United Nations General Assembly

Galvanizing multilateral efforts for poverty eradication, quality
education, climate action and inclusion

In his maiden speech to the UNGA after 4 years in power, Prime Minister Rowley of Trinidad and Tobago surveyed aid, banking, climate, conflict, diversity, drought, ebola, education, extremism, finance. floods, healthcare, hurricanes, migration, multilateralism, partnerships, poverty, reefs, sea level, social protection, tax, terrorism and UN Security Council. Controversial comment on communist Cuba and totalitarian Venezuela took the lion’s share, amid geopolitical tension, constitutional violation and a perennial energy-water-health crisis, sparking a backlash.

Integrated National Poverty Reduction Strategy
“In Trinidad and Tobago, since 1956, citizens have been central to .. development and.. ….our greatest assets. We must create a society in which all basic needs are met, and each individual is valued and given the opportunity to participate and to contribute. … .. ensure food security .. eradicate poverty, inequality, discrimination, disease.. access to healthcare,.. substandard and inhumane living conditions… build a society that shares the principles and cultural norms of trust, goodwill, honesty, respect, tolerance, integrity, civic pride, social justice and community spirit. .., Trinidad and Tobago .. adopted an integrated National Poverty Reduction Strategy that is collaborative, sustainable and meaningful for all stakeholders. The consolidation of our economic stability and capacity to remain .. integrated into the global financial and trade architecture remains a priority.., as we .. search for measures to strengthen our fiscal resilience through diversification.

Non-cooperative tax jurisdictions
Our national development ambitions should be buttressed by an enabling international economic environment through international trade, development cooperation, business activity and finance. .. aware that financial services play an important role as a contributor to economic growth and international trade and investment. .. we express grave concern regarding the unilateral insertion of some CARICOM Member States including Trinidad and Tobago on the list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions ….. The label …’ has the potential to inflict irreparable damage to the reputations and economies of small island developing states like ours. Trinidad and Tobago, therefore, calls upon our international partners to adopt a more collaborative, just and fair approach …

Correspondent banking services
progressive decline in correspondent banking services by international banks… is particularly problematic for CARICOM Member States, as it threatens our financial stability, impedes our efforts to alleviate poverty and limits our achievements in ..socio-economic growth and development… withdrawal of correspondent banking services undermines the region’s efforts to consolidate a global partnership that will achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Trinidad and Tobago joins with other CARICOM Members in calling for international banks to engage collaboratively .. to restore mutually acceptable financial relationships.

Official Development Assistance
Noting that Secretary-General Guterres in July advised that eligibility for Official Development Assistance and other forms of concessional financing should include vulnerability criteria, he urged the international community and international financial and development institutions to consider..new multidimensional parameters in determining access to concessionary financing. ..the United Nations Development System should be driven by a multidimensional approach to development assistance, .. appropriately suited to each country’s specific needs and national priorities. ” Women, girls and persons with disabilities.

We remain troubled that… women, girls and persons with disabilities… are unable to enjoy basic human rights and freedoms. …Trinidad and Tobago reaffirms its commitment to the delivery of improved healthcare, … enhancement of the educational system, and increased accessibility and support to persons with disabilities. Women and girls must also be equal partners in our collaborative efforts to build peaceful and sustainable societies and to promote and protect human rights. The promotion of gender equity and equality is essential … It is equally important to consolidate an integrated social protection system that improves living conditions and creates opportunities for women and girls to achieve their full potential.

Climate
… ..Trinidad and Tobago recognises that climate change adversely affects all countries… unwavering commitment to addressing these adverse impacts.., through a combination of collaborative approaches, improved partnerships and networking with stakeholders, .. to meet our international obligations, in alignment with our national laws, policies and priorities… the marine environment and its resources remain critically important to the livelihood of our people, our cultural and social identity, as well as our sustainable development ambitions. ….. hopeful that the adoption of an international legally binding instrument under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction would be a reality in the ….future. .. this agreement would establish a platform for both the achievement of sustainable development and the protection of the common heritage of mankind for this and future generations.

Multilateralism
Trinidad and Tobago is guided by the tenets of respect for the sovereignty and sovereign equality of all states, non-interference and non-intervention in the internal affairs of other states and respect and adherence to international lawand to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. As a small island developing state, we remain fervent in our conviction that, …principles of multilateralism are under threat, our right to be heard ought not to be .. dismissed. ..our sustainable growth and development hinge on the maintenance of peace and security. .

Venezuela
.. … seven miles off the coast of Trinidad. … Venezuela became the epicentre of a global standoff …. Trinidad and Tobago joined CARICOM Member States to push for … de-escalation of tensions and to build a platform for dialogue and negotiations for a peaceful resolution …Arising out of CARICOM’s non-interventionist stance and ‘diplomacy of peace’, the Prime Ministers of Barbados, Saint Kitts and Nevis and myself…, met Secretary General Guterres, the Permanent Representatives of several … Member States, as well as other stakeholders, to underscore our concerns about the volatility of the .. situation, the safety of the citizens .. and the stability of our region. We remain resolute in our conviction that, for our region to remain a Zone of Peace, dialogue is critical and indispensable. .., Trinidad and Tobago remains in full support of the Montevideo Mechanism and .. initiatives …to bring about a peaceful resolution through … dialogue…,

I make special mention of the Norwegian Government, …in bringing both sides to the negotiating table, most recently, in Barbados. … the negotiation process requires time and patience, .. parties must engage in good faith. We ..urge external forces not to further engage in unilateral intrusions, which could .. undermine the negotiations and ultimately cause further hardship …. The objective .. should be to ensure that both parties .. arrive at conditions for progress.., with the ultimate aim of achieving political stability, peace and economic well-being. The Norwegian/ CARICOM/ Montevideo Mechanism initiatives are indeed worthy of support ..We are saddened by the recent withdrawal of a party from this.. initiative … only Venezuelans can properly take ownership of their situation…. this body can only help them along the path to security and economic stability. ..in Trinidad and Tobago, our sustainable development would be difficult to attain without the management of irregular migration. Trinidad and Tobago has not been unaffected by the influx of migrants … …Government implemented a Migrant Registration Framework (MRF) system ….. to safeguard the human rights and humanitarian needs of Venezuelan nationals within our borders, while safe-guarding .. national security.

Those .. registered were granted approval to work for one year, … self-funded through employment during their stay …. Government and people .. recognise our duty to assist our neighbours …. We are undertaking to do so for just over 16,000 .. from Venezuela .. . Our policy is rooted in ..respect and dignity, and ensuring that empathy shines through ..These challenges are magnified for .. Trinidad and Tobago with limited resources and other capacity constraints. ..

Extremism
…criminal activity has moved from random acts … to criminal networks… in an organized,.. sophisticated and technological global environment…. these compounded challenges represent a threat to our socio-economic well-being, the rule of law and our peace and security…. The global threat of young people being lured by extremist groups remains a major concern., Trinidad and Tobago reaffirms its commitment to ….. an alliance for a strategic, collective security.. that addresses the conditions that give rise to violent extremism… buttressed by a robust international legal system that allows all people to live freely and in dignity, with equal protection… and without fear of persecution or xenophobia. …

Cuba
…we maintain that the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed against Cuba, undermines the country’s potential to achieve sustainable development and economic growth. Trinidad and Tobago maintains further that .. unilateral coercive measures …are inconsistent with international law and the Charter of the United Nations. Trinidad and Tobago .. reiterates its call for the unconditional lifting of the…embargo against Cuba. .

International Criminal Court
… the mandate of the International Criminal Court (ICC),… is to help put an end to impunity for perpetrators of the most heinous crimes of concern to the international community, as well as to contribute to the prevention of such crimes. As a country that advocated for the establishment of the .. Court …we remain resolute in our commitment to support the … ICC. Despite its detractors … the ICC continues to be a ray of hope to all … seeking justice…. we …encourage those countries that have not yet submitted to the jurisdiction of the Court to do so, .. so that it can aptly fulfil its mandate..as a universal court. …..

