Barbados PM: The world needs a ‘reset’

Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados told the United Nations General Assembly Debate on Friday that the world needs a “reset,” stating that, over the last four years, the global community has faced “poly-crises.”

“We continue to wrestle with the climate crisis as a human family; we grapple with the legacy of the pandemic,” Mottley said during the 79th session of the General Assembly Debate.

“We are now regrettably confronted by multiple theaters of war and scenes of horror and famine flowing from that war, armed conflict, instead of pursuing the development of citizens of every country,” she added.

Citing Ukraine and Gaza, as well as Sudan, Mottley said that the world could not “afford the distraction of war,” saying that “if ever there was a time to pause and to reset, it is now collectively, collectively as an international community and individually, as leaders in each of our countries.”

She said it was incumbent on leaders to “deliver new opportunities and solutions to these crises which dampen economic growth, which restrict the ambitions of our people and numb our sense of the beauty and goodness that the world ought to be offering.”

The Barbadian leader added that this reset is what “all of our citizens are demanding.”

She said that too many people “go to bed with their belly hungry.”

An inability to reset globally will foster “a crisis of confidence in the existing international order, which must become inclusive and responsive for all,” Mottley said.

She said this global reset should target the rules and institutions, aiming to end discrimination and processes that create first- and second-class citizens depending on your nation of origin.

Recalling that 2024 was the final year of the UN Decade, Mottley said that while much had been achieved, Barbados and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) were joining the growing chorus for the immediate proclamation of a second Decade to address reparations for slavery and colonialism. 

She said that as wars continue to rage around the world, the UN has an important role.

“There are few areas where the world is more in need of the United Nations acting as the United Nations to secure the objectives of the Charter than in the area of peace and security,” Mottle said.

However, she added that the UN, especially the Security Council, needs reform, underlining that the current configuration of permanent and non-permanent members “has no place in the 21st century.”

The Barbadian Prime Minister highlighted areas where she felt reason for optimism, including the adoption by global leaders of the Pact for the Future. This landmark declaration sets out countries’ commitments to foster sustainable development, peace, and stronger global governance.

Ultimately, she said, “above all else, we need a global reset on peace. There needs to be global peace. It can’t be too difficult to work for peace.”