On the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly 2023, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, gave an exclusive interview to our correspondent, Aissa Garcia in New York. Browne discussed issues affecting Caribbean nations that are being debated at the UN General Assembly. teleSUR
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00:00 (Music)
00:11 Hi, welcome to the interview with the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Mr. Gaston
00:18 Browning. Mr. Gaston Browning, Mr. Prime Minister, how was the atmosphere that you feel in this
00:26 new period of the United Nations General Assembly?
00:30 Well, you know, it's an important assembly for us to hear our views on various hemispheric and
00:38 international issues. There are many issues even within our own hemisphere, the issue of Haiti,
00:46 stabilizing Haiti, restoring democracy, and, you know, perhaps we can, for once and for all, I mean,
00:53 put Haiti on the path of prosperity. So that is one of the hemispheric issues. You know that
01:00 issue of climate change, that is a global issue. It is the most significant existential threat
01:06 facing all of humanity. Small states in the Caribbean, we are on the front lines of climate
01:11 change. We continue to suffer from the consequences of these ferocious storms, frequent storms,
01:18 and even other aspects of climate change that is hurting us, practically all aspects of
01:24 climate change. So ocean acidification, the bleaching of our coral reefs, sea level rise
01:32 as a result of the warming of the seas, heat waves, droughts, floods, all of the consequences.
01:39 So, you know, the United Nations General Assembly gave us the opportunity to come here and to speak
01:46 about those issues. More recently, we have seen a proliferation of ammunition and guns, and guns and
01:54 and ammunition, and we have seen an increase in homicides as a result of these guns. But the irony
02:02 is they're not manufactured in the Caribbean. They're imported primarily from the United States.
02:06 They represent a significant threat to us in terms of the amount of homicides. In fact, we now have
02:11 about three times the amount of homicides per thousand of the global average, and it is because
02:19 of, you know, those guns that have been imported in the Caribbean, obviously mostly used by those
02:25 involved in the narcotics trade, but also using those guns to hurt innocent people. That's an
02:32 issue that many of us would have addressed during this assembly. There's also the looming threat of
02:38 autonomous weapons. I know that developed countries are using them to target the enemies,
02:44 but if they get in the hands of the wrong individuals, they can become a serious threat for
02:49 us. You know, they use facial recognition technology, and they can program these drones to
02:55 hurt you. I recall some years ago, there's one that was used in Venezuela, in which they are
03:01 trying to take out President Maduro. So certainly the people of Venezuela can identify with the
03:07 threat of these autonomous weapons. And I'm saying here that, you know, it's a very significant
03:13 threat, and we are certainly advocating for a treaty that will control or maybe ban the production
03:21 of that type of technology that could be so lethal to our people and obviously could undermine our
03:27 development. So there are a myriad of issues, climate, the issues with Cuba and Venezuela.
03:35 We think what the United States is doing to Cuba is cruel, and we continue to advocate for the
03:42 sanctions to be lifted. They say, for example, that Cuba is involved in state-sponsored terrorism.
03:48 They know it's not true, and they need to take them off the list. I mean, the situation in
03:51 Venezuela, we have made a plea as well for them to discontinue the sanctions against Venezuela.
03:58 They're hurting the Venezuelan people. They are literally contributing to the exodus of
04:02 Venezuelans because of the hardships that the sanctions have created. But even within the
04:07 Caribbean region, those of us who benefited from Petro-Caribbean, we too are suffering,
04:11 and we're innocent. We haven't done anything to offend the United States. But at the same time,
04:15 we can't avail ourselves of fuel from Pedevisa, which in the past would have acted as a price
04:22 stabilization mechanism for Caribbean countries who were getting petroleum products on the
04:27 Petro-Caribbean. So these are some of the inequities that we continue to advocate within
04:32 the UN forum. And we're hoping that our voices will not fall in deaf ears and that there will
04:39 be some transformational changes that will be done to the benefit of all.
04:42 In your speech, you said that the world was forgotten the developing countries. What do you
04:49 mean?
