UNGA: Speech by the Premier of Grenada
Remarks by the Prime Minister of Grenada Dickon Mitchell, in the context of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly
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00:00Assembly.
00:16Mr. President, members of the assembly, guests, and friends.
00:23Thank you for the opportunity to address this assembly.
00:30It is my honor to speak to you as the Prime Minister of Grenada and the Chair of the Caribbean
00:35Community, CARICA. Mr. President, before I get into the core of my remarks,
00:44allow me to draw to your attention two hemispheric issues that require the attention of this assembly.
00:51The first issue is that Cuba continues to face severe economic hardships.
01:02While Grenada and CARICA welcome the United States' decision to remove Cuba from its list
01:12of states not cooperating fully in the fight against terrorism,
01:18CARICA remains on the American list of state sponsors of terrorism,
01:26and the U.S. blockade remains in place.
01:31CARICA is deeply troubled that the Cuban people have been forced to endure this 60-year imposition
01:40which serves no constructive purpose and continues to harm the people of Cuba.
01:48We reiterate our call for the removal of Cuba from that list and the end of the blockade.
01:58Secondly, there is an urgent humanitarian crisis in Haiti
02:06marked by acute food insecurity and a challenging security situation.
02:13We are grateful to Belize and Jamaica for sending security personnel to support the Kenyan troops,
02:23but the funding of the multinational security support mission remains critical.
02:30We are deeply interested in the United States' proposal to transition this mission
02:37into a formal United Nations peacekeeping operation.
02:44But regardless of the approach, we call on the international community to do its part
02:51to support the MSS mission and to alleviate the humanitarian crisis,
02:59especially by helping Haitian children's access to education.
03:04Haitians understand that the future of their country begins with investing in their youth.
03:15Thank you for consideration of these two important matters.
03:23Mr. President, my message today is simple.
03:29It can be summed up in one word – resilience.
03:39It is a trendy term, I realize, but for 16 million people in the Caribbean community,
03:50resilience is not merely a buzzword.
03:54Resilience is not merely a buzzword. It is the definition of daily life.
04:06Resilience resonates in our core as Caribbean people,
04:13making the most of tough circumstances and finding new ways to not only survive,
04:21but to thrive.
04:25So today, I want to speak about resilience in the face of climate change,
04:33paths to economic resilience, and the role of education in ensuring both.
04:43I will conclude by speaking about what Grenada and our fellow CARICOM nations
04:51are looking for in terms of international cooperation, but also what we bring to the table
05:00in return.
05:04Mr. President, the notion of resilience is not just a policy goal for me.
05:13It is deeply personal.
05:15And I tell you the story that you are about to hear,
05:20not because it is unique, but because, at its heart,
05:28it is an experience that has been shared among so many of us in Grenada and the Caribbean.
05:36I was born in 1977 in a small hillside village in the parish of St. David in Grenada.
05:51Most households, including my own, did not have running water or electricity.
05:59We would walk to the public standpipe to fetch water in buckets.
06:08In my small agricultural community, the people I lived with worked the land
06:15or took up domestic work in town.
06:20At the time, that was common in Grenada.
06:24We were an agricultural island.
06:26We lived modest lives built on hard work, community, and a sense of determination.
06:37But when I was quite young, that began to change.
06:41In 1979, Grenada experienced a political revolution that brought many changes.
06:50Education became a focus.
06:54So did tourism.
06:57Then, in 1983, when I was only six years old,
07:04the revolution came to a violent end and we were thrust into the spotlight of global politics
07:11because of American intervention.
07:17It was a dividing line in our shared history and in mines.
07:25My 1983 revolution was not the end of the revolution.
07:31It was the beginning of a new era for all of us.
07:36By 1989, both my parents had left the island to pursue opportunities overseas.
07:47My aunt helped to raise my siblings and me.
07:52In the years that followed, I continued my education.
07:56At that time in Grenada, education was not state-funded after age 16.
08:05So to continue my studies, I had to hustle.
08:10I had to develop entrepreneurial skills.
08:14I collected spice in the hills and I sold it.
08:19Many of the kids in my village did the same.
08:22Those were frugal years and I had to be disciplined.
08:28Once I finished my A-Levels, I returned to teach at my high school,
08:36much to the amusement of my friends, many of whom were still attending high school there.
08:45But this role helped me to save for the next step in my educational journey.
08:49Law school in the islands of Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago.
08:56So within a few years, I became a lawyer in Grenada with my own practice,
09:04serving clients locally and internationally.
09:12My personal resilience was not limited to my family.
09:16My personal resilience in the face of the many difficulties that crossed my path over the years
09:24allowed me to achieve the dream I sought.
09:30Finally, I was in a position to give back to my community.
09:39But Mr. President, there is a limit to resilience.
09:46In 2020, something happened that none of us in this Assembly were prepared for.
