PM Holness goes to bat for $100b climate financing, Haiti, war on gangs.
Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness has issued a bold challenge to developed nations to honor their pledge of delivering $100 billion in climate financing.
Delivering the national statement at the United Nations General Assembly debate on Friday afternoon, Dr. Holness warned that failure to act threatens not only global trust, but the future of climate vulnerable nations.
Dr. Holness said as small island developing states (SIDS) continue to grapple with the devastating effects of adverse climate-related events, resource constraints significantly cripple the efforts being made to build resilience.
“The Loss and Damage Fund established at COP28 was historic, yet its initial capitalization of $800 million is grossly inadequate. Developed countries must honor their commitments and scale up climate finance, recognizing that adaptation is a necessity for the survival of small island developing states,” he stressed.
He argued that the global financing system remains fundamentally flawed, noting that it “penalizes reforming economies like Jamaica with high borrowing costs while ignoring our vulnerabilities”.
“Through sacrifice, discipline and sound management, Jamaica has reduced its debt to GDP ratio from 144% to now 62%,” he pointed out. “Yet we remain locked out of concessional financing because of outdated metrics based solely on per capita income.”
Dr. Holness urged advanced economies to consider more modern financing policies that also favor SIDS.
“Jamaica supports the application of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index that more accurately assesses countries’ development needs and their eligibility for concessional financing. Jamaica also strongly supports innovative financing mechanisms including debt for climate swaps, debt for nature swaps and blended finance instruments that can unlock private sector investments in sustainable development projects while reducing debt burden,” suggested the Prime Minister.
He also used the platform to call for fairness in multilateralism, arguing that Cuba should be able to participate in the global economy.
Meanwhile, Dr. Holness, who is also chair of CARICOM, called for a united effort to rid Haiti of political and humanitarian instability.
Describing the situation in Haiti as dire, he said the country’s recovery requires sustained global support.
“As we contemplate next steps, we urge member states, especially those in the Security Council, to operationalize the recommendations made by the Secretary-General for a transition to a more robust hybrid mechanism to deal with the situation in Haiti. We call on member states to provide the necessary financial and logistic support to ensure the success of this initiative.
“But security operations alone will not suffice. Haiti’s governance deficit and fragile institutional framework must be addressed. Once stability is restored, the international community must help rebuild the democratic institution, ensure free and fair elections, expand humanitarian relief and invest in infrastructure to support long-term stability,” he charged.
The UN backed Kenya-led multinational security support mission has struggled as funding for the effort hangs in the balance with financial commitments from countries like the US uncertain.
Dr. Holness called for a global war on gangs, proposing a “coordinated international campaign to cut off the flow of weapons, money and the influence that sustains them”.
“This requires deeper engagement from all member states. We urge full implementation of the UN program of action on small arms and light weapons and international tracing instruments. Major arms exporting countries must tighten export control, strengthen end use monitoring and ensure rigorous post-delivery verification,” he demanded.
Photo: Prime Minister Andrew Holness