Former US President pleads to donors on Dominica’s behalf
Former President of the United States Bill Clinton has pleaded on the behalf of island of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) especially that of Dominica.
President Clinton made his desperate call to those present at a CARICOM-UN Donor’s Conference which was held in New York on Tuesday 21 November 2017 where he asked donor’s to jump on board with the vision to create climate resilient nations.
He explained that he grew close Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit because of the work his foundation has been doing on the island.
“Dominica got the living daylights kicked out of it…You look at what is being done if this disaster had happened ten years ago, there would not have been anybody in the Caribbean who would have said here help us build back and we can show the world how we can grow the economy and drastically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. Here let us show you how to build sustainable housing, let us show you how we can do it without giving up the uniqueness of our architecture or the richness of our culture,” he said.
President Clinton was not shy to say boldly to those in attendance that for years they have spoken about what can be done and even made moves to develop plans, competing with how much each knows about climate change and sustainable development.
Now he said the chance has come in the form of a disaster which created the world’s only laboratory which he described as both diverse and confined in population, geographic reach and cost.
“We can test everything we all say we believe and see if we’re right enough and if we aren’t right on everything you will have the moral solace of knowing that you didn’t let Barbuda vanish from the face of the earth, you will have the political confidence to know you didn’t let a man in a small place like Dominica who thought big and long term in the future go begging you for the want of a dollar or two,” he said.
This chance he told them is about once in a lifetime to do so much good such as correcting the problems of the past while building a different future, so quickly with little money.
“So I’m pleading with you, I’ve been doing this for decades, once in a blue moon you get a choice and a chance and you also are in my opinion lucky to have a UN leadership team who really understand this I mean in a granular way and I thank you don’t let this go. Give what you’re going to give today and when you go back figure out what you will like and need from these countries to give more, what you would like and need to make commitments that last three years and five years or six years or however long it takes. You are never going to get another chance at least in my lifetime…but you got a real chance and because you have that chance you got an obligation,” he urged.
He begged them to not give up on the world’s best chances to test everything they believe in about sustainability, climate change, poverty alleviation and improved health.
“You’ve got a laboratory that could become the jewel of the world, the first stop on the sustainability triumph tour and you could do it within five to ten years, please don’t pass it up and they won’t waste it for you,” said President Clinton.
