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Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda to the United Nation, His Excellency, Walton Alfonso Webson, in addressing the final day of the 81st Session of the UN General Debate,  said that the next Secretary-General will inherit a UN confronting wars and conflicts that devastate lives and undermine international stability.  Deep geopolitical divisions, financial constraints, the climate emergency and declining trust, he maintained,  will test the Organization’s capacity to respond.Ambassador Webson told  world leaders and delegates  attending the UNGA, “The choice before us is about more than selecting an individual.” He emphasized —   “it is about the future direction of this Organization”.  With this in mind, Antigua and Barbuda has nominated María Fernanda Espinosa to serve as the next Secretary-General.  “At a time of fragmentation, the United Nations needs a credible bridge-builder capable of restoring confidence in multilateralism,” he said.Further, he stated that the UN80 reform process must be judged by whether the Organization serves people better.  For small island developing States, that means protecting the development pillar, advancing implementation of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for small island developing States and bringing effective support closer to those who need it.On that, he pointed out that trade disputes, tariffs and economic fragmentation raise the cost of food, transport and development, and small States frequently pay the price for disputes they did not create.  He therefore called on major economies to choose dialogue, cooperation and fairness to govern international finance.He observed:  “A hurricane does not check GDP [gross domestic product] before destroying a school.  A rising sea does not consult income classifications before entering a home or village.”  That is why the multidimensional vulnerability index matters, because it provides a fairer measure of the structural vulnerabilities that GDP alone cannot capture.Two years ago, he recalled, the international community gathered in Antigua and Barbuda and adopted a 10-year framework for sustainable development and resilience.  “Now comes the real hard work — implementation,” he said, adding that small island developing States must shift from vulnerability to resilience. Read the full statement in PDF formatStatement by His Excellency Dr. Walton Aubrey Webson,  Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda to the United Nations This story was published by the UNGA