UN General Assembly
2009

to address climate change has been severely hampered by the effects of the global financial and economic crisis. An essential measure of success at Copenhagen, therefore, will be the extent to which the decisions that we take serve to ensure the survival and continued viability of small island developing States. Before closing, permit me to seek the support of the General Assembly on an issue that has emerged as a crucial health challenge for many countries, including those of the Caribbean. Chronic non-communicable diseases have become one of the major causes of morbidity. We believe that that issue must be included in the global discussions on development. We therefore support the call made by the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago for a special session of the General Assembly on that issue (see ). Finally, in these difficult times we have a number of challenging issues before us for consideration. Despite our various agendas and differing priorities, we share an ultimate common goal: to achieve peace, security and development for all the peoples of the