United Nations, September 23 (RHC)-- Grenada's Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell addressed the fourth day of the 78th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York City, United States.

During his speech, the premier reflected on the context of the pandemic and the resilience of the Grenadian people, and in that sense, he stressed the importance of international cooperation, the sharing of resources, information and continuous dialogue through the UN.

"We continue to live in a world and a context where our citizens continue to suffer from hunger, poverty, gender-based violence, climate disaster, and other problems that affect our planet and, above all, that has to do with the aspirations of achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)," he stressed.

Likewise, he urged the UN to unite and respond to crises with the utmost urgency through multilateral efforts and collaborations, so that everyone helps their fellow citizens when in need.

The Grenadian prime minister referred to climate action and stated that "a climate disaster of some kind is likely to occur in one or more of the member states and will have devastating effects on our citizens, our economies and will inevitably affect the development situation and progress of the country in question".

He also called for a special effort in climate action and justice for those on the front lines of the crisis and demanded the need for urgent efforts to address financing and tackle climate change efforts.  "States that contribute the least to the climate crisis bear the highest burden and without immediate and deep cuts in emissions across the board, I fear we are headed down a path of worse outcomes if we don't take meaningful action now," he said.

The Grenadian leader called for Latin America and the Caribbean to remain a Zone of Peace and reiterated the call for the elimination of the economic and financial blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba. 

He also requested that Cuba be removed from the list of countries sponsoring terrorism.  With respect to Venezuela, he reiterated the call to end the imposition of unilateral coercive measures contrary to the norms and principles of international law and the UN Charter.

The prime minister of Grenada expressed concern about the situation in Haiti and the state of violence, and asked for support in security and humanitarian needs to counteract armed gangs. In this regard, he said that the support of the Security Council is expected as a demonstration of commitment.