Membership on the Security Council
…the Caribbean Community….. welcomed the adoption of the historic Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons. …September 26, Trinidad and Tobago signed and deposited its Instrument of Ratification for the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. … We .. reiterate our call .. to … reform the Security Council…making it more relevant to the United Nations …. As CARICOM, one of our positions … has been advocacy for guaranteed representation and inclusion of small island developing states (SIDS) through a dedicated seat to be rotated among SIDS…. ….. we congratulate .. … Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, which .. this year became the smallest nation ever to secure a seat on the Security Council. This historic achievement … demonstrated that our small islands remain indomitable as we continue to make noteworthy contributions in all spheres. .. I .. assure this General Assembly of Trinidad and Tobago’s .. dedication to the maintenance of international peace and security,.. evidenced in our candidature for membership on the Security Council for the period 2027-2028, for what could be the second time in our nation’s history.

As the United Nations stands on the threshold of .. its 75 th anniversary, Trinidad and Tobago is pleased to recommit itself to the principles and purposes enshrined in the UN Charter. As Member States …, we need to recalibrate our efforts towards ensuring that our Organization is effective, relevant and fit for purpose and that no one is left behind. I am confident that we possess the inherent desire, the will and the impetus to achieve these goals. Mr President, I thank you.”

National Statement 74th Session

Trump Meets Venezuelan Opposition, Regional Leaders

NEW YORK – On the sidelines of the UNGA President Donald Trump told a meeting that Venezuela’s incumbent Nicolas Maduro is a corrupt and brutal dictator who handed his country over to Communist-ruled Cuba. Venezuelan opposition members and representatives of nearly a score of Western Hemisphere countries that oppose Maduro and recognize National Assembly leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s legitimate leader heard the President vow that a peaceful political transition will eventually occur in the oil-rich nation.

“We will stand with the Venezuelan people every single day until they are finally freed from this horrible and brutal oppression. They will be freed. It will happen. The situation in Venezuela is a tragedy of historic proportion. They don’t have water. They don’t have food. They don’t have medicine. They don’t have anything.”

His administration is trying to pave the way for free and fair elections in that country. It is regrettable that some countries outside the hemisphere still are providing the Venezuelan regime with military and technological assistance. He did not specifically single out Russia, which with PRC and dozens of other countries continues to support Maduro.

Guaido’s representative for foreign affairs, Julio Borges, told the meeting that Cuba “is the mastermind behind this tragedy to sustain Maduro.”

In attendance were the presidents of Colombia, Ivan Duque; Chile, Sebastian Piñera; Ecuador, Lenin Moreno; and Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernandez, representatives of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica and Saint Lucia and Guaido’s envoy to the US, Carlos Vecchio.

White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham expressed confidence that the meeting would spur regional allies and the broader international community “to take concrete action to increase pressure on Maduro’s dictatorship. Leaders from across the hemisphere agree that now is the time to finally end this dictatorship and to safeguard democracy in the region.

The leaders who gathered today are united in the belief that our shared response to this crisis will be a defining moment in our history. The United States also calls on all nations to take additional steps to hold the Cuban regime responsible for its direct role in the demise of a once prosperous Venezuela.”

The White House said the US “commends the presidents of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru for their strong leadership to address the humanitarian crisis that has sparked hundreds of thousands to flee Venezuela.”

According to the US Agency for International Development, the US is conducting a harsh sanctions campaign aimed at strangling Venezuela. USAID announced $52 million in development assistance aimed at helping

Guaido, his government, and the Venezuelan people as they seek to restore citizen-responsive, democratic governance to their country.”

That aid is in addition to hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian assistance the US government has already provided in response to the Venezuelan regional crisis,

“including vital support to vulnerable Venezuelans and the communities that host them in Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru and elsewhere throughout the region.”

The UN says over 4 million refugees and migrants fled the country, facing political chaos, food shortages and hyperinflation.

The UN called this exodus the “largest in the recent history of Latin America and the Caribbean.” ” The pace of the outflow from Venezuela has been staggering,” U.N. refugee agency UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration said in a joint statement.

IDB

“Latin American Growth Insufficient”

WASHINGTON – Latin America’s current growth levels are not sufficient to reduce socio-economic disparities, even as the region faces new challenges such as climate change and migrant flows from crisis-hit Venezuela and Nicaragua, the president of the Inter-American Development Bank, Luis Alberto Moreno, said:

“When the bank began, Latin America was a region with enormous poverty. It was essentially a rural region with very low life expectancy, with very low penetration of public services, education and healthcare,” Moreno said at the celebration of the IDB’s 60th anniversary.

“Now it’s for all intents and purposes a middle-income region, but many of the problems that gave rise to the bank still persist: we have a third of the population living in poverty (and) a big deficit in public services like water and electricity.”
One of the region’s biggest problems is the mediocre quality of its educational system.

Colombia’s former economic development minister said Latin America’s low growth rate, which is projected to come in at below 1 percent this year, is insufficient for ending persistent socio-economic gaps. Referring to the region’s six biggest economies, he noted that Argentina is contracting while Brazil and Mexico will grow at a clip of less than 1 percent and the gross domestic product (GDP) of the other three – Colombia, Chile and Peru – will increase by more than 3 percent.

With respect to Argentina, where uncertainty surrounding next month’s first round of presidential elections has darkened the country’s economic outlook, Moreno said the IDB will continue to provide the country with support.

“We have $10 billion in loans approved for Argentina, of which nearly $6 billion have not yet been disbursed, and those (funds) will continue to be disbursed, whether with (the current administration of market-friendly President Mauricio Macri) or the next one coming in,” he said, referring to a possible future administration headed by the center-left Alberto Fernandez.

A separate issue is the severe economic crisis in Venezuela, which he termed the region’s biggest challenge. Moreno said there is a risk that the massive exodus of 5 million Venezuelans by the end of this year could trigger instability in South America.

Innovation, Integration and Sustainability

WASHINGTON – Innovation, integration and sustainability should be the basis of Latin America’s economic future, Inter-American Development Bank President Luis Alberto Moreno said at a business summit to mark the institution’s 60th anniversary.

“In these 60 years we have learned a lot about the engines and obstacles to growth, about what needs to be done and especially what needs to be avoided,” Moreno said at the start of celebrations for the region’s main development organization.

In addition to the region’s economy and finance ministers, the presidents of Colombia, Ivan Duque, and Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernandez, and the Prime Minister of Barbados are expected to attend.

“Our people enjoy a much better quality of life than 60 years ago. We have also seen social changes, such as the growing role of women in the private and public sectors,” Moreno added. But the president said that “while Latin America is different, so is the world.” To grow at the rate we need, it is not enough to integrate, we need to increase innovation,” the former Colombian minister said, in reference to the region’s persistent low economic growth rates in recent years.

He emphasized the importance of ecosystems that support research and business creativity, and he mentioned examples of business incubators such as Start-Up Chile and the National Entrepreneur Institute.
The involvement of the private sector is one of the “primary” issues to make a qualitative leap, explained George Okamoto, Acting Assistant Secretary of the US Treasury for International Finance.

“Despite the progress made in the region with almost three decades of sustained growth, the private sector has not yet fulfilled its full potential. And for this it is necessary to open the markets and strengthen the rule of law.” .

Moreno also stressed the importance of facing one of today’s greatest challenges: climate change. The IDB’s goal is that 30% of its annual loans have an adaptation and mitigation component for global warming. Last year, the agency approved loans worth more than $14 billion.
The IDB, based in Washington DC, is represented in the 26 borrowing member countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the 22 donor countries, including China, Japan and the United States.

