Excellencies,
Guyana commends your initiative in organizing this High-Level Meeting on Hurricane Irma to hear, firsthand, the assessment of the situation in the affected countries and territories.
Today, there can be no doubt of the severity of the impact nor of the urgency of existing needs.
The evidence of the increasing incidence and vulnerability of our planet, and especially small island and low-lying coastal developing states, to the impacts of climate change and natural disasters, is before our eyes. It compounds preexistent challenges and the vicious cycle of development faced by countries of the Caribbean. The massive destruction caused by Hurricane Irma is but the latest and a sad illustration.
Guyana expresses its solidarity with the countries and people affected by Hurricane Irma. In collaboration with CARICOM, Guyana commits to doing its part in a tangible manner to contribute to relief efforts. We call for the urgent and substantive support of the international community to respond to this disaster and to rebuild better and stronger.