04:50 Well, I literally quoted Antonio Guterres, the Secretary General. He said that the world has
04:57 failed developing countries, and that is true. There are so many issues plaguing us and issues
05:03 that we did not create. I mean, the problem with climate is not as a result of developing
05:08 countries, barring a few emerging economies now like China and India that are now involved in
05:14 the profligate use of fossil fuels. The historical emitters would have been the large, powerful,
05:20 developed countries. So they were the ones who created the problem with climate change. And
05:25 developing countries are suffering the consequences. Even the whole issue about
05:29 developed countries making adequate funding available for loss and damage, for adaptation
05:36 and mitigation, we continue to struggle to get them to respond. And we're the ones who have to
05:40 contend with these climate events. We have to borrow at high interest rates in order to recover
05:45 economies and damage buildings. They're literally destroying lives and livelihoods in developing
05:52 countries as a result of the profligate use of fossil fuels. And again, we have been pressing
05:59 through these cops for them to reduce the emissions. And hopefully, as fallen and deaf
06:04 is to the extent now we're getting dangerously close to that 1.5. And the interesting thing is
06:08 if we get up to 1.5, we know exceed 1.5, then there will be irreparable damages. And again,
06:14 it is developing countries that will suffer the most, especially SIDS,
06:19 small island and developing states. And we have made a point to that issue of climate
06:23 justice and reparatory justice. They're inextricably linked. I mean, they're the ones
06:27 who in the first instance, enslaved our forebears, had them work centuries for free, while they
06:34 repatriated all the profits of Europe and North America to build out the economies. As a result,
06:39 they're extremely wealthy. And they would have benefited from the Industrial Revolution.
06:43 And the waste from the Industrial Revolution would have polluted our planet to the extent that the
06:47 same people who suffered under slavery are now suffering climate injustice. So these are very
06:55 vexing issues. And we think that we have a right to live comfortably on the earth and to enjoy the
07:01 earth's resources, not for the resources to be capitalized by one group of countries called
07:06 developed countries, but for us to benefit equitably, because we're fundamentally one
07:11 and the same people. We all had a common grandmother 200,000 years ago. Notwithstanding
07:18 differential in hair texture, color of skin and eyes and so on, we are one and the same.
07:22 And it means, therefore, there has to be global cooperation. There has to be greater multilateralism
07:28 as we cooperate to resolve all of the threats facing the planet, facing all of humanity,
07:34 and not to leave some people impoverished while the mighty and the wealthy continue to live
07:39 comfortably. Because, you know, at the end of the day, you know, I mean, we may be the first,
07:44 for example, to go based on the climate damages, but their fate will be no different, because their
07:50 time will come too. Prime Minister, speaking about IT, are you agree with this propose,
07:59 somebody proposed to send a special force? There are many proposals. The reality is the
08:05 situation in Haiti has to be resolved. I'm of the view it has to be internally led. And I'm a
08:09 little disappointed in the sense that the Prime Minister, Prime Minister Henry, is not taking
08:13 the kind of leadership. What seems to be required now is a broad-based government that can provide
08:19 the kind of leadership with the support of the international community to have this multilateral
08:23 force to assist with the stabilization of the country, to address the issue of the gangs,
08:29 while at the same time providing financial resources to deal with the humanitarian crisis.
08:34 And also to concurrently restore the democratic institutions so that they can have presidential
08:40 elections and to elect a new president as soon as possible. So that is the general framework. And
08:46 again, as I said before, it has to be Haitian led and supported by the regional and international
08:52 community. What are the major problems that the people from the Caribbean countries are facing
08:59 right now? Well, the most significant threat for us at this point is climate change. And it is the
09:04 most significant existential threat facing all of humanity. So we continue to advocate strenuously.
09:12 We've even taken the matter to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg.
09:17 The hearing continues until the 25th, started on the 11th of September. And we are literally
09:23 trying to hold these large polluters accountable so that we can protect our lives and livelihoods
09:28 in the Caribbean. So climate change is more significant. We also have the issue of debt.
09:33 We've had to borrow repeatedly to repair damaged infrastructure, and that in itself
09:38 would have created a debt overhang. So we also need to find creative ways to
09:42 place our debt on a sustainable pathway. We've been pushing the national community to provide
09:48 debt restructuring, debt swaps, debt for climate swaps, and other mechanisms to assist us to
09:55 achieve some level of debt sustainability. But again, they have not been very responsive,
09:59 and we just have to continue to fight on. I have to take the opportunity to thank President Maduro
10:05 in that he would have assisted a number of Caribbean countries, including Antigua and Barbuda,
10:09 with a partial debt right to offer 50 percent of the amounts owed for the petroleum products. And
10:15 that in itself would have helped to reduce our debt to GDP. I believe Jamaica, St. Vincent
10:20 and the Grenadines and other countries that have benefited. And you know what is interesting,
10:24 you have a country that is struggling, providing that kind of relief for others. And you find
10:29 wealthy countries, even the United States in this hemisphere, which is the wealthiest country on the
10:33 planet, you know, has not been – or have not been as responsive as even countries that do not quite
10:40 have resources. So kudos to President Maduro and the government and people of Venezuela for the
10:45 responsiveness to the needs of the Caribbean people.
10:48 Thank you. Thank you, Prime Minister Brown, for your time with Telesur today. Thank you very much.
10:54 Cheers. Blessings.