09:56As the COVID-19 pandemic began to take root in Grenada,
10:03I could see the strain on many of our people.
10:09We could see the glaring inadequacies of the systems and policies that were in place
10:14that were in place to support us.
10:18I saw the tension between the government's decisions and the needs of the people.
10:25And so I could no longer stay on the sidelines.
10:31For months, I met with people who felt the same way I did,
10:37hoping to find ways to help our communities adapt to the challenges.
10:45But eventually, I realized that no matter how much we try to support change from the outside,
10:56real and meaningful transformation had to come from within.
11:04So it was at this moment that I decided to run for office.
11:08But it was not an easy decision.
11:11But I was driven by the belief that leadership means listening,
11:17adapting, and being willing to step up when your people need you.
11:25And so now, as Prime Minister, I am determined to ensure that the resilience I learned
11:33becomes a cornerstone of Grenada's future and the future of the wider Caribbean.
11:43Mr. President, that means developing resilient minds.
11:49And so a major priority for me is ensuring that children in Grenada
11:55have the opportunity to learn, to step up, and to be a part of the future of Grenada.
12:03Study and to realize their full potential.
12:09Because after all, it was education that took me from a small village to where I stand today,
12:19addressing you at the United Nations General Assembly.
12:27And it is education that will empower the next generation of leaders, thinkers,
12:33and dreamers, who I am sure will go on to achieve even more.
12:43So in Grenada, we are working to ensure that every child has access to free education
12:49up to the age of 18. This is because we understand that our greatest asset is our people.
13:00For small nations like ours, the path to resilience lies in unlocking the potential
13:06of our young people. But it is not just about traditional education.
13:15It is about preparing them for a digital and technological future.
13:19We need to ensure that they have access to digital education,
13:25to skills training, and the tools they need to compete in the global economy.
13:34Digital education and digitization more broadly is a priority for our government because we know
13:43that if we want to achieve our goals, we need to be able to do it.
13:49If we want to build future resilience in the next generation of young people,
13:55we need to prepare them with the relevant training now.
14:08So at a time where it is possible to work in any market in the world, from anywhere in the world,
14:16digitization means that young people in the Caribbean have just as much potential access
14:22to global opportunities as their peers in Europe or North America,
14:29and with the added benefits of year-round sunshine.
14:36So digitization for Grenadians represents the democratization of opportunity.
14:42The democratization of opportunity.
14:47And this is where international cooperation is crucial.
14:53By bridging the digital divide, we can empower our young people to create solutions
15:00that will help not only Grenada, but the entire world move forward into a stronger,
15:07more sustainable, and more resilient future.
15:14We have become experts at resilience in the Caribbean because that is the Caribbean's reality.
15:25In Grenada, our resilience has been continually tested.
15:30One of our most challenging moments in recent history came in 2004,
15:37when Hurricane Ivan devastated the island, leaving destruction in its wake
15:44and forcing us to rebuild from the ground up.
15:48Less than one year later, we were struck by Hurricane Emily.
15:54We were struck by Hurricane Emily.
15:59And so we borrowed heavily, and
16:03we
16:21asked the international community to step up and support our efforts.
16:27We are asking for more than just financial aid.
16:30We are looking for partnerships where we can work together on climate adaptation.
16:36Because we believe the resilience we are building today,
16:41through technology, through innovation, through partnerships, can serve as a model for others.
16:49My friends, we are a living lab on the front lines of global climatic challenge.
17:06Let us help you.
17:10To paraphrase a famous tourism slogan,
17:13what happens in Grenada does not just stay in Grenada.
17:20The lessons we are learning can help nations facing their own climate crises,
17:26from wildfires in Canada to flooding in Europe.
17:32Join us in testing ideas and technologies that can make a difference beyond Grenada.
17:39So, in concluding, Mr. President, friends, colleagues,
17:50resilience is not something that can be built overnight.
17:57It requires partnerships, innovation, and a shared commitment to a better future.
18:04Today, I invite the international community to join us.
18:11We are asking for the $100 billion promised to support climate adaptation and mitigation
18:18to be met.
18:21Partnership, in our case, requires collaboration, not compromise.
18:28Partnership, in our case, requires concrete financial support to help us rebuild with
18:36greater resilience.
18:39But beyond that, we are also inviting the international community to partner with us
18:46so that we can share our experiences and learn from one another.
18:51In return, we offer our lessons in resilience.
18:57We offer the knowledge that comes from living with and dealing with the worst of climate
19:04change, from building back after devastation, and from finding innovative policies and programs
19:14to secure a digital future.
19:15Grenada, Caricom, stand ready to share these lessons with the world, because, my friends,
19:33resilience is not just about surviving a storm.
19:37It is about ensuring that, together, we emerge from it stronger, more united, and more understanding
19:46of each other than ever before.
19:50Mr. President, I thank you for the opportunity to address this August assembly.