CARICOM reiterates its stance on Sustainable Development Goals

CARICOM, the Caribbean community which is a collection of 15 nations in the region, has voiced its stance on Sustainable Development Goals once more. On Monday, CARICOM representatives made it a point to sow their support for the implementation of the SDGs or Sustainable Development Goals, as in accordance with the UN Mandate.

This Mandate has been set with 2030 as the target and requires certain measures to be taken, in order to fulfill its stipulations.

Dominica’s President Charles Savarin stated that CARICOM’s position is quite staunch and unwavering, as it has been for a long time.

While addressing the cream of the political forum on the SDG Summit at the United Nations, he stated that CARICOM has maintained its position on the path to achieving the goals set for 2030 and has spoken of the many hinderances faced at many debates and international negotiations in the past as well.

“We firmly believe that greater commitment, solidarity and transformative action are needed to achieve the said targets within a realistic time frame,” said Savarin, who was acting as a representative of the CARICOM grouping.

He placed great importance on the summit, calling it an important opportunity to positively align the trajectories of member states and make sure appropriate action is taken.

Savarin also came out firmly in support of Antonio Guterres, adding that CARICOM endorses the political declaration set out by the UN Secretary-General, in a renewed call for all member states to re-commit to the initiative and show solidarity on the matter.

“The existential threats of COVID-19, over the last three years, exacerbated by the impact of climate change and war in Ukraine calls for even greater leadership at the multilateral level, therefore what is required is a surge in commitments from Governments and other stakeholders to take implementation of the SDGs to the next level.”

“To this end, decisive action must be taken to better support developing countries, through long-term lending at lower interest rates, debt relief and the creation of a robust and effective sovereign debt resolution mechanism.”

That is precisely why CARICOM is demanding urgent action and seeking financial and structural reforms from the international fraternity, to ensure and enable an environment for developing countries to actively participate in and benefit from the global economy.

Multivulnerability Index and the Bridgetown Initiative are two structures that have found consensus among CARICOM nations and are now being seen as the most viable references on the matter by the CARICOM.

The vulnerability index measures the levels of hazards that a population is exposed to. The index employs a formula which allows for a composite of multiple quantitative indicators, which delivers a single numerical result.

The Bridgetown Initiative is spearheaded by the Barbados Minister Mia Mottley, is aimed at reforming the way rich countries finance poor countries in a climate crisis.

“The 2030 Agenda is achievable. There will always be challenges, however, the capacity to overcome the most severe challenges is not an anomaly for humankind. These are indeed unprecedented times, but we can draw confidence from the fact that we have access to a wealth of knowledge and resources to meet the demands of the times,” Savarin stated in the meeting.