PM Terrance Drew advocates sustainable and hopeful future for SIDS at 79th UNGA

The Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, Dr Terrance Drew addressed the General Debate of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly and aimed to shape a brighter future for the small island developing states. He expressed his desire to call for a powerful future where peace is not just the absence of war, but the presence of justice, sustainability, and hope.

The Prime Minister asserted that he is speaking on behalf of many small island nations. He asserted that they are definitely small but their voices carry the weight of rising seas, thundering storms and livelihoods on the edge of Eruschro.

PM Terrance Drew stated that they are standing at a crossroads and can no longer afford the luxury of inaction. He therefore mentioned the need to meet the moment with the courage it demands and reject business as usual and embrace a new path, which values people over profit, and prioritizes planet over power.

He asserted that they are all stewards of this fragile world, where the rising tides do not respect borders, and the fires of conflict burn without discrimination.

PM Terrance Drew stressed on the need of having a humanity which is steeped in decency, justice, equity, and inclusivity. He mentioned that in the Caribbean, they are living a reality of rising tides that wash away their hopes with unforgiving heat and set ablaze their dreams.

“We pray for rain and receive the floods, dragging our homes and our futures to the abyss. When the guns flood regions, tearing children from their mother’s arms, it is a collective cry for quick action. When the international south stabs while food wastage continues, we must be shaken from our complacency. The half truth is that the world is becoming mortally insecure,” noted PM Terrance Drew.

PM Terrance Drew stated that they are standing on disappearance shows, where they are besieged by storms, man-made and natural corporate greed, colonial arrogance, and unchecked consumerism have torn apart their social contract with each other.

While highlighting the hurricane season being faced by the Caribbean nation, PM Terrance Drew stated that their brothers and sisters in Grenada, Carriacou and Petit Martinique, Jamaica and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are still recovering from the devastation caused by Hurricane Beryl, which became the earliest formed category 5 hurricane on record this past July.

He also mentioned that in the Pacific, their brothers and sisters have also remained exposed to the insistent battering of typhoons that have ravaged their islands. He stated that the lives and livelihoods are hanging in the balance, the entire communities brace for the next assault.

He therefore asked all small island nations whose future hangs in the balance to stand with them and raise their voices like the oceans that surrounds them, powerful and unyielding.

Moreover, PM Terrance Drew also shed light on co-hosting the Global Sustainable Island Summit in May 2025. He called it a crucial event dedicated to advancing sustainable development on islands across the globe titled, “Sustainable future for the communities of the island.”

PM Terrance Drew stated that this summit will build on the momentum of SIDS 4 Conference held in 2024, tackling the present challenges island nations face. He stated that this summit will be a call to action, a space where they will share practical solutions and partnerships that ripple far beyond their shores.

He stated that St Kitts and Nevis is not seeking pity, they are definitely small but taller. He stated that they are on transformative journey to become a sustainable island state guided by 7 pillars. The pillars include, water security, food security, sustainable industry, energy transition, sustainable settlements, social protection and circular economy.

PM Drew asked all small nations to stand proud and strong together. “Together, let us seize this moment and shape the future.”