By Sue-Ann Wayow
A RESOLUTION put forward to the United Nations regarding climate change has been accepted.
Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Dr Amery Browne spoke on the resolution on Wednesday while attending the UN General Assembly in New York.
Dr Browne in Facebook post stated, “This morning, at the UN General Assembly in New York, I delivered a national statement on behalf of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on a Resolution that seeks an Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the obligations of States in respect of climate change.
“Our nation is a co-sponsor of this important resolution initiated by Vanuatu which seeks to increase the accountability of the largest emitters of carbon globally. The Resolution was successfully adopted by the General Assembly.”
Dr Browne also met with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at his office.
Discussions included priorities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the international financial architecture, CARICOM’s 50th anniversary, the 2023 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) summit, Haiti’s situation, the illicit flow of weapons and drugs in the region and climate change.
UN Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Türk statements concerning the resolution were published on the UN’s website.
Türk said, “The Advisory Opinion will have tremendous potential to bring into clearer focus such obligations, including towards people in vulnerable situations, and in international cooperation, as well as providing guidance for policy and litigation to come.
“This could be an important catalyst for the urgent, ambitious, and equitable climate action that is needed to stop global heating and to limit and remediate climate-induced human rights harms.”
He said, “I welcome the resolution’s clear recognition of the relevance of action today for the generations to come – people whose lives will be affected dramatically by what we do today, and what we fail to do.”
