UNGA: Speech by the Premier of Grenada

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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.

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