An historic “first” was recorded at the General Assembly of the Organization of
American States (OAS) when 20 countries, drawn from Central America and the
Caribbean, issued a joint declaration, calling on international financial and
development institutions “to prioritize the provision of funds and resources to
support the efforts of Central America and the Caribbean in addressing climate
change, recognizing the urgency and magnitude of the challenges faced by these
regions.”
The original declaration was drafted by Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the
United States and the OAS, Sir Ronald Sanders, who also presented the declaration
on behalf of the 20 Caribbean and Central American countries after securing
unanimous support.
Ambassador Sanders explained that, hitherto, the countries of Central America and
the Caribbean at the OAS had never joined together, to express their shared
concern about the evident heating-up of the planet. “Now, they have not only let
the world know of their joint worry, but they have also collectively called for
action.”
The joint declaration calls for international financial and development institutions
to prioritize the provision of funds and resources to Central America and the
Caribbean, “recognizing the urgency and magnitude of the challenges faced by
these regions, in building resilience to Climate Change.”
Sir Ronald said that while small island developing states have been making their
voices heard at meetings of the UN Committee of the Parties (COP) at many
Climate Change meetings, there is a need to widen the alliance of states which are
jointly seeking remedies for loss and damage to their economies and the
livelihoods of their people.
The 20 countries that made the joint declaration at the OAS General Assembly on
June 21, were the 14 independent states of CARICOM and six Central American
countries – Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras,
and Panama.
