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ST.GEORGE’S, GRENADA, MARCH 19th, 2010 _ The Head of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), Under Secretary General, Sha Zukang, has praised Grenada’s Prime Minister Tillman Thomas for his leadership of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS). “I appreciate your leadership and the important and leading role you have played in pushing the agenda of Small Island Developing States.

We have a historic opportunity to get the international community to help with the difficulties associated with climate change,” the UN official said to the Prime Minister. They both agreed that while last December’s climate change summit in Copenhagen did not meet the expectations of SIDS, it was the start of a process that recognized the vulnerabilities of these states, if green house gas emissions were not reduced.

Both Prime Minister Thomas and Mr. Zukang recognized that the proper use of the United Nations system to move the climate change agenda forward, was necessary if an agreement, by which all states will abide, is to be achieved. “I agree that small states need external support and I am reasonably confident that the fund agreed to in Copenhagen will be established,” he said.

The Copenhagen Climate Change meeting established a Green fund to assist countries with adaptation and mitigation measures to combat the adverse effects of climate change. “This is very important to us because most of our development is on the coast. We are also concerned with the impact rising sea levels will have on our fishing villages and the people who live in those areas,” the Prime Minister said. He told the UN Official, AOSIS members are hoping for a binding commitment, when the world debates climate change in Cancun, Mexico, later this year.