In St. Vincent, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday evening that his visit to the island goes beyond his participation in the 8th summit of CELAC.
The UN Chief said it’s a visit in which he would like to pay a few tributes and express deep solidarity.
“The first tribute is to Latin America and the Caribbean as a continent of peace. In a world where we see a proliferation of wars and conflicts of all kinds, today I was shocked to know that in another episode of the war in Gaza, 100 people who were queuing to receive humanitarian aid were killed. I think a situation like this would require an effective, independent investigation to detect how it was possible and those responsible for it. And at the same time, there is the reported number of more than 30,000 civilians that have died in Gaza since October 7th, making it an unprecedented number of civilians killed in a conflict since I am secretary general”.
In this context, Guterres said to see Latin America and the Caribbean as a continent of peace and to see that when a problem arises, pointing to the recent flare-up between Guyana and Venezuela, there is a mediator that emerges that is able to bring the parties together and to avoid a conflict.
”I want to pay tribute to Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves for his permanent role, who is always very attentive to any possibility of conflict and engaged in active and effective mediation. As I have also seen in relation to his very strong commitment to the solution of the problems in Haiti”.
Guterres also paid tribute to him on Thursday for the courage, resilience, and solidarity of the people of Saint Vincent the Grenadines during the eruption of La Soufriere.
“When the volcano exploded and this island and its population faced a dramatic tragedy, I could witness the way this country was able to mobilise everything. The solidarity of the people, the courage of the people, and the determination of the people That is something that is an example for all of us, everywhere. And once again, I want to express my enormous appreciation for what was done in the immediate response and in the reconstruction that followed.”
