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Reducing global inequality and fighting climate change are keys to global stability, Haiti's President Michel Martelly said Thursday.
“We can only hope for an effective response to international challenges if we close the North/South gap,” Martelly told the United Nations General Assembly, referring to the wealth and power gap between rich and poor countries.
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The Haitian leader also warned climate change and terrorism are two key security issues in the world today. He urged U.N. member states to collaborate closer in battling global insecurity, arguing, “We need a new dynamic for development and peace.”
“Member states must bring to this organization – to strengthen it – as a space for collaboration,” he said.
Poverty and climate change are crucial issues for Haiti, where over half the population lives below the international poverty line. National statistics estimate as many as one in four Haitians live in extreme poverty, while estimates of inequality suggest the country's richest 1 percent could own as much as 45 percent of Haiti's wealth. Meanwhile, Haiti and other island nations are among the countries most threatened by climate change, with sea levels currently rising at a rate of 3.2 millimeters a year, according to NASA.
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