President Luis Abinader when addressing the 80th United Nations General Assembly warned that sargassum represents a direct threat to public health, regional economies, and environmental stability across the Caribbean. He called for greater international solidarity to confront the issue.
“For Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the triple planetary crisis—climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental pollution—is not just a global challenge; it’s an existential threat. In the Caribbean, this crisis has a name and a face: sargassum,” said the President.
He explained that the massive invasion of seaweed has become a devastating phenomenon across the region, affecting coastal ecosystems, public health, and the livelihoods of thousands who depend on tourism and fishing. Leaders from the region are calling for international solidarity and climate justice—demands that go beyond words and take the form of accessible financing, technology transfer, and urgent, concrete action to safeguard our oceans.
Abinader said that the Dominican Republic is moving forward with the ratification of the BBNJ Treaty (Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction), firmly believing that protecting marine biodiversity is a shared global responsibility.
The European Union is assisting in finding solutions to the sargassum reality.
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Abinader speech at UN Debate on 24 September 2025
Abinader speech pdf
25 September 2025