\n
<\/p>\n
She warned that truth, trust and fairness were fraying under the weight of war, inequality and climate crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cCountries of different sizes, capacities and cultures can only survive in the world in which we live if we maintain a rules-based system,\u201d Ms. Mottley said in her address to the UN General Assembly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe law of the jungle does not guarantee any of us a future or a liveable planet.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said the \u201ccrisis of truth\u201d is undermining institutions that once promoted order and prosperity, eroding trust between citizens and governments, and turning news, science and law into a tawdry spectacle.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we lose shared truth, our countries and our global society lose their center of gravity,\u201d she warned.<\/p>\n
Turning to the proliferation of warfare, Prime Minister Mottley reiterated the need for peace in Ukraine but also pressed governments not to ignore suffering elsewhere.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe world must not ignore the horror in Sudan and…it must not ignore the horror in Gaza,\u201d she said. She called for the release of hostages, while denouncing disproportionate attacks on Palestinians.<\/p>\n
She underlined the need for urgent humanitarian funding, saying $66 million was needed for Gaza\u2019s children and $200 million for Sudan over the next three months \u2013 largely for food, water and health needs.<\/p>\n
On climate change, Ms. Mottley urged leaders to act with honesty and urgency.<\/p>\n
She welcomed international court opinions affirming states\u2019 obligations to curb emissions and proposed a binding global framework on methane to slow temperature rise.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fossil fuel industry is not the enemy \u2013 it is the emissions,\u201d she said, urging political will to unlock $1.3 trillion annually by 2035 to finance the green transition.<\/p>\n
The Barbadian leader criticized the chronic underfunding of climate finance and the \u201cgrossly under-capitalised\u201d Loss and Damage Fund.<\/p>\n
Ms. Mottley also tied the climate and development agenda back to the central question of global governance. She warned that debates risk becoming \u201cperformative exercises\u201d unless backed by resources and a functioning system rooted in fairness.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we are to be protected by a rules-based system, then we must step up to the plate and provide the funds to bridge the gap to deliver the results that we desire,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Ms. Mottley also touched on UN reform, insisting the Security Council must reflect today\u2019s multipolar world.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou cannot ask us really to show up for family photos and votes when you need them and then exclude us from the family\u2019s decision making. As if you are the grown-ups and we are the children.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Mottley ended with the image of a young Palestinian girl aged six or seven walking through the rubble in Gaza with hollow eyes and her sister on her shoulders.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was clear she was in great pain, yet she recognised it was she who would have to carry the burden of taking them to safety,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Calling the scene \u201cthe ultimate picture of hope and resilience,\u201d Ms. Mottley urged leaders to draw strength from it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf a six-year-old can push past the physical and emotional pain and still find hope that there is a better moment ahead of her, then we, with much more and with an obligation to many more, must summon that same will. The world needs it now more than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n