Barbados Prime Minister Calls for Action on Climate Finance, AI Governance and UN Reform

Speaking to the UN General Assembly, Prime Minister Mia Mottley stressed that the world now possesses extensive data and technical capacity to address challenges ranging from peace and food security to water, finance, education and opportunity. Yet she described a recurring failure to move from knowing to doing, labeling it a “crisis of responsibility.” Mottley argued that nations must accept mutual accountability and translate scientific insight into concrete policies and programmes, rather than relying solely on knowledge without implementation.

Mottley warned that climate‑vulnerable countries will need roughly $490 billion each year by 2030 to fund adaptation, while current international flows amount to about $90 billion annually. She highlighted that climate resilience, debt sustainability and affordable finance are interconnected issues, and that treating them as separate streams can undermine effectiveness. The Prime Minister also pointed to growing inequality as a driver of geopolitical tensions, underscoring the urgency of scaling up climate finance to meet the scale of need.

Turning to artificial intelligence, Mottley said the technology can improve health, disaster prediction, agriculture, education and public services, but warned it could also reproduce discrimination, expand surveillance and spread misinformation if left unchecked. She called for AI rules shaped by all states, not solely by corporations or technologically advanced nations. In parallel, she supported a Franco‑Mexican initiative backed by 123 Member States to restrict the UN Security Council veto in mass‑atrocity situations, and urged greater investment in conflict prevention, mediation and adequately resourced peacekeeping to act before violence escalates.