Barbados: PM Mia Mottley calls for UN reform and climate action at UNGA 2026

New York: The Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley, in her address at the 81st United Nations General Assembly appealed for stronger multilateralism and reforms within the international organisations, emphasising that the growing global challenges need governments to turn existing knowledge and commitments into practice.

Mia Mottley highlighted global challenges, which she referred to as a “crisis of responsibility” She mentioned various issues, such as conflicts, food and water crisis, lack of access to financing and unequal access to quality healthcare and education.

She discussed the major challenge of climate change and weakening trust among countries and institutions covered by her during the address at the United Nations General Assembly.

A significant part of her speech emphasized reforming the UN Security Council. She noted that the Council’s current structure fails to reflect today’s geopolitical reality, pointing out that there is no permanent African representation on the Security Council.

She also said that Small Island developing nations have no permanent representation, despite representing about one-quarter of the world’s nations. She appealed for changes to how power is exercised in the council.

She stated that Barbados is joining other 123 member countries at the UNSC in promoting the Franco-Mexican initiative, intended to restrain the use of veto power during the mass-atrocity situations. She argued that the veto power should not block the Security Council decisions where genocide, crimes against humanity or mass war crimes are involved.

Mottley appealed for more stronger and active UN involvement in peace talks in between the countries at war and appealed for more powerful peacekeeping, comprising rapid-response observer teams, practical mandates and reliable financing.

She particularly responded to the conflicts in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Yemen, Sudan and Ukraine and appealed for a two-state solution protecting the rights of Israelis and Palestinians and addressing territorial issues continued to be necessary.

Mottley also focused on the problems of climate funding and economic inequality, stating that climate-sensitive nations need around US$490 billion yearly by 2030, comparing the existing inflows of approximately US$90 billion.