2 July 2009: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in his message to the 30th Heads of Government meeting of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), from 2-3 July 2009 in Georgetown, Guyana, announced he would soon launch a Global Vulnerability Alert System.

On climate change, Secretary-General Ban highlighted that it threatens the economic and physical viability of Caribbean countries. He called on Caribbean leaders “to support a more integrated implementation of the Mauritius Strategy, particularly in the context of next year’s mid-decade review,” and urged the leaders to “continue showing leadership in efforts to ‘seal the deal’ in Copenhagen in December.” [The Secretary-General’s message]