St Kitts and Nevis: The Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, Dr Terrance Drew delivered his address at the United States General Assembly. The address shed light on the issue of prevailing armed violence all over the world.
In his address, delivered on Friday was a part of a high level discussion held under the theme: Unity and Diversity for advancing peace, sustainability and human dignity. The Prime Minister said that he has faith in the leadership of the UN that they will lead the world well in alignment with this theme.
He recalled the reason for the establishment was to steer the world away from war and towards peace. However, he noted that the world is dangerously close to returning to a time when peace is kept at gunpoint.
He was sad to note that in this world weapons are romanticized and violence is used as a leverage for absolute power. The Prime Minister called on international action to combat thee crisis that they are facing.
He said that they need more than diplomatic action to combat this problem. “We need a humanity steeped in decency, justice, equity and inclusivity.” He claimed.
He added that “We can not have peace without justice, nor justice without solid equality.” ‘T The Prime Minister called on the world to understand that all the people in the world must have the same rights.
This includes the right to justice and peace for the children in Haiti, Palestine, Cuba and more. PM Drew recalled the words of a former secretary general of the UN, Kofi Annan in his address.
According to former secretary general Annan, “The future of peace that we seek to achieve for the people needs a foundation of tolerance, security, equality and justice. The foundation is fragile, but it is important.”
Adding to this, PM Drew said that this foundation is crumbling under the weight of neglect, greed, and abuse of power. In line with this, the Prime Minister attempted to highlight the crises faced by the Caribbean when it comes to climate change.
“We pray for rains and get floods” the Prime Minister, recollecting the destruction of Hurricanes and Tropical storms in his own nation. He connected the climate crises to the crisis under discussion: Gun Violence.
He said that despite the challenges faced by the islands when it comes to climate action, when armed violence affects the region, it should be heard as a cry for action. “When the global south starves as food is wasted, we must be shaken from our complacency.”
He said, in his address that “We stand at a crossroads. We can no longer afford the luxury of inaction.”
He also touched on the topic of the hurricane season, which was at its peak in the months of August and September. He recalled the devastation caused by the first category five hurricane of the season, Hurricane Beryl.
PM Terrance Drew recalled that sister nations like Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines are still rebuilding after the hurricane. Through this recollection, PM Drew wants to shed light on the developed world’s role in the crisis.
He also demanded quick, concrete and collective actions from world leaders in this regard.