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Photo Credit: UN Photo Kim HaughtonWe have launched appeals for US$113.9 million to cover humanitarian needs for the immediate period ahead. I commend those countries that are showing solidarity with the Caribbean countries at this time of dire need, including those doing so through South-South cooperation. But on the whole, I regret to report, the response has been poor. I urge donors to respond more generously in the weeks to come.The United Nations will continue to help countries in the Caribbean to strengthen disaster preparedness, working closely with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency. We are strongly committed to helping small island states and, indeed, all countries to adapt to inevitable climate impacts, to increase the pace of recovery and to strengthen resilience overall.Innovative financing mechanisms will be crucial in enabling countries, like the Caribbean ones, to cope with external shocks of such significant magnitude. We know that the world has the tools, the technologies and the wealth to address climate change, but we must show more determination in moving towards a green, clean, sustainable energy future.Once again, I urge countries to implement the Paris Agreement, and with greater ambition. That is why I will convene a Climate Summit in 2019, as you know. But today and every day, I am determined to ensure that the United Nations works to protect our common future and to seize the opportunities of climate action.■ABOUT THE AUTHORAntónio Guterres, the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations, took office on 1st January 2017.Having witnessed the suffering of the most vulnerable people on earth in refugee camps and in war zones, the Secretary-General is determined to make human dignity the core of his work, and to serve as a peace broker, a bridge-builder and a promoter of reform and innovation.Pictured: António GuterresSUMMATION 117