US to Mobilize Up to $10 Billion for Projects in Latin America

WASHINGTON – The Inter-American Development Bank and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) signed on Thursday a memorandum of understanding committing themselves to invest a combined $3 billion in development projects in Latin America and the Caribbean over the next five years. The pact was finalized by the presidents of the respective organizations, Luis Alberto Moreno and David Bohigian, within the framework of the 60th anniversary of the IDB and includes the option to increase the investment to $5 billion. In addition, OPIC and IDB Invest intend to match this investment by attracting additional capital from the private sector, for a total of between $6 billion and $10 billion.

Bohigian said that “Meeting the vast development needs of Latin America and the Caribbean will require innovative thinking and strategies. By leveraging our toolkit and the regional expertise of IDB Invest, we can scale our impact and promote a private sector-led model that promises greater prosperity and stability throughout this critical region.”

James Scriven, CEO of IDB Invest, emphasized that “To achieve shared development goals in Latin America and the Caribbean, IDB Invest seeks solid partners like OPIC to jointly attract private investors, multiply our impact, and ultimately make our mark on the region’s development.”

The funds will be concentrated in the infrastructure sector, especially in the areas of transportation, energy, water, education and healthcare, and will seek to give preference to businesses headed by – or offering products to empower – women.

The region currently invests less than 3.5 percent of its gross domestic product in infrastructure projects, and the IDB calculates that to reach the desired level of development it needs to invest between 5-6 percent, an equivalent of some $150 billion over the coming years.

For its 60th anniversary, the IDB is focusing on cooperating with the private sector.
The anniversary celebrations began with a business summit with the participation of the president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Venezuelan-American Rafael Reif; Veronica Scotti of the Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd., and Guadalupe Phillips, CEO of Mexico’s Empresas ICA group.

IMF

Executive Board Briefing on Venezuela

In line with the standard procedures for members whose Article IV consultations with the IMF are extensively delayed, on September 19, 2019, the Executive Board was briefed by staff on recent economic developments in Venezuela. Informal sessions to brief the Executive Board based on publicly available information are routinely held, approximately every 12 months, for members whose Article IV consultations are delayed by more than 18 months. The Article IV consultation with Venezuela is delayed by 163 months.

Cuba in UNGA 

UNITED NATIONS – Cuba denounced the US government of President Donald Trump, with fierce criticism of the hardening of Washington’s policies against the island and against the Venezuelan executive branch headed by Nicolas Maduro.

In the past year the US government has qualitatively increased its measures of hostility and blockade against Cuba, said Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodriguez in his address to the United Nations General Assembly.

Rodriguez attacked the latest measures adopted by the Trump administration: “It has imposed additional obstacles to foreign trade and has increased the persecution of our banking-financial relations with the rest of the world. It hinders ties and contacts of Cubans who live in the United States with their homeland.”

Rodriguez accused Washington of initiating in the last few months criminal measures to block the supply of fuel “by resorting to threats and persecution against the companies that transport fuel, flag States, States of registration as well as shipping and insurance companies.”

He referred to one of the latest US moves: its decision to sanction former Cuban president and Communist Party leader Raul Castro for his “gross violations of human rights.”

“This is an action that is void of any practical effect, aimed at offending Cuba’s dignity and the feelings of our people,” said the minister, who described the measure as “nothing but vote-catching leftovers that are being tossed away to the Cuban-American extreme right.”

For Rodriguez, the obvious and offensive falsehoods used to justify the ban on Castro’s entry into the US are a “reflection of the baseness and rottenness resorted to by this US administration, which is drowning in a sea of corruption, lies and immorality.”

The situation in Venezuela was another of the basic elements of Cuba’s participation in the UN General Assembly, with a clear defense of the Maduro regime and strong criticism of the US role in the crisis.

“We condemn the behavior of the U.S. government against Venezuela,” said Rodriguez, who accused Washington of promoting “coup d’etats, assassination of the country’s leaders, economic warfare and sabotage to power generation plants” in Venezuela.

The minister also responded to the news spread by the US and Brazil about the supposed presence of tens of thousands of Cuban military in Venezuela and called it a vulgar lie that seeks to dismiss the heroism of the Venezuelan people.

He denounced the activation by American states of the Inter-American Treaty for Reciprocal Assistance (TIAR) and called the movement “a serious threat to regional peace and security as well as a direct aggression to the Venezuelan people.”

The UN General Assembly by the Numbers

UNITED NATIONS – The 74th United Nations General Assembly is the world’s biggest diplomatic gathering of 193 states, with five summits, at least 560 official meetings and over 1,600 bilateral meetings during a week in New York, a city swarming with politicians, diplomats, officials and security personnel.

THE GENERAL DEBATE

The representatives of the 193 UN member states and three observers – Palestine, the Holy See and the European Union –  participated in a general debate over the six-day period from Tuesday, Sept. 24, to Monday, Sept. 30, discussing the situation in the world.

In total, 92 heads of state, 46 heads of government, five vice presidents, several vice premiers, 38 Cabinet ministers and two lower-ranking diplomats, who are serving as heads of delegation for North Korea and Aghanistan, are slated to deliver addresses.

At 9:00 am on Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivers the opening address, followed by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, whose country traditionally gets to speak first, and then US President Donald Trump, whose nation hosts the assembly.

The speaking order  depends, among other things, on  political rank. Heads of state speak first, followed by heads of government and, later, the Cabinet ministers and other lower-ranking representatives.

Organizers recommend a 15-minute address, although each official is free to take the time they feel is necessary. Last year, Venezuela’s Maduro delivered the longest address that lasted 48 minutes. In 1960, late Cuban leader Fidel Castro broke all the existing records, speaking for four hours and 29 minutes.

On the sidelines of the general debate, five summits were held –

1. 1. 1. Climate Action;
      2. Making Universal Health Coverage;
      3. Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals;
      4. Financing for Development; and
      5. Supporting Small Island Developing States

– along with dozens of other events, as well as meetings and forums within and outside the United Nations headquarters.

In addition to the 196 addresses scheduled to be delivered at the United Nations, Guterres plans to participate in 140 bilateral meetings and 52 different events. In total, the UN has organized 560 official meetings, not counting the bilateral gatherings, whose number has not been released but was 1,676 in 2018, with the expectation being that that number will be surpassed.

Thousands of New York Police Department (NYPD) officers, Secret Service agents and FBI agents will be involved in providing security at the General Assembly, the greatest gathering of world leaders at one location – the center of Manhattan, where street closings will allow the delegations to move around but also cause traffic jams around UN headquarters.

Hundreds of concrete barriers and security railings will be used in “sensitive areas,” while transit police will provide daily reports on street closings and their effect on public transportation and access to routes. Between Sept. 23 and Sept. 30, a perimeter bounded by Sixth and Seventh avenues, and 34th and 60th streets in Midtown Manhattan can be closed to traffic at any time, depending on the comings and goings of political leaders and their delegations.

Security was tight at UN headquarters, where entry restrictions and searches will be expanded.  Security measures for the General Assembly extend to the Manhattan hotels where the international delegations will be staying, with the lodgings doubling as improvised offices, meeting rooms and venues for high-level meetings.

The presence of high-level officials changes the daily routine and at least one hotelier acknowledged that there were no rooms available for any other events starting two weeks before the General Assembly.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, likes to use the hotel the UN ONE located across from United Nations headquarters, to hold press conferences on the sidelines of the General Assembly.

New York provides attractions to go along with all the diplomatic activity. During such a busy week, it is common to see the famous Fifth Avenue, Madison Avenue and other luxury purveyors and fashion stores visited by foreign leaders, who also enjoy sampling the fare at some of the Big Apple’s poshest restaurants.

Loss of U.S. Clout as Trump Prepares For U.N. Summit

State Department meeting highlights internal alarm at China’s growing influence in international organizations.

On the eve of the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations, two top State Department officials voiced alarm about America’s loss of diplomatic influence as China mounts an ambitious effort to fill the vacuum, according to an account of a confidential internal staff meeting.

