Statement of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines at the UNGA72

Yemen/Syria/Palestine: “The human suffering in Syria, Yemen and Myanmar demands greater international attention and action.Similarly, the potential threats to international peace and security posed by tensions on the Korean peninsula, among the Gulf States and in the State of Palestine require persistent and prioritised diplomacy”.

Peace Process: “Diplomacy, though difficult, is always preferable to the alternative. This United Nations was founded and continues to exist on that fundamental premise. Frustration with the pace of negotiation and mediation cannot give way to the intemperate urge to impose quick military fixes on inherently political problems. Nor can it lead to an illogical interpretation of sovereign self-interest that justifies the trampling on the sovereignty of other states”.

UNSC reform: “The litmus test for any serious talk of UN reform is the reform of the Security Council. Those who pay lip service to reform while ignoring the need for a reformed Council - with expanded permanent membership, special voice for island states, and radically revised working methods - are simply engaging in an exercise of attempting to reduce their financial responsibilities while maintaining an unjustifiable grip on disproportionate and outmoded power arrangements”.

SDGs: “Saint Vincent and the Grenadines applauds your sustained focus on sustainable development. Our Government has located the Sustainable Development Goals at the centre of our national development strategies”

SDGs: “Nonetheless, as you and the Secretary-General have recognised, achievement of the SDGs requires international cooperation and the commitment of new and additional funding. Ours is the only body that can generate and sustain the necessary political will and resources to give life to the ambition of the SDGs. The link between development and peace is well-established; and the link between peace and the United Nations is immutable”.

Palestine: “The travails of the people of Palestine arising from the illegal occupation of their lands continue to haunt us globally.This UN General Assembly has repeatedly pronounced in favour of the rights of the Palestinian people but the illegal occupiers backed by a handful of powerful states internationally have continuously thwarted the will of the international community. Peace in the Middle East will continue to be a mirage unless the national rights of the Palestinian people are recognised and upheld in practice”.