President Sylvanie Burton urged greater climate financing and early investment in resilience during Dominica’s address at the 81st UN General Assembly.
Dominica: President Sylvanie Burton has officially delivered Dominica's address at the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, making a powerful call to action for greater access to climate financing and increased investment in resilience.
Speaking under the session's overarching theme, “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All,” on September 22, 2026, the President of Dominica began by reflecting on the UN’s more than 80 years of service, describing its history as an embodiment of "humanity’s highest collective aspiration"
She argued that while the United Nations has played a critical role in responding to humanitarian crises, a more transformative approach needs to be taken. Burton called for the United Nations to act by addressing the root causes of recurring global crises rather than focusing primarily on managing them.
"The true test of this Organization, therefore, is not only how well we respond after people have suffered. It is also whether we can work together to prevent that suffering in the first place. This is not to dismiss what has already been achieved. It is a call for us to build on that progress, strengthen our cooperation, and deliver the meaningful change that our people expect from us," stated President Sylvanie Burton.
Sharing this, the President spoke of Hurricane Maria and the impact the Category 5 disaster had on the country in 2017. "The economic and human consequences were enormous," the President said.
She noted that the hurricane taught the country that resilience must be built before disaster occurs and advocated for the UN to move from a system that delivers financial aid when disaster strikes into one that invests in stronger infrastructure and institutions beforehand.
The best time to build resilience is before disaster. The best time to finance transformation is before crisis. And the value of resilience should be measured not only by what we build, but by what we prevent from being destroyed, declared Burton.
Dominica's President invited the international community to partner with Dominica in becoming a model for climate resilience and sustainable development, through investment, technology, research and innovation. She highlighted opportunities in renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture, resilient infrastructure, water management, digital services and nature-based adaptation.