The concerns are emerging at a time when the State Department’s Bureau of International Organization Affairs (IO)—which oversees U.S. relations with the U.N. and other international organizations—is enduring a sustained period of turmoil marked by sagging morale, staff flight, and difficulties in recruiting fresh talent. Meanwhile, the new U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Kelly Craft, who was confirmed on July 31, has yet to take up her assignment in New York.

John Sullivan, the U.S. deputy secretary of state, and David Hale, the undersecretary of state for political affairs, touched on those issues during a closed-door town hall meeting on Aug. 29 with IO staffers. But they expressed particular concern about China’s strategic goal of deepening its influence in the U.N. and other international organizations.

The coming months will be “key times” for the bureau to promote U.S. national security interests in international institutions with the upcoming U.N. General Assembly, Hale said, according to an account of the meeting relayed to Foreign Policy. “It’s only gotten harder as we face the increasing attempts, campaigns, by China to gain greater and greater influence over these organizations,” he said.

Over the last two and a half years, the United States has struggled to rally support within the U.N. to contain the influence of rival powers from Iran to Russia to China, which has effectively mobilized U.N. backing for its Belt and Road Initiative, despite U.S. efforts to counter it.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has also largely dismissed repeated warnings from allies and others that its own retreat from multilateral diplomacy would create a vacuum that could promote chaos or leave room for the rise of authoritarian powers such as China.

“President Trump and his policy of isolationism has left a giant vacuum around the world,” Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in June 2018. “Who will fill this vacuum? Authoritarian powers? Anyone at all?”

The rise of China on the world stage has been an inevitable byproduct of its increasing economic clout, which has enabled it to leverage massive foreign investment into broader support for its foreign policy. American allies, particularly from Europe, have been warning Trump administration officials that the relative U.S. retreat from international organizations and trade agreements would accelerate China’s growing influence.

“The two most severe challenges to the multilateral order today are the relative decline of American power, and the emergence of China as a rival power to the US in global organisations,” according to a recent policy paper by Richard Gowan and Anthony Dworkin of the European Council on Foreign Relations. “[O]ver the last decade, there has been an observable decline in America’s capacity to shape multilateral affairs.”

Asia experts say that the lax U.S. response to China’s growing diplomatic influence in multilateral institutions is inconsistent with its own effort to contain the rise of a rival power.

“The Trump administration has been all about sharpening the U.S. foreign-policy establishment’s focus on China,” said Kristine Lee, a research associate at the Center for a New American Security. “But to ignore a major component of this equation, of China’s rise in international organizations and multilateral institutions, is shooting yourself in the foot.”

The State Department’s Office of the Inspector General issued a scathing report accusing the bureau’s Assistant Secretary of State Kevin Moley and a top aide of “hostile treatment” of employees and “harassment” of career employees based on claims that they were “disloyal” due to their perceived political views.

Some 50 of IO’s 300 domestic employees have left the bureau since Moley took up the assignment in 2018, and “nearly all of the former employees … stated that poor leadership of the bureau contributed to their decision to depart,” according to the report. Both officials adamantly denied the charges.

Under Moley’s leadership, the bureau has prioritized key issues that are important to the White House, backing efforts to limit access to reproductive health care, rolling back funding for refugees, and advocating budget cuts to U.N. programs. Regional and subject experts have been frozen out of meetings where decisions on policy are made.

Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called for the firing of Moley and anyone else responsible for retaliation against career officials for their perceived political views.

Trump is expected to highlight the global assault on religious freedom when he addresses the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 24. He has surrounded himself with aides who are deeply skeptical of the United Nations and have sought to pare back the U.S. role and funding in the institution.

John Bolton, his national security advisor, has long railed against the international institution as an ineffective and bloated bureaucracy for much of his career, including his tenure as U.N. ambassador under President George W. Bush.

The head of the White House Office of Management and Budget, Mick Mulvaney, has advocated, unsuccessfully, billions of dollars in cuts to U.S. contributions to programs for the U.N. and other international organizations. Under Trump, the United States has withdrawn from the U.N. Human Rights Council and pushed to cut off funding to the U.N. Population Fund and Palestinian refugee agency.

PRC nationals have seen increasing success competing for top jobs in the U.N. and other international organizations. In June, China outmaneuvered the United States in the campaign for the top job at the Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization, delivering Washington a humbling defeat that U.N. watchers say is emblematic of Beijing’s growing clout in the international institutions the United States has pulled back from under Trump.

Beijing’s favored candidate, Qu Dongyu, a Chinese vice minister of agriculture and rural affairs, won a rare first-round victory, receiving 108 of the 191 votes in secret balloting. A French candidate, Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle, supported by the European Union, captured 71 votes. The United States, which broke with its European allies, backed a Georgian candidate, Davit Kirvalidze. He won only 12 votes.

But with a victory for China looking assured, the United States circulated a paper shortly before the vote to delegates urging them to back any candidate capable of beating the Chinese.

“Our primary objective is to beat the Chinese candidate,” according to the U.S. paper, which was obtained by Devex, a news organization that covers humanitarian and development issues. A diplomatic source confirmed to Foreign Policy that the paper cited in the report was consistent with the U.S. negotiating position in the days running up to the vote.

The U.S. paper contended that “Chinese leaders at INTERPOL, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) have demonstrated a bias towards Chinese foreign policy and a lack of transparency and accountability.” It also said “the Chinese DG [director general] candidate has shown a blatant disregard for critical issues, such as those involving sexual harassment and whistleblower protection.”

Hale mentioned the Food and Agriculture Organization debacle in his discussions with the IO bureau, according to the account, noting that “we’ve got some lessons to learn from that experience that we’re now applying to some of the other battles coming up.”

At the same time, the bureau seems to have done little to promote American nationals for jobs at the U.N. When one IO staffer noted that the department’s five-member unit responsible for promoting jobs for U.S. citizens in international organizations had shrunk to zero and asked what strategy was being considered to change that, Hale seemed flummoxed.

“I’m not aware of the strategy, honestly,” Hale said. “I wasn’t aware that that office was completely unstaffed.”

An aide stepped in to assure the staff that he was working with senior bureau officials to get the office back up and running.

But Sullivan and Hale made it clear that pushing back on China’s ambitions in international organizations is a key priority of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Sullivan acknowledged the diminished role of the State Department since the early days of the Trump administration, recalling that the department was on its “back foot” with the White House during former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s tenure.

Asked how the treatment of staff uncovered in the inspector general’s report meshes with Pompeo’s pledge, early in his tenure, to restore the “swagger” of the State Department’s diplomatic corps, Hale answered: “It doesn’t. It absolutely doesn’t. That’s why we are here.”

Sullivan conceded that implementing administration policy with the White House, the National Security Council, and other agencies “has been a challenge.”

Nevertheless, he said he continues to fight for the priorities of the State Department and the secretary of state, in interagency negotiations and in discussions with the White House. But he conceded that he has “probably lost more battles than I’ve won.”

But he also found that senior State Department officials are often paralyzed by a fear stepping out of line with the White House, particularly when it comes to politically sensitive relations with China.

Sullivan said he had detected a certain “timidity” by senior career officials and political appointees when it came to engaging more proactively on China, fearing they might get “crosswise” with the president or his trade representative if they promoted policies that threatened to disrupt trade negotiations with Beijing.

“I wanted at a minimum to provide some top cover to say, ‘Look, we do our job, we talk about Xinjiang, we talk about human rights, we talk about what’s going on in Hong Kong,’” Sullivan said, referring to China’s mass internment of ethnic Muslim minorities in its Xinjiang province and widespread protests in Hong Kong over Beijing’s rule.

Hale and other staffers harkened back to the pre-Trump era, when the IO bureau was at the center of action in diplomatic negotiations at the United Nations. One staffer recalled that the bureau had been a principal player in U.N. summitry but that “over the last few years that power has withered away.”

