Statement by the Secretary General dr. Carla Barnett at the accreditation of the new Ambassador of Slovenia to CARICOM, 18 November
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Your Excellency Tone Kajzer, authorized representative (candidate) of the Republic of Slovenia at CARICOM
Your Excellency, when I accept your letter of credence, I congratulate you on your appointment as the authorized representative of the Republic of Slovenia to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
Secretary General dr. Carla Barnett accepts the credentials
Due to certain common interests between the Member States and Slovenia, cooperation is the most practical.
We are both small countries prone to disasters and have a strong interest in combating the effects of climate change. As the current President of the Council of the European Union, your vote was important at the recent COP26 in Glasgow and CARICOM appreciates the support that Slovenia showed to small island and low-lying coastal developing countries (SIDS) at the conference.
Slovenia’s defense at various global forums for urgent measures to combat climate change and its impact by regulating emissions and promoting the development of renewable energy sources is very welcome.
Your country is proven to be a leader in renewable energy with hydrothermal and wind energy, providing a large amount of your energy needs. This is an area in which Slovenia could cooperate with CARICA, as our member states are striving to increase their renewable energy supply.
Renewable energy is an important element as we strive to build our resilience, given our vulnerability to natural disasters and, in particular, external economic shocks. The key source of assistance needed to build this resilience is rejected by most of our Member States, which have lost access to concession financing for development due to the use of GDP per capita as the main criterion.
That is why we need the voice of countries such as Slovenia, whose membership in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) gives it a platform to advocate on our behalf for a multidimensional vulnerability index that would replace GDP per capita as the main criterion. for access to development concession financing.
Excellency, these are issues on which we can step up discussions on possible areas for greater cooperation and exchanges during your term. Your morning statement listed other areas such as artificial intelligence and digital technology that could be added.
I assure you of my full support and the support of the staff of the Secretariat, as we are working together to strengthen the ties between the Caribbean Community and Slovenia.
Ambassador Tone Kaiser
Welcome to the group of authorized representatives in the Community.