PM Browne speaks to news anchor on the sidelines of UN conference in NY
Prime Minister Gaston Browne used his first day at the 80th United Nations General Assembly not only to press global leaders for climate justice but also to showcase Antigua and Barbuda’s successes as a small island state punching above its weight.
Fielding questions from international media, Browne addressed the critical challenges facing Small Island Developing States (SIDS), from climate finance to adaptation and governance. But he also pointed to Antigua and Barbuda’s progress at home as evidence that small nations can be global leaders.
The Prime Minister reinforced Antigua and Barbuda’s role as a founding architect of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS) and a champion of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI), which he said should be adopted globally to ensure fairer access to finance.
The event drew leaders, policymakers, civil society groups, and development partners from across the globe, producing the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS), a comprehensive action plan to guide sustainable development for island states over the next decade.
By linking the success of SIDS4 to ongoing climate and development negotiations at UNGA80, Browne underscored Antigua and Barbuda’s dual role: as both a vulnerable small island and a leader in shaping global policy
Antigua and Barbuda’s smooth organization of the conference, from high-level dialogues to cultural showcases, earned international praise and reinforced the country’s reputation as a reliable and capable partner in global diplomacy.
The MVI could be the single most important reform for small states since independence. Browne is right to push it at the UN.
SIDS4 was a diplomatic and logistical triumph. The fact that Antigua pulled it off so smoothly has boosted its credibility on the world stage.
Global leaders can no longer dismiss small islands as powerless. Antigua and Barbuda is showing that leadership isn’t about size, it’s about vision.
This is climate justice diplomacy at its sharpest, pairing moral urgency with concrete policy tools.
Well done PM Browne…represent your island nation like the classy, educated and dynamic leader that you are
Prime Minister Browne is absolutely right vulnerability must be part of the equation for climate finance. Small islands cannot keep paying for a crisis they did not create.
Hosting SIDS4 so successfully and now carrying that momentum to the UN is a big win for Antigua and Barbuda. Well done
It’s refreshing to see a leader not only highlighting the struggles but also showcasing the achievements of small states. This is how respect is earned globally
Every degree of warming really is an “invoice.” These words need to stick with the world’s biggest polluters who have been ignoring the costs for far too long
Proud moment for Antigua and Barbuda. Small but mighty on the global stage.
Antigua and Barbuda is proving that size doesn’t limit leadership. So proud to see our nation shaping global policy at UNGA80.