Hale sought to assure the gathering that the bureau could recover its standing but that it will depend on how they move forward. “People are going to be watching what we’re doing now,” he said. “If we get it right things will start to fall in place. If we get it wrong then obviously we’re going to continue to suffer.”

Maduro 

For countless reasons, the majority of Venezuelans, including many supporters of chavismo, don’t feel represented by Nicolás Maduro as their President

By Pedro Luis Echeverría

When he usurped power in a fraudulent manner and lost credibility from the majority of Venezuelans, since that day, Nicolás Maduro has never been able to become the President of all Venezuelans.

When his intolerance and lack of democratic principles divided Venezuelans, that day he stopped being the President of all Venezuelans. Because of his recurring idiocies, childish lies, stupid reflections and underestimation of the intelligence and capability of his fellow citizens, he lost authority and, that day, stopped being the President of all Venezuelans.

When he chose to squander the nation’s vast oil resources and not use them rationally to meet the enormous needs of the country, he stopped being the President of all Venezuelans.

When he gave up the type of leadership associated with truthfulness and transparency, he stopped being the President of all Venezuelans.

When he decided that his government was some sort of a “black box,” with a completely unknown content and only open to announce all the lies and fallacies that suit his regime, he stopped being the President of all Venezuelans.

When he amended laws in a fraudulent manner to subjugate the people of this country, he stopped being the President of all Venezuelans.

When he disregarded the will of the majority that rejects his permanence in power and systematically violated the Constitution, he stopped being the President of all Venezuelans. Because of his indolent attitude in light of the violations of human rights, of the reigning insecurity in the country and of the widespread and unpunished corruption caused by his regime, he stopped being the President of all Venezuelans.

Each time he tries to cling to power forever and impose a single way of thinking, he stopped being the President of all Venezuelans.

Because of his useless concepts loaded with archaism and political shortsightedness and for not having been able to build, during all this time in office, a solid, reliable, rational and patriotic alternative, focused on central issues and aimed at offering Venezuelans a promising future, he stopped being the President of all of them.

Merit, constancy and decency have become irrelevant in Maduro’s government. What matters now is to obtain benefits at the expense of others. Unfortunately, you see a lot of people with that kind of attitude these days in Venezuela. But this is not about obtaining small benefits like they used to in the past. No, this is about obtaining huge benefits at the expense of destroying the Republic and jeopardizing the future of the country. He forgot that the exercise of power necessarily demands that those holding it must serve the higher interests of the nation and not use it for the benefit of their personal interests and those of their protégées, and that’s another reason why he stopped being the President of all Venezuelans.

So, in the near future, by our will and cooperation of the international community, we Venezuelans are going to make Maduro a President who does not govern anything and does not represent anybody.

 

UN-International Organization for Migration (IOM),  The office in Port of Spain published

IOM REGIONAL RESPONSE OVERVIEW 

Breakdown per country
Location name	Source	Data date	Population
Colombia	Government	31-Jul-19	677,313
Peru	Government	12-Aug-19	466,956
Chile	Government	28-Feb-19	325,025
Argentina	Government	31-Aug-19	171,552
Ecuador	Government	31-May-19	107,052
Brazil	Government	31-Aug-19	97,199
Panama	Government	31-Aug-19	69,100
Mexico	Government	31-Aug-19	46,072
Uruguay	Government	27-Aug-19	13,225
Dominican Republic	Government	30-Jun-19	7,946
Costa Rica	Government	31-Dec-18	5,104
Curaçao	Government	31-Dec-18	1,291
Paraguay	Government	31-Aug-19	1,111
Guyana	Government	07-Apr-19	696
Total asylum claims (Global)
650,606
Last updated 05 Oct 2019
Total asylum claims per country
In some countries, individual records may relate to a case (group of individuals) and not just that of an individual alone.
Location name	Source	Data date	Population
Peru	Government	30-Apr-19	287,114
Brazil	Government	05-Oct-19	115,242
United States of America	Government	31-Aug-19	102,856
Spain	Government	31-Jul-19	58,597
Costa Rica	Government	30-Jun-19	16,236
Mexico	Government	31-Aug-19	15,715
Ecuador	Government	31-Dec-18	13,535
Trinidad and Tobago	UNHCR	31-Aug-19	12,685
Panama	Government	30-Jun-19	10,755
Colombia	Government	08-May-19	5,303
Canada	Government	31-Jan-19	4,273
Chile	Government	30-Jun-19	3,411
Argentina	Government	31-Jul-19	1,940
Various	UNHCR, Government	05-Aug-19	1,374
Curaçao	UNHCR	31-Aug-19	708
Aruba	UNHCR	31-Aug-19	400
Uruguay	Government	31-Jul-19	305
Dominican Republic	UNHCR	31-Aug-19	157

4,054,870 million of Venezuelans are living abroad. 3.3 million (82,5%) of which are in Latin America and the Caribbean countries, according to the most updated official data.

Due to complex and unpredictable developments of the Venezuelan situation, the increase in mixed flows of Venezuelan migrants and refugees in the region has continued. As part of the region’s ongoing efforts to adjust the national mechanisms established to address the Venezuelan migratory flows, countries continue to make adjustments and modifications in their migration policies.

Ecuador

On July 23rd, the presidency of Ecuador signed a decree to implement the issuance of humanitarian visas for Venezuelans in Ecuador. The Decree 826 grants immigration amnesty for all Venezuelan citizens who have regularly entered through the immigration control points into the territory of Ecuador or are in irregular migratory condition because they have exceeded the period of permanence allowed.

The Government of Colombia announced on July 26th the presentation of a draft national migration policy to the Congress of the Republic. The draft policy is based on the ever-changing migratory context in the country.

 Colombia

The Colombian Chancellor assured that the bill was drafted in collaboration with representatives from different parties. According to official available data, around 2 million residence permits, and other forms of regular status have been granted in Latin American and the Caribbean countries since 2015.

As for some of the current ordinary and extra-ordinary regularization mechanisms, the latest update official figures of granted visas and permits are as follows: 2ND Extension of the declarati

 Trinidad and Tobago

In this context, on July 3rd, the Minister of National Security of Trinidad and Tobago gave a clear figure on the total number of Venezuelans that were registered after the two-week Registration Process for Venezuelan migrants (May 31st – June 14, 2019).

This process, supported by IOM, was carried out in three locations: Port of Spain, San Fernando and Scarborough. It reached a total of 16,523 Venezuelans.

On July 26th, the government of Trinidad and Tobago began distributing identification cards for Venezuelans registered through this process. This card is valid for 6 months and is renewable for another 6 months.

NPR

Trinidadian officials estimate as many as 60,000 Venezuelans have recently settled in Trinidad. The government did not respond to NPR’s requests for comment.
Trinidad Faces Humanitarian Crisis As More Venezuelans Come For Refuge

When Reyna landed on a deserted beach she was deeply relieved. Back in her home country of Venezuela, she had been worn down by hyperinflation, street crime and the daily struggle to eat in a country with chronic food shortages.

In February she and about two dozen other Venezuelans who lacked passports paid a boat captain to smuggle them into Trinidad.

She found work in a bar in Port of Spain.

The deep economic crisis afflicting Venezuela has prompted the exodus of 10 percent of the population. Most entered large, countries like Brazil and Colombia. Some arrive on tiny islands off Venezuela’s coast, like Aruba, Curaçao and Trinidad. Many Venezuelans enter Trinidad legally as tourists, then overstay their permits.

Those who lack passports pay boat captains to take them ashore under cover of night. All told, Trinidadian officials estimate as many as 60,000 Venezuelans have recently settled in Trinidad, which has a stable economy from oil, natural gas and petrochemicals.

Trinidad is only slightly larger than Rhode Island and is home to just 1.3 million people. Proportionate to its population, Trinidad received more Venezuelans than almost any other country.

