United Nations Radio

coast of Belize

Climate Change is a fundamental challenge to the sustainable development of CARICOM Member States. That's what the Charge d'affaires of Belize Mrs. Janine Coye Felson told the General Assembly Committee that deals with economic and social affairs. She said the cost of climate change has been estimated at some 11.3 percent of the total GDP of the CARICOM region. Other estimates indicate that by 2025, the cost of climate change could reach 14 percent of total GDP, increasing to 39 percent by 2050, 45 percent by 2075 and 63 percent by 2100. This she stressed is clearly an excess that the region's small vulnerable economies can't ill afford.

Barbados says SIDS are already experiencing the dangerous impacts of climate change

Barbados

Meanwhile, for Barbados the issues under the sustainable development agenda represent some of its highest priorities at the United Nations. Barbados' representative Ambassador Christopher Hackett noted that as a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), the pursuit of sustainable development is a national imperative given its small size and dependence on the environment for its social and economic well being. He said Barbados welcomes the decision by the United Nations General Assembly to convene a high-level event in 2010 to review implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action (BPOA) and the Mauritius Strategy of Implementation (MSI).

Jamaica says 2009 will go down as the year when the disarmament agenda was resuscitated and placed back at the top of global priorities

The year 2009 will certainly be recalled as the year during which an ailing disarmament agenda was resuscitated, re-invigorated and placed back at the top of the list of the global priority of issues which demand immediate attention. That's what Jamaica's representative Ambassador Raymond Wolfe told the General Assembly's Committee that deals with disarmament and security maters. He said these welcome developments have undoubtedly ignited high levels of expectations which must be translated into concrete actions. Ambassador Wolfe said there can be no denying that the matter goes much further to include the need for compliance by all States, in particular the nuclear weapons States, to fulfill their disarmament and non-proliferation obligations in good faith.

The IMF says it "appreciates the significant challenges faced by Jamaica and is working closely with the authorities to formulate a plan to overcome these challenges"

A team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) wrapped up a visit to Jamaica last Friday after holding discussions toward a Stand-By Arrangement with the Fund. The team met with Prime Minister Bruce Golding, Minister of Finance Audley Shaw, and senior officials at the Ministery of Finance and the Bank of Jamaica, including Dr. Wesley Hughes, Financial Secretary, and Mrs. Audrey Anderson, Acting Governor of the Bank of Jamaica. UN Radio's Dianne Penn reports.

Producer: Donn Bobb
duration: 14'39"