Antigua-Barbuda PM Initiates Climate Disaster Rebuild

Prime Minister of Commonwealth member state Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, addressed the Global Citizen Forum as keynote speaker in Montenegro on November 19, 2017, speaking on the devastation caused by hurricanes Irma and Maria in the Caribbean

The forum, held in Sveti Stefan, Montenegro on October 19-20, 2017, gathered delegates to discuss uncertainties and challenges facing the global community.

Browne highlighted the brutal realities of climate change and its particular repercussions for the Caribbean.

The Prime Minister said he intended to improve investments in Antigua and Barbuda and raise funds to boost the level of support available for rebuilding in Barbuda.

His speech echoed one he gave at the 72nd United Nations’ General Assembly in September, 2017 in which he spoke of the challenges faced by the Caribbean islands in recovering from the devastation.

Antigua, he said, was now under great strain to accommodate and provide services for the displaced population of Barbuda.

He also joined panel discussions on October 20, 2017 on public-private partnerships with Deputy Prime Minister of Moldova Octavian Calmac and First Deputy Minister for Economic Development and Investments of Armenia Garegin Melkonyan, and on the realities of climate change alongside Antigua and Barbuda economic envoys Robert De Niro and Armand Arton.

During his keynote speech, Browne said: “Climate change is real. We are living the consequences of climate change.

“We do not have the luxury to argue about the impact of climate change. We know that it is man-made and in the Caribbean, almost on an annual basis, we are seeing more powerful storms.

“So for us, climate change is an existential threat.”