“We are seeing a huge wave of Venezuelans coming,” says Michele Reis, a Trinidadian academic and an expert on migration. “We are on the verge of a humanitarian crisis.“

The government is adopting a harder line toward the newcomers. It ignored petitions from about 10,000 Venezuelans who applied for refugee status, which would allow them to stay here legally. In April, authorities forcibly deported 82 Venezuelans, many seeking asylum.

Trinidad signed the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, which is the basis for international refugee law. The U.N. high commissioner for refugees and human rights groups say the April expulsions were a serious breach of the convention.Trinidad “must respect the fundamental human right to seek asylum and never return people to countries where their lives or freedom are at risk,” Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International, said .

The government did not respond to NPR’s requests for comment. But in April following the deportations, the Prime Minister staunchly defended his policy. “We are not in China. We are not Russia. We are not America, We are a little island — limited space — and therefore we cannot and will not allow the U.N. spokespersons to convert us into a refugee camp.”

Opposition lawmaker Rodney Charles points out that Trinidad is a close ally of Venezuela’s authoritarian regime and, in August, inked a natural gas supply deal with its larger neighbor. Trinidadian officials fear that granting refugee status to Venezuelans would anger Venezuelan President Maduro. Trinidad’s “message for Maduro is that we support him,” Charles says. Despite the official cold shoulder, Venezuelans keep coming. Many arrive in the fishing village of Cedros in southwestern Trinidad, which lies just 7 miles from the Venezuelan coast, within easy reach of people in eastern Venezuela who would otherwise have to travel hundreds of miles to cross into Brazil or Colombia.

One new arrival is met near the dock by her son, who moved here two years ago, and his Trinidadian wife. Immigration officials stamped her passport with a 30-day permit but she has other ideas.

“People here have food.  If I like it here maybe I will stay.” Once settling in, Venezuelans often try to coax family members to join them.

In the central town of Couva, 11 members of the Tovar family have squeezed into a two-bedroom house. Some work washing dishes or unloading cargo trucks for about $500 a month — far more than the $5 they would earn back in Venezuela, where the currency has collapsed.

Samuel, a 28-year-old chef from Caracas, feels like an outcast — unable to speak much English and eyed with suspicion by Trinidadians fed up with the rising number of immigrants. He and his relatives applied for refugee status but heard nothing. He was jailed over the Christmas holiday for overstaying his tourist permit.

This legal limbo affects nearly all facets of life. It makes it easier for employers to get away with underpaying migrants. Their children are sometimes rejected when registering for school.

On the beach at Cedros, a Trinidadian housewife, has tears in her eyes. She has been caring for two Venezuelan girls, ages 11 and 12, who were left behind when their mother was deported nine months ago.

“We saw the hardship of what these girls were going through. We just wanted to help them.“

With consent from the mother in Venezuela, Annette is attempting to adopt the girls. So far she’s run into bureaucratic roadblocks.

“Today the kids have to return because I have no extension for them. Their time is up to stay in Trinidad,” as the girls board a boat for Venezuela.

 

Oil and Gas Climate Initiative

NEW YORK – The Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) announced further initiatives to accelerate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and support the goals of the Paris Agreement, ahead of OGCI’s annual event in New York City.

First, OGCI launched a new initiative to unlock large-scale investment in carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS), a crucial tool to achieve net zero emissions. OGCI’s CCUS KickStarter initiative is designed to help decarbonize multiple industrial hubs around the world, starting with hubs in the US, UK, Norway, the Netherlands and PRC. The aim of the KickStarter is to create the necessary conditions to facilitate a commercially viable, safe and environmentally responsible CCUS industry, with an early aspiration to double the amount of carbon dioxide that is currently stored globally before 2030.

Second, OGCI showed progress towards its methane intensity target announced last year. Members are on track to meet the methane intensity target, having reduced collective methane intensity by 9% in 2018. OGCI is now working on a carbon intensity target to reduce by 2025 the collective average carbon intensity of member companies’ aggregated upstream oil and gas operations.

Third, all OGCI member companies have pledged to support policies that attribute an explicit or implicit value to carbon. Acknowledging the role that attributing a value to carbon plays as one of the most cost-efficient ways to achieve the low carbon transition as early as possible, OGCI supports the introduction of appropriate policies or carbon value mechanisms by governments.

OGCI Climate Investments, OGCI’s US$1 billion-plus fund, has nearly doubled the number of investments in promising clean technologies over the year. The fund now has a total of 15 investments in its portfolio. Climate Investments actively supports these companies in deployment and scale-up as well as continuing to search for additional opportunities in its focus areas.

Heads of OGCI member companies said: “We are scaling up the speed, scale, and impact of our actions in support of the Paris Agreement. Accelerating the energy transition requires sustainable, large-scale actions, different pathways and innovative technological solutions to keep global warming well below 2°C. We are committed to enhancing our efforts as a constructive partner with governments, civil society, business and other stakeholders working together to transition to a net zero economy.”

“The progress towards our methane intensity target makes us confident that the actions we are taking deliver results. We are on track to reach our methane intensity target of 0.25% by 2025. Encouraged by our experience of working together on reducing methane emissions, we are now working on a target to reduce by 2025 the collective average carbon intensity of our aggregated upstream oil and gas emissions.”

Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB)

Volume 12 Number 762 | Tuesday, 24 September 2019
Climate Action Summit Highlights
Monday, 23 September 2019 | UN Headquarters, New York
Languages: EN (HTML/PDF)
Visit our IISD/ENB Meeting Coverage from UN Headquarters, New York at: http://enb.iisd.org/un/summits/2019/climate_summit.html

The UN Climate Action Summit, an initiative of UN Secretary-General António Guterres to encourage increased ambition on climate change action, was attended by over 65 heads of state and governments, in addition to leaders of sub-national governments and the private sector. The opening ceremony was followed by thematic sessions, interspersed with general statements from heads of state and government.

Thematic sessions were held on:

1. Plans for a Carbon Neutral World; Climate Finance;
2. Powering the Future from Coal to Clean;
3. Unlocking the Potential of Nature in Climate Action;
4. Towards a Resilient Future;
5. Small Island Developing States (SIDS);
6. Live, Work and Move Green;
7. Cutting Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Now with Cooling and Energy Efficiency;
8. Adapting Now: Making People Safer;
9. Least Developed Countries (LDCs);
10. People Centered Action Now; and
11. The Economy Moving from Grey to Green.

Opening Ceremony

Guterres highlighted the need to reduce emissions by 45% by 2030. He called for increased acceleration in climate financing, including by implementing the commitment by developed countries to mobilize USD 100 billion annually for developing countries by 2020, and replenishment of the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

A dialogue between youth and the Secretary-General followed.

• Paloma Costa, Brazil, called for all nations to declare a climate emergency.
• Anurag Saha Roy, India, urged governments to support youth entrepreneurs working on climate solutions.
• Stressing that “governments are failing us,” Greta Thunberg, Sweden, said “the world is waking up, and change is coming whether you like it or not.”
• Guterres noted that young people are calling for and implementing climate action.
• Pope Francis called on humanity to cultivate honesty, responsibility, and courage in response to climate change.

New Zealand – Zero Carbon Bill; a ban on new permits for offshore oil and gas exploration; and plans to reduce farming emissions.

Marshall Islands sought pledges to deliver new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by 2020 and achieve net zero global emissions by 2050.

India, announced shifts in national energy policy worth over USD 50 billion, including increases in renewable energy capacity and in the ratio of biofuel blended in petrol and diesel.

Germany aims for climate neutrality by 2050, and noted that EUR 55 billion has been earmarked for investment in low-carbon technology and transformation of the transport and housing sector.

Plans for a Carbon Neutral World    This session focused on announcements of plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 or sooner, including through enhancing NDCs by 2020.

Chile, the host nation for the 25th Conference of Parties (COP 25) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in December 2019, said 30 countries have committed to carbon neutrality by 2030, and over 60 have committed to increasing ambition in their NDCs. He highlighted his country’s efforts to achieve a circular economy.

