Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness on Friday condemned the failure of developed nations to honour climate finance pledges and criticised a global system that, he said, locks vulnerable states out of fair financing to help mitigate the increasing effects of global warming.

Making his contribution to the United Nations (UN) General Assembly’s 80th general debate, the Jamaican head of Government also urged reforms to create a UN that is more inclusive and responsive to smaller nations.

“Let us not leave this assembly with words alone, but with commitments that deliver real change,” he told delegates on day four of the debate.

Holness pointed out that although Jamaica has slashed its debt-to-GDP ratio from 144 per cent to 62 per cent through years of fiscal discipline, the country continues to face barriers to affordable financing.

“Jamaica has demonstrated unwavering leadership in climate action despite our limited resources. We have committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 and have implemented our national adaptation plan with specific measures to build resilience across key sectors, and we are on track to achieve our renewable energy target of 50 per cent by 2030. However, our efforts and those of other states are severely constrained by the lack of predictable access to financing… The global financing system remains fundamentally flawed. It penalises reforming economies like Jamaica with high borrowing costs while ignoring our vulnerabilities,” he said.

He also criticised the repeated failure of wealthy countries to deliver on climate finance promises and called for the issue of climate change and its impact on the Caribbean to be taken more seriously.

“The promise of a hundred billion dollars annually remains unfulfilled. The loss and damage fund established at COP28 was historic, yet its initial capitalisation of $800 million is grossly inadequate. Developed countries must honour their commitments and scale up climate finance, recognising that adaptation is a necessity for the survival of small island developing states,” he said.

As a result, Holness declared that Jamaica supports a new way of measuring countries’ needs — called the multidimensional vulnerability index — which would give fairer access to cheaper loans. He also backed creative financing tools such as swapping debt for climate or environmental projects and using mixed funding to attract private investment while easing debt.

The prime minister also welcomed the International Monetary Fund’s Resilience and Sustainability Trust and called for it to be expanded so more countries can get help to build climate resilience.

“Climate change is not a distant threat or an academic consideration, it is a daily reality for small island developing states like Jamaica. Frequent hurricanes, droughts, and erratic rainfall destroy infrastructure, displace communities, and set back decades of hard-fought progress,” he said.

Holness’s call for fairness extended beyond climate and finance.

On the war in Gaza, he condemned the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel but also expressed deep alarm at Israel’s counteroffensive.

“A just and peaceful resolution to the conflict is only possible through diplomacy and dialogue. We continue to support United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 and support the call for a ceasefire agreement that includes the release of all remaining hostages and definitively ending the protracted war and human suffering,” he said.

Holness, who is also the current chairman of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), also turned his attention to Haiti, urging member states — particularly those on the Security Council — to act on the UN secretary general’s recommendations by creating a stronger hybrid mechanism to address the crisis.

“Despite progress made, the situation remains dire,” he warned.

“…Security operations alone will not suffice. Haiti’s governance deficit and fragile institutional framework must be addressed. Once stability is restored, the international community must help rebuild democratic institutions, ensure free and fair elections, expand humanitarian relief, and invest in infrastructure to support long-term stability,” he added.

Haiti has been gripped by soaring violence with swaths of the country and the vast majority of the capital, Port-au-Prince, under the control of armed gangs.

The situation deteriorated further in early 2024 when a coalition of gangs launched a wave of attacks, leading to Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s resignation and handing over of power to a presidential transition council.

The deployment of a Kenyan-led multinational force to back up Haiti’s police has also failed to quell the violence.

Also on Friday, Holness turned his attention to transnational criminal gangs, warning that they are now a global menace while pointing to Jamaica’s attempt to tackle organised crime.

“Gangs are now global syndicates with resources that rival nation states …This is why we call for nothing less than a global war on gangs, a coordinated international campaign to cut off the flow of weapons, money, and the influence that sustains them. This requires deeper engagement from all member states. We urge full implementation of the UN programme of action on small arms and light weapons and international tracing instrument,” he said.

As Jamaica marks 63 years of UN membership, Holness concluded with a challenge to the global community: “The challenges before us — climate change, debt, poverty, conflicts, and crime — are formidable, but our capacity for collective action is greater. Jamaica stands ready to work with all member states in partnership and solidarity to create a future defined by peace, prosperity, and dignity for all,” he said.