developing States, held in Apia, Samoa, will have been a watershed moment for SIDS. We expect the draft outcome document of the Conference (A/CONF.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“I would like to begin by congratulating His Excellency Mr. Sam Kutesa, former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Uganda, on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank His Excellency Mr. John Ashe for his leadership of the Assembly at its sixty-eighth session, and to salute Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his continued efforts to promote peace, security and development throughout the world. Dominica is among six small independent States in the Caribbean that, together with three non-independent small island territories, constitute the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)