Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. Terrence Drew, welcomes the adoption of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index by the United Nations

Basseterre, St. Kitts (SKNIS) – The Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. Terence Drew, has welcomed the United Nations’ decision to adopt the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI), describing it as a huge win for small island states, particularly those most vulnerable to the dangerous impacts of a worsening global climate.

United Nations Member States agreed on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, to adopt and use a multidimensional vulnerability index.

Since taking office in 2022, Prime Minister Drew has advocated for the use of this tool, which takes into account the special circumstances of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) when accessing critical development support, including concessional financing. Currently, lenders use a gross domestic product (GDP) metric that fails to adequately account for the unique vulnerabilities of small states.

In September 2022, Prime Minister Drew noted in his inaugural address to the United Nations General Assembly that the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index could more accurately measure the needs of Small Island Developing States.

“Climate finance, resilience and environmental protection must be integrated into national development policies and must be at the forefront of our global development agenda. This situation urges the multilateral system to urgently develop a multidimensional vulnerability index that takes into account the special characteristics and climate vulnerability of Small Island Developing States like my country,” said Prime Minister Drew. “Caribbean countries are at the ‘muzzle’ of the climate fight, a fight we did not cause, we do not want, we cannot afford, but we cannot escape. I therefore join the leaders of my brothers and sisters in the Caribbean Community in calling for the development of a multidimensional vulnerability index,” Dr. Drew added in his 2022 address.

The need for this change became even more apparent recently when Hurricane Beryl struck the Caribbean, causing millions of dollars’ worth of infrastructure damage to some islands.

Prime Minister Drew has continued to advocate for the adoption of the MVI Index in various forums throughout the year, most recently at the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) in Antigua in May 2024.