UN General Assembly
2024

At COP29, we expect no further delay in the capitalization and operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund, for which we have struggled so long and so hard. Equity and fairness demand it. Mr. President, The fight for survival is not just about climate - it is also about financial justice, reparatory justice, other injustices and equity. The international financial system is skewed, outdated, and unjust - punishing the most vulnerable while rewarding the already rich and prosperous with favorable terms for their financial instruments. For too long, small states like mine have been shackled by debt we did not cause; debt that arose from recovery spending on recurring disasters that are beyond our control. We cannot achieve climate justice without addressing the structural inequities in the International Financial Architecture. It is time to lift the burdens that keep us bound to the past and unable to invest in our future.