President of UN General Assembly pays a visit to the volcano-affected island of St Vincent
UN General Assembly president Volkan Bozkir urges the international community to support the UN Global Funding Appeal for the La Soufrière Volcano Eruption.
This follows a recent tour of the Orange and Red Zones of SVG.
On July 26, the UN General Assembly president was received by Dr Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, and members of his Cabinet.
They discussed the critical issues affecting the SVG people, including the humanitarian response to the La Soufrière volcanic eruption, COVID-19 recovery, vaccines for all, and climate action.
Discussions were also held on the important role St Vincent, and the Grenadines plays on the international stage as a member of the General Assembly, as an elected member of the United Nations Security Council, and as former President of the Economic and Social Council.
Following this meeting, Montgomery Daniel, Deputy Prime Minister of St Vincent, and the Grenadines escorted the President of the General Assembly on a mission drive to the orange and red zones of La Soufrière along with a delegation.
They began by visiting the National Emergency Management Organization hub, where the president met with representatives from the World Food Programme who partner with the government to assist 20,000 displaced people – 6,000 of whom currently live in shelters.
In the orange zone, the president engaged with representatives from the National Emergency Management Organization and the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre who work on the ground implementing recovery efforts.
In the Sandy Bay red zone, the president surveyed the destruction and, in a media interview, encouraged the international community to support the UN Global Funding Appeal for the La Soufrière Volcano Eruption, which requires a further $18 million.
This is needed to meet the recovery needs of the community amid the hurricane season, including livelihoods, food security, and agriculture; ash cleanup, equipment, and environmental health; housing and infrastructure repairs, protection, and education.
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