WATCH: Bill Clinton addresses CARICOM-UN pledging conference

Last updated: 22 November 2017, 1:28 pm

Former US President Bill Clinton has spoken at a United Nations and Caribbean Community (CARICOM) conference in New York City.

The ex-leader, who was in power from 1993 to 2001, began by telling delegates he had tried to be a friend of the Caribbean stretching back 25 years.

"We know island nations all over the world are imperilled by climate change," he said.

He made a special mention of Dominica, who he said had "the living daylights kicked out of it" during September's hurricanes.

He praised Dominica's Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit for coming to the international community and requesting help to rebuild.

"If this disaster had happened 10 years ago there would not have been anybody in the Caribbean who would have said 'here, help us build back and we will show the world how we can grow the economy and drastically reduce out greenhouse gas emissions'."

Clinton was described as a "distinguished and special friend of the region" by Grenada's Prime Minister Keith Mitchell.