UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 26, CMC – St. Kitts and Nevis Acting Prime Minister Dr. Geoffrey Hanley has called for urgent international action on climate change, warning that Small Island Developing States (SIDS) cannot continue indefinitely adapting to a crisis they did little to create.
Addressing the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Hanley said severe drought had affected St. Kitts and Nevis and the wider Caribbean this year, with rainfall by the end of May 44 per cent below the long-term average.
“We are investing in resilient infrastructure, but no Small Island Developing State can adapt indefinitely to a crisis the world continues to intensify,” he said.
“Adaptation cannot excuse inaction elsewhere.”
Hanley said rising global temperatures and sea levels posed questions not only about the survival of island communities but also about sovereignty and statehood.
He said climate-induced sea-level rise should not be allowed to erase the international legal personality of states, end their UN membership, deprive citizens of nationality or diminish established maritime boundaries and sovereign rights.
Hanley welcomed the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion on states’ climate obligations, saying governments must now translate international commitments into action.
He urged countries to reduce emissions, strengthen adaptation efforts, honour climate-finance commitments and provide greater support to countries bearing consequences disproportionate to their contribution to global warming.
“Those who contributed least must not pay the greatest price,” he said.
The acting prime minister also called for greater support for ocean states as international efforts continue to protect marine biodiversity.
He said St. Kitts and Nevis, which ratified the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction in 2025, wanted developing island states to have better access to capacity-building, marine technology, scientific expertise and financing.
Hanley said the broader issue was the cost of resilience and again pressed international financial institutions to take vulnerability into greater account when determining access to development financing.
He said traditional measurements based mainly on Gross National Income failed to capture the exposure of SIDS to hurricanes, drought, pandemics, shipping disruptions, energy shocks and tourism downturns.
St. Kitts and Nevis this year completed a pilot Vulnerability and Resilience Country Profile under the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index framework.
Hanley called on the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, development banks and climate funds to incorporate the index into financing decisions.
“We are not asking that Gross National Income be discarded; we are asking that it stop being expected to tell a story it was never designed to tell,” he said.
“If vulnerability can be measured, it must be considered.”
Hanley also warned against the emergence of a new divide between developed and developing states over artificial intelligence.
He said developing countries should not merely become consumers of technology created and governed elsewhere, but must have a role in determining how AI develops.
Hanley called for affordable access to computing infrastructure and skills, along with safeguards for privacy, data sovereignty, cybersecurity and human rights.
He said St. Kitts and Nevis was advancing a Whole-of-Government Technology Strategy, while the Caribbean AI Task Force was helping to promote regional cooperation on responsible use of the technology.
On international peace and security, Hanley said the Caribbean’s status as a Zone of Peace should be protected as geopolitical competition moves closer to the region.
He reiterated CARICOM’s support for peaceful and legal settlement of regional territorial disputes, including the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy and the Belize-Guatemala dispute.
“We defend international law because, for small states especially, the alternative is a world where power becomes the rule,” Hanley said.
He also expressed concern over conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Yemen, Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo, saying civilians continued to bear an unacceptable burden.
Hanley said St. Kitts and Nevis supported the consistent application of international law.
The acting prime minister also announced the country’s support for Guyanese diplomat Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett to become the next UN Secretary-General, joining other CARICOM states backing her candidacy.
He said Rodrigues-Birkett’s record in multilateral affairs and her experience representing a small developing state made her suited to the challenges facing the international system.
Hanley also called for closer cooperation between Africa and the Caribbean, saying historical ties should be translated into stronger trade, investment, technology, cultural and diplomatic relations.
He said reparatory justice should form part of that relationship, pointing to growing cooperation between the African Union and the CARICOM Reparations Commission.
Hanley welcomed the UN General Assembly’s March 25 resolution recognising the trafficking and racialised chattel enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity.
But he said recognition alone was insufficient.
“Reparatory justice must move from recognition to remedy and from words to action,” he said.
Turning to Haiti, Hanley said the country could not become an afterthought, noting the scale of internal displacement and food insecurity.
He said Haitians must be able to participate freely, safely and credibly in forthcoming presidential and legislative elections.
Hanley said St. Kitts and Nevis supported CARICOM’s call for the full deployment of the UN-authorised Gang Suppression Force and timely renewal of its mandate, alongside Haitian-led efforts to restore governance and stability.
On Cuba, the acting prime minister expressed concern about the country’s humanitarian situation and urged constructive dialogue between Havana and Washington.
He said engagement, cooperation and mutual respect offered the best prospects for improving conditions for Cubans and advancing regional stability.
Hanley also reaffirmed St. Kitts and Nevis’ longstanding relationship with Taiwan and called for its meaningful participation in international organisations, including the World Health Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization.
He said differences across the Taiwan Strait should be resolved peacefully.
