Posted: Saturday, September 27, 2025. 3:23 pm CST.
Prime Minister John Briceño – extreme left – at the UN Headquarters in New York, alongside (L–R) the Foreign Ministers of Barbados and the Bahamas, and Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda, during the Association of Small Island States (AOSIS) Leaders Meeting where the Declaration on the Special Circumstances of Small Island Developing States was adopted on September 25, 2025. Photo Credit: Belize Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade
By Rubén Morales Iglesias: While reaffirming Belize’s commitment to regional peace and security amid recent maritime tensions, Prime Minister John Briceño on Friday used his address to the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly to deliver an appeal for increased climate assistance to Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Speaking on behalf of Belize and other vulnerable nations, Briceño warned that the climate crisis is already destabilizing economies, displacing communities, and threatening food security.
“Belize is the fifth most vulnerable Small Island Developing State to climate risk, ranked second in the world for impacts from extreme weather,” he told world leaders. “This is our lived reality—it is not science fiction, it is not abstract theory, it is a danger to our overall security.”
Briceño called on the world’s top emitters to commit to more ambitious targets ahead of COP 30 in Belem, Brazil, and urged developed nations and development banks to mobilize $1.3 trillion in climate finance. He emphasized that SIDS must be prioritized, noting that they receive only 1% of global climate finance—and half of that comes in the form of loans.
“It is high time, and past time, for the global financial system to reward environmental stewardship,” Briceño said. “Consider this: 30% of the world’s ocean lies within the jurisdiction of small island developing states. Much is under some form of protection, helping regulate the global climate. Yet we receive little for our efforts. Meanwhile, the fossil fuel industry receives trillions of dollars in subsidies annually. It’s not just perverse. It’s dangerous.”
He urged a shift toward nature-based and nature-positive solutions, warning that with only five years left to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, “urgency is paramount.”
Beyond climate, Briceño’s address touched on several global issues. He called for the inclusion of Taiwan in international development efforts, urged decisive action to support Haiti, colled for the United States to lift the blockade on Cuba, and denounced what he described as “genocide in Palestine.”
Returning to regional matters, Briceño said Belize is committed to peace in the region, but expressed concern about “the serious implications of utilizing military tactics against civilian vessels in the Caribbean Sea,” in clear reference to recent incidents involving Guatemalan military vessels in Belize’s southern waters. He called on the international community to uphold maritime safety and respect for sovereignty, stressing that peace in the region depends on it.
“Latin America and the Caribbean are committed to maintaining our region as a zone of peace – an area free of nuclear weapons, an area where conflicts are prevented through dialogue,” Briceño concluded.
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Posted: Saturday, September 27, 2025. 3:23 pm CST. Prime Minister John Briceño – extreme left – at the UN Headquarters in New York, alongside (L–R) the
The post Prime Minister John Briceño urges United Nations to prioritize climate support for Small Island Developing States appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
