In the Name of God the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate
Your Excellency President Emmanuel Macron,
Your Excellency Prime Minister Andrew Holness,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
At the outset, it gives me pleasure to thank His Excellency the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, for his appreciated efforts in preparing and organizing this important summit.
The phenomenon of climate change is undoubtedly one of the serious challenges of our time. It is a problem that is continuously exacerbating and causing many problems which intertwine in their economic, environmental and social dimensions and have very serious negative repercussions on all forms of life including human life and on both developed and developing countries alike, especially on the tracks of the sustainable development which all peoples aspire to.
This serious phenomenon makes it incumbent upon the international community to cooperate and double efforts to confront it and reduce its repercussions. It is sufficient for us to look at the devastation caused by Hurricane Durian in the Bahamas and the suffering of its population to realize the dire need for such cooperation.
All states must fulfill their responsibilities and honor their commitments which international agreements have established to this effect.