Finland said the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action assembled by Finland and Chile now has 40 members.

Michael Bloomberg, UN Special Envoy for Climate Action, announced the expansion of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ global coal work to reach the goal of no new coal plants after 2020.

Montreal, Canada, announced plans to reduce the city’s GHG emissions by 55% by 2030, compared to 1990.

Oliver Bäte, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Allianz SE, said the Net Zero Asset Owner Alliance, consisting of 12 large asset owners with USD 2.4 trillion in funds, has committed to fully transition its portfolios to net-zero emissions companies by 2050.

Climate Finance

France is doubling its contribution to the GCF to USD 1.7 billion, and called for a trade instrument to address emissions related to imports.

Qatar plans to make the 2020 FIFA World Cup the first carbon-neutral tournament in the world, and pledged USD 100 million to support the climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts of SIDS and LDCs.

Jamaica said the delivery mechanisms of climate finance remain fragmented and slow.

Powering the Future from Coal to Clean

This session focused on making the economic and business case for shifting to renewable energy and the health case for phasing out coal.

Slovakia will be carbon neutral by 2050, and announced EUR 2.5 billion for climate investments by 2030.

Jane Burston, Executive Director, Clean Air Fund, announced a new philanthropic fund to address the “public health emergency” of air pollution, two-thirds of which comes from burning fossil fuels.

Henrik Poulsen, CEO, Ørsted, said the power company will stop using coal altogether by 2022, and will be carbon neutral by 2025.

Iberdrola has reduced its emissions to a quarter of those of similar energy companies, and he committed to further halving emissions by 2030 and reducing them to net zero by 2050.

General Statements

Costa Rica highlighted measures to ban fossil fuel exploration and exploitation, incentivize electric vehicles, tax fossil fuels and invest the proceeds in nature, and build electric trains.

Indonesia underscored measures to restore degraded lands and conserve mangroves.

PRC said that since 2005 carbon dioxide emissions intensity fell by 45% and the country contributed a quarter of newly afforested land globally.

Unlocking the Potential of Nature in Climate Action

This session focused on announcements on the scaling up of nature-based solutions in NDCs and long-term, low-GHG emissions development strategies (LEDS) to increase ambition and concrete actions to protect nature, and to better fight climate change.

Pakistan has planted 1.1 billion trees in the past five years and aims to plant 10 billion in the next five years.

Norway will strengthen its NDC, submit a LEDS, and double its contributions to the GCF. Highlighting the potential of oceans-based climate action, it called for making COP 25 a “blue COP.”

Democratic Republic of Congo, warned that while forests and peatlands capture 30% of GHG emissions, they only receive 1% of available financing.

Guatemala, described a USD 200 million initiative for reforestation and forest preservation, and encouraged the use of biofilters to clean up rivers, saying they have been used to remove 60% of the floating waste from Guatemalan rivers.

Danone, announced the launch of One Planet Business for Biodiversity, a coalition of 20 large food and other agro-based companies that will incorporate nature-based solutions. The coalition will work to restore soil health, create demand for crop variety, and address deforestation.

General Statements

Iceland doubled its contribution to the GCF and proposed a price on carbon. Smart policies can keep the cost of climate action low. There is a need for climate justice.

Denmark said the new government aims for a 70% reduction in emissions by 2030 from 1990 levels and urged a just and fair transition.

Colombia, highlighted national actions including electric mobility incentives, corporate income tax discounts for investments in clean energy, and a goal to plant 100 million trees by 2022.

Towards a Resilient Future

This session addressed plans to mainstream climate risk in decision making.

Fiji outlined measures including a goal to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2030, and relocating vulnerable communities and infrastructure.

Nigeria will expand its green bonds, and achieve 30% renewable energy by 2030.

The Netherlands goal is to reduce emissions by 49% in 2030, and 95% in 2050, compared to 1990. It supports an EU enhanced 2030 emissions reduction target and a 2050 climate-neutrality goal.

Mark Carney, Governor, Bank of England, supported: mandatory disclosure of climate-related risks in line with the guidelines of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures; improving the ability of capital providers to address climate-related financial risk; and the introduction of transition indices to capture “50 shades of green.”

Wills Towers Watson said the newly launched Coalition for Climate Resilient Investment, which represents 34 companies and organizations with more than USD 5 trillion in assets, will develop analytical tools to better understand climate risk and plans to make innovative investments.

General Statements

Morocco underlined a national commitment to the African Youth Climate Hub set up by the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection.

Portugal presented policies put in place to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, such as a carbon tax, and highlighted plans to phase out fossil fuels.

Singapore pledged USD 5 million to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Specialised Meteorological Centre and noted efforts to increase the country’s reliance on solar energy.

Small Island Developing States

This session focused on the vision of SIDS for developing along a resilient and carbon-neutral pathway, with the support of the international community.

Barbados noted the “SIDS Package” of climate actions. The Alliance of Small Island States committed to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

Palau described a SIDS sustainable energy package as a blueprint for partnerships, including for leveraging multilateral mechanisms to achieve public-private partnerships.

Saint Lucia urged the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to establish a dedicated climate fund for SIDS.

Maldives outlined a national programme on Integrating Climate Change Risks into Resilient Island Planning.

International Renewable Energy Agency, outlined the Climate Investment Platform to support SIDS and other developing countries in implementing their NDCs, and facilitate private sector engagement to accelerate the energy transition.

General Statements

Ecuador, described national efforts to reduce deforestation and guarantee the rights of nature and of current and future generations. He called for the re-capitalization of the GCF.

Ireland announced plans to, among other things, take coal off the grid by 2025, increase renewable energy from 30% to 70% in ten years, ringfence revenues from a carbon tax for climate action, and prohibit diesel and petrol vehicles by 2030.

Russian Federation, announced its ratification of the Paris Agreement.

Live, Work and Move Green

This session focused on concrete actions to transition to a decarbonized built environment, sustainable mobility systems, and specifically tailored financial and technical support for urban transitions.

Turkey highlighted a transition to natural gas for household energy needs and a commitment to increase the share of renewable energy in the energy mix. Outcomes from the Infrastructure, Cities and Local Action “track,” include commitments to decarbonize the building sector under the Zero Carbon Buildings for All initiative.

Kenya is shifting to renewable energy, will plant two billion trees by 2022 and reported on outcomes from the Infrastructure, Cities and Local Action track, an initiative on Building the Climate Resilience of the Urban Poor, which aims to build the resilience of 600 million vulnerable people.

Maine, US, pledged to become carbon neutral by 2045.

Surabaya, Indonesia, is protecting urban forests, planting millions of trees, and launched a climate-friendly transport initiative.

European Investment Bank will align all its financing with Paris Agreement goals by 2020 and announced the Leadership for Urban Climate Investment initiative to accelerate climate finance for cities.

General Statements

Belgium described several EU initiatives, such as a proposal to spend up to 25% of its budget on climate change.

Chad said climate change causes an exodus from rural areas and exacerbates terrorism, underscored the high cost of transitioning to renewable energy, and urged countries to honor their financial commitments.

Greece, outlined plans to close all lignite power plants by 2028, ban single-use plastics by 2021, and convene a high-level meeting in Athens in 2020 to adopt a declaration for the protection of cultural and natural heritage from climate change impacts.

Djibouti plans to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2030.

Cutting GHG Emissions Now with Cooling and Energy Efficiency

This session focused on concrete and transformative actions to deliver climate-friendly and efficient cooling plans and the scaling-up and delivery of energy efficiency in NDCs and LEDS.

Seychelles highlighted a 100% renewable energy goal, energy efficiency measures, the development of a national strategy on electric mobility, and efforts under the Green Cooling Africa Initiative.

Copenhagen highlighted the need to support cities in exploring innovative urban cooling efforts.

