Santa Marta, Colombia, November 9, 2025 (PMO) – Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Hon. Dr. Terrance M. Drew, today delivered a powerful address during the plenary of the Fourth Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union, urging leaders to uphold the Caribbean and Latin America as a “Zone of Peace” and to take decisive global action on climate change.
Speaking before fellow Heads of State and Government in Santa Marta, Dr. Drew reaffirmed the Caribbean’s historic commitment to dialogue, diplomacy, and regional stability, emphasizing that peace is a deliberate and necessary choice for development.
“Peace is not an abstract idea. It is what allows our societies to grow, to trade, to educate our children, and to dream free,” the Prime Minister said. “We therefore reaffirm our commitment to maintaining the Caribbean and Latin America as a Zone of Peace. Let this not be a slogan, but a solid pledge to resolve disputes and differences peacefully.”
Dr. Drew cautioned, however, that maintaining peace requires vigilance, warning of “fault lines emerging in our own neighborhood.” He stressed that “lasting peace is a deliberate choice that we must choose,” calling for dialogue and cooperation as the only sustainable path to democratic stability and progress across the hemisphere.
Turning to the urgent issue of climate change, Prime Minister Drew expressed solidarity with Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba, which have each faced devastating hurricanes in recent months, destroying decades of development gains.
The Prime Minister also used Jamaica’s recent experience as a stark reminder of how climate disasters can upend lives and economies “in a single night,” calling for greater urgency, fairness, and climate justice from the international community.
He outlined the ongoing national response through Saint Kitts and Nevis’ Sustainable Island State Agenda (SISA), a long-term strategy to transform the Federation into a model of sustainability by 2040.
“Through SISA, we are advancing renewable energy, water and food security, digital innovation, and sustainable communities,” he noted, while stressing that “Small Island Developing States cannot act alone.”
Dr. Drew also called for deeper cooperation between CELAC and the European Union through private financing, technology transfer, and genuine partnerships “that turn commitments into tangible results.”
In closing, the Prime Minister reminded world leaders of their shared moral responsibility to act together for humanity’s survival.
“As we share responsibility for peace, for the planet, and for the prosperity of all our peoples, we must remember that all of humanity is one,” Dr. Drew concluded. “Saint Kitts and Nevis stands ready to work with all of you to keep our hemisphere a zone of peace and our planet a safe home for generations to come.”
