Dominica’s President Sylvanie Burton urged the international community to invest in climate resilience before disasters occur, arguing that the current approach leaves vulnerable countries borrowing to rebuild infrastructure that could have been protected.
Addressing the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, Burton said Hurricane Maria’s devastation in 2017 showed why resilience must begin before a storm, through stronger roads, buildings, water systems, health facilities and public institutions.
“The best time to build resilience is before disaster. The best time to finance transformation is before crisis,” she told world leaders.
Burton called for easier access to concessional loans and grants for climate adaptation, stronger disaster clauses in sovereign debt agreements, and financing that can be released quickly when catastrophe strikes.
She also backed using multidimensional vulnerability in development finance decisions, saying traditional approaches fail to account for the risks small island states face.
“Dominica does not come to the United Nations asking to be treated as a victim of vulnerability. We come asking to be recognised as a partner in transformation,” Burton said.
The President argued that preventing the destruction of a school, hospital or water system should be treated as an investment in development.
Dominica, she said, is prepared to demonstrate what a financing model built around resilience could achieve.
