As members of the United Nations gather in New York for the 8th High-Level Assembly, the countries of the Caribbean come with both hope and urgency. Though small in geographic size and population, the Caribbean nations bring to the table a strong moral voice at a time when the world is shaken by war, division, and a collapse of trust in the very institutions meant to preserve peace.
For the Caribbean, the number one issue is also the world’s most pressing: the persistence of war and the growing acceptance of brute force as the defining instrument of global relations. Increasingly, the “rule of the jungle” seems to dominate, where military might substitutes for diplomacy and raw power decides justice.
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Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados stood out in this moment with a clear appeal for a rule-based order—an order where disputes are settled not by force, but by rules and institutions like the UN, designed to uphold fairness and justice. She reminded the world that violence solves nothing. It is inhumane, it is destructive, and, as history has shown, it leaves behind devastation masked as peace. “Deserts are created,” she observed, “and it is called peace.”
Her words carried a familiar Caribbean echo: the warning in Bob Marley’s prophecy about war. Marley spoke of the tragedy born when one people deny the humanity of another, using famine, force, or sheer domination to destroy lives. This prophecy is as alive today as it was when sung decades ago. From Gaza to Ukraine, from Sudan to Haiti, the denial of human dignity fuels destruction.
Prime Minister Mottley and other Caribbean leaders have therefore insisted that the UN must rise to meet this crisis of truth. They have asked the body not only to arbitrate disputes, but to serve as a moral compass in an age of confusion, disinformation, and cynical power politics. The UN must offer a program that points humanity toward survival, sustainability, and peace—a program that can truly save the planet.
The moral authority of the Caribbean is not new. From the earliest days of the United Nations, Caribbean nations have punched above their weight in global debates. The region’s leaders have often been bold in shaping the conscience of the world, particularly on issues of self-determination, racial justice, and global equity.
One of the clearest examples comes from the decolonization movement of the mid-20th century. Though small in size, Caribbean nations stood on the side of freedom and justice, helping to dismantle the structures of colonial domination. They gave voice to what the Jamaican historian and statesman Rex Nettleford once called “the power of the powerless.”
And when we speak of history, we recall the cry that came from another era of resistance: “We win when we fight.” This mantra captured the resilience of small nations who dared to challenge great powers and eventually achieved independence. It is the same spirit the Caribbean brings to the UN today. The message is clear: even small nations, when united and determined, can win victories for justice, equity, and peace on the global stage.
But beyond the universal cry for peace, Caribbean leaders also bring to the Assembly the stark realities of their own survival. Violence, fueled by the twin scourges of guns and drugs, continues to destabilize societies in the region.
Caribbean leaders have been blunt in pointing out a crucial fact: the guns that are wreaking havoc in their communities are not manufactured in the Caribbean. The Caribbean does not produce firearms, nor does it manufacture the ammunition that floods its streets. Yet the islands have become inundated with deadly weapons that fuel crime, violence, and instability.
Similarly, the Caribbean has too often been cast in global discourse as a hub for the drug trade. But the region is not the origin of these drugs—it is a transshipment point, caught in the middle of supply routes between producers in Latin America and consumers in North America and Europe. The social and economic costs fall disproportionately on the Caribbean, while the demand and the supply chains originate elsewhere.
Caribbean leaders have rightfully argued that the responsibility for addressing these crises lies not only with the small islands but also with the major countries whose markets and lax controls allow these weapons and narcotics to flow. Limiting the illegal flow of guns, ammunition, and drugs requires urgent international cooperation. Major nations, especially those with significant arms manufacturing and consumption, must take responsibility. Without such efforts, Caribbean societies will continue to pay the price in lives lost, communities destabilized, and futures undermined.
Alongside peace and security, the Caribbean continues to remind the world of the existential threat of climate change. Rising seas threaten the very existence of low-lying nations. Hurricanes of unprecedented intensity devastate economies in a single night. Droughts and floods threaten food security.
At the same time, debt burdens—much of it accumulated through rebuilding after climate disasters—cripple the region’s ability to invest in development. Caribbean leaders have consistently called for fair access to financing and debt relief, noting the injustice of small island nations paying the price for a climate crisis they did not create.
The Caribbean’s message is consistent: the United Nations must be more than a debating chamber. It must be an institution capable of addressing today’s crises with moral clarity and practical solutions. Whether the issue is war, climate change, or the flow of guns and drugs, the UN must hold nations accountable, strengthen international cooperation, and provide platforms for the voices of small states to be heard.
As Prime Minister Mottley and others have pointed out, the UN must rise to meet the crisis of truth—a crisis where facts are twisted, power tramples principle, and humanity itself is diminished. The Caribbean is not naïve about the limits of small nations. But the region has always believed in the power of conscience, and it calls upon the UN to restore that faith.
In these turbulent times, the Caribbean stands not on the sidelines, but at the center of the moral call for justice, peace, and a world order rooted in fairness. The region brings its history, its resilience, and its clarity of vision to a global stage clouded by turmoil.
The lesson of history, the “We Win” tradition, and the urgent realities of today all converge into one truth: the world must embrace rules over brute force, humanity over inhumanity, and truth over the chaos of misinformation.
The United Nations was built for such a moment. The hope remains—voiced by small nations with big hearts—that it can rise to the challenge.
