Browne Urges Justice, Peace and Reform at UN Assembly

Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne used his address to the 80th United Nations General Assembly on Friday to issue a sharp call for global justice, decisive climate action and reforms that would give vulnerable nations a stronger voice in world affairs.

Speaking from the perspective of “a small micro state on the frontline of a climate crisis,” Browne warned that a retreat from multilateralism and indifference to human rights signaled a dangerous turning point for humanity. He urged world leaders to restore the founding principles of the UN Charter — compassion, solidarity, justice, and respect for law.

On climate change, Browne outlined an ambitious vision: a cap on fossil fuel use, followed by a fair global phase-down and phase-out. He pressed for a carbon levy on the world’s biggest emitters, stronger financing through the Loss and Damage Fund, and reforms that would allow the most vulnerable countries to access affordable capital before disasters strike.

The Prime Minister repeated Antigua and Barbuda’s longstanding push for the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index as a fairer measure for concessional lending, and called for long-term loans with climate-resilient debt clauses and local-currency lending options.

Browne also turned to the ocean, warning of the threats of plastics, pollution and illegal fishing. He backed a global moratorium on seabed mining “until independent science proves no serious harm,” and encouraged investment in blue-carbon initiatives.

Underscoring his country’s reliance on law and justice, Browne pointed to recent rulings at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and the International Court of Justice that clarified climate obligations. If major polluters refuse to act, he said, vulnerable nations must preserve their right to seek remedies in international courts.

On wider security issues, Browne condemned genocide and forced removals in Gaza while urging the release of Israeli hostages and renewed commitment to a two-state solution. He called for diplomacy in Ukraine, a unified Haitian-led stabilization plan with transparent funding, respect for sovereignty in counter-narcotics operations, and the normalization of U.S.–Cuba relations.

Mental health and non-communicable diseases were also high on Browne’s agenda. He pushed for a UN resolution recognizing mental health as a pillar of development, echoing an earlier resolution adopted by the Organization of American States. He also called for urgent international action to curb NCDs, which remain the leading killers in the Caribbean.

Browne ended his address with a challenge to the international community:
“If this world is truly better together, let us be accountable together — to all nations, to future generations, and to those against whom power is wielded.”