Children Investment Fund Foundation, announced a USD 20 million contribution to the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program, and highlighted the Cool Coalition partnership of governments, businesses, and civil society.

Signify called on others to join the Three Percent Club of countries and companies committed to achieving 3% annual progress on energy efficiency.

General Statements

Republic of Korea, pledged to double contributions to the GCF, described a national emissions trading system, and shut down four coal power plants, with six more to be closed by 2022.

Swatini needs USD 150 million to implement its strategic plan on renewable energy and aims to increase energy access to 90% of the population.

Monaco committed to contributing to the GCF replenishment and outlined plans for a 50% reduction of emissions by 2030 in the housing sector.

Adapting Now: Making People Safer

This session focused on concrete regional and global actions to better adapt to climate change and prevent and respond to disasters.

Bangladesh announced the launch of the multi-stakeholder Risk-Informed Early Action Partnership.

Tuntiak Katan said indigenous peoples protect 80% of the world’s biodiversity and preserving this natural capital would benefit all.

Bill Gates, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, announced support of over USD 790 million for smallholder farmers to adapt to climate change; and pledged USD 310 million over the next ten years for CGIAR to tackle climate change and make food production more productive.

World Bank Group, highlighted the Global Risk Financing Facility to help vulnerable countries manage the financial impact of climate change and natural hazard-induced shocks.

General Statements

Thailand said the ASEAN region’s 2025 blueprint includes targets to reduce the average fuel consumption of new light-duty vehicles, and to enact fiscal policy measures related to fuel consumption at national levels, while striving for a regional standard.

Luxembourg plans to provide free public transportation i by 2020 and to become a leader in climate financing, including by using innovative financing.

Least Developed Countries

This session focused on the vision of LDCs for developing along a resilient and carbon-neutral pathway, with the support of the international community.

Ethiopia announced targets under the sustainable energy access track to ensure that no one is left behind in the clean energy transition and set a world record by planting 350 million trees in 12 hours.

Vanuatu will allocate 15% of the 2020 fiscal budget to improve climate resilience, and include quantified adaptation efforts in its revised NDC.

Masen will launch a programme, in 2020, for financial and legal support to develop accelerated renewable energy projects, and for sharing capacity-building expertise.

African Development Bank (AfDB), announced: doubling of climate finance to USD 25 billion by 2025, of which 49% is reserved for adaptation; the launch of a Disaster Risk Financing Facility; and a green baseload facility to shift from financing coal to renewable energy.

Bhutan is carbon negative and 72% of the country is under forest cover. The LDC group plans to deliver climate-resilient pathways by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050, and needs support of USD 450 million to reach these goals.

General Statement

The European Council said the European green deal will soon be presented, and many member states have already endorsed a goal of EU carbon neutrality by 2050.

Sierra Leone will plant 2 million trees by 2023 and create promote and facilitate markets for renewable energy technologies.

Switzerland is committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

Lithuania announced a global initiative on sustainable heating.

People Centered Action Now

This session featured announcements on people-focused climate action – jobs, gender, and other social drivers as enablers of greater national and sub-national ambition.

Spain announced contributions of EUR 55 million to the GCF and EUR 2 million to the Adaptation Fund.

Peru presented a global initiative on air pollution, under which 41 countries and 71 cities committed to improve clean air standards.

International Trade Union Confederation said climate action must be combined with a just transition.

Engi, called for an inclusive transition.

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development said nine multilateral development banks have committed to raise their annual global climate action investment to USD 175 billion by 2025.

Hungary pledged USD 6 million in international climate finance, and reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 32% since 1990.

The Economy Moving from Grey to Green

This session featured announcements of concrete and ambitious actions to get to carbon neutrality before 2050.

Sweden announced a doubling of the country’s contribution to the GCF and the launch, with India, of a Leadership Group for Industry Transition to accelerate fossil fuel-free transitions for heavy industry.

Dalmia will be carbon negative by 2040.

SSAB said the first steel mill without carbon dioxide emissions will be operational in 2025.

Antwerp Port Authority underscored the crucial role of ports in providing infrastructure to support the transition to zero-carbon shipping.

Maersk targets carbon neutrality by 2050.

General Statement

Plurinational State of Bolivia outlined national plans regarding forests, access to water, renewable energy, and waste.

Republic of the Congo highlighted: the goal of reforesting one million hectares by 2025; the Blue Fund for the Congo Basin launched in 2016; and a partnership with France for financing and implementing a REDD+ investment plan.

Italy said LEDS will aim at carbon neutrality by 2050, with a commitment to phase out coal-fired power by 2025.

UK expressed confidence that it can achieve its net-zero by 2050 target, and announced a doubling of UK spending on climate change through the country’s official development assistance.

Closing Remarks from the Secretary-General

In closing remarks, Guterres noted key announcements made during the day, including the 77 countries, 10 regions and 100 cities that committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. While warning of the work that still lies ahead, he reiterated his call for no new coal plants to be built from 2020.

In the Corridors

The General Assembly hall was filled with expectation as the Summit began on Monday morning, but by the time Greta Thunberg finished her enraged speech, the mood had decisively changed to one of discomfort. One delegate observed that the very air seemed to leave the room, and “the truth hurts.”

The string of commitments to carbon neutrality and to double contributions to the GCF elicited applause. However, one observer expressed concern that the sum total of new contributions is “tragically insufficient” in light of the scale of the fundamental transformation that is needed.

Throughout the day, Greta’s words hung in the air. Observers wondered whether any of the day’s commitments really counter the “fairy tales of eternal economic growth.” As the day drew to a close, some wondered whether the SDG Summit, starting the next day, would hold promise for the transformative changes that many speakers acknowledged to be desperately needed.

Comment:

Climate is blamed for failures due to poor governance which is causing migrants to flee subsaharan states where 390 million face hunger. The African diaspora  include 20 members of CARICOM, all dependent on international aid.

The UN lists Jamaica, Belize, St Lucia and Dominica in the top 10 countries with the highest homicide rates. St Vincent/Grenadines, St Kitts/Nevis, Guyana, Barbados, Bermuda, Antigua/Barbuda, Grenada, Haiti and Trinidad & Tobago have the most murders, above 10 per 100,000. The 2019 murder toll approaches 400 in Trinidad & Tobago, population 1.3 million.

The UN needs cash to pay its bureaucrats squandering resources on overseas trips.  Of 64 states owing budget dues for 2019, over 50 % are Africans and their Caribbean diaspora including CARICOM members Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. Of 27 subsaharan passengers from Angola to Togo, Nigeria spoke and DRC wanted funds for GHG.

Venezuela and Panama also owe dues.

World Bank representative

THE World Bank appointed German national, Ozan Sevimli, as its new Resident Representative for Guyana and Jamaica. The announcement stated that Sevimli will be stationed in Kingston, Jamaica and will focus on leading the World Bank policy dialogue and managing the country programs and teams to support development.

He holds a master degree in Business Administration from the University of Texas and a master degree in Labour Economics from the University of Applied Sciences of Mannheim. Since joining the Bank in 2004, he held several positions which include his service at the Bank’s Africa Region and Europe and Central Asia Region.

Most recently, Sevimli served as the World Bank’s Program Coordinator for the South Caucasus based in Tbilisi, Georgia. During his tenure in Guyana and Jamaica, he will work closely with the government, private sector and civil society.

He replaces Galina Sotirova, a Bulgarian national, who held the position for the past four years. Sevimli said in a release from the Bank. “I feel honored by this opportunity to help further expand and strengthen our excellent partnerships with both Guyana and Jamaica. I look forward to supporting both countries on their development priorities for boosting growth and prosperity and reducing poverty.”

The World Bank has noted Guyana as a middle-income country well-endowed with natural resources, fertile agricultural lands, bauxite, gold and tropical forests that cover over 80 per cent of the country and expects the economy to grow some 4.6 per cent in 2019 and over 30 percent in 2020 due to oil production.