By Val Matthias. Updated 9:10 p.m., Friday, September 25, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).
Prime Minister Dr. Godwin Friday has told the United Nations that small island states should no longer be forced into unsustainable debt to rebuild after climate disasters, declaring that concessional climate finance is “justice, not charity.”
Delivering his inaugural address to the General Debate of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, Dr. Friday said St. Vincent and the Grenadines lives on the front line of climate change and cannot continue borrowing simply to replace what hurricanes repeatedly destroy.
“We cannot continue to walk up the down escalator pretending it is development,” he told world leaders.
The Prime Minister renewed his call for the full implementation of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index, arguing that access to concessional financing should reflect the real climate risks facing small island developing states rather than income classifications alone.
He also endorsed reforms under the Bridgetown Initiative, including automatic debt-service suspension when disasters strike, expanded Special Drawing Rights and multilateral development banks that operate as development partners instead of commercial lenders.
Dr. Friday said St. Vincent and the Grenadines continues to experience the financial consequences of extreme weather, recalling the devastation caused by Hurricane Beryl and warning that climate emergencies have become recurring economic crises for vulnerable island nations.
He argued that countries contributing least to global emissions are bearing the highest costs.
“Affordable, patient, concessional capital is not charity to small states. It is justice for states that contribute the least to the climate crisis yet bear the highest costs,” Dr. Friday said.
The Prime Minister said restoring trust in the international system depends on creating fairer financial arrangements for vulnerable nations, adding that resilience cannot be achieved while countries remain trapped in cycles of borrowing to recover from disasters.
His address formed part of the General Debate under the theme “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that Delivers for All.
Dr. Friday’s call was tied to ongoing international efforts to reform the way climate-vulnerable countries access development financing. He renewed support for the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index, a framework designed to assess factors such as climate risk, exposure to natural disasters, economic shocks and resilience, rather than relying solely on income levels when determining eligibility for concessional financing.
The Prime Minister also endorsed reforms proposed under the Bridgetown Initiative, a global financing agenda launched by Barbados in 2022. The initiative advocates measures including greater access to concessional funding, debt-payment relief following natural disasters, expanded emergency financing
and reforms to international development banks. Supporters argue that such changes would help small island developing states recover from climate-related disasters without becoming trapped in unsustainable debt.
END
About the Author: This story was written and submitted by freelance journalist Mr. Val Matthias, a trained communicator with more than two decades in the media sector. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Media and Communication (UWI Mona), a Master of Science in Tourism and Hospitality Management (UWI Cave Hill), a Certificate in Digital Marketing, and has years of broadcast journalism experience rising to ranks of a programme manager. All supporting materials for this story have been presented, vetted, and verified. Mr Matthias can be reached at valmatthias188@gmail.com
