YouSaid · the spoken record

Andrew Holness

lines on the record: 105
first: 2016-09-24
most recent: 2022-09-24
sittings or episodes: 6
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“We look forward to successfully concluding negotiations in 2020 on an international treaty under the Convention on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction. Jamaica maintains an abiding faith in the value of multilateralism. Every State Member of the United Nations has a role to play in confronting the challenges that beset the global community. This perspective is what continues to inspire countries like Jamaica to contribute its professional and technical expertise to the multilateral process, including at the Council of the International Maritime Organization and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, in 2020. We are committed to supporting the fulfilment of our common objectives in both institutions.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“I look forward to building on the outcomes of the Summit and the decisions to be made at the twenty-fifth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Santiago later this year. This is a seminal year for the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, as we commemorate the twenty-fifth year of its entry into force, as well as the twenty-fifth anniversary of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), which is headquartered in Jamaica. The ISA’s contribution to the development of this constitution of the oceans and its continued relevance to the preservation of a global common resource are commendable.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Jamaica has adopted several policies and legislative measures to reduce its vulnerability to natural hazards and adapt to the effects of climate change. These include the development of a comprehensive and first-of-its-kind public financial disaster-risk monetary policy, with provisions for financial risk-protection, including budgeted contingency funds and State-contingent debt instruments. More action is needed at the national and global levels to urgently tackle climate change. I was therefore honoured by Secretary-General Guterres’s mandating Jamaica to jointly lead, along with France and Qatar, the climate-finance and carbon-pricing track at the recently concluded United Nations Climate Action Summit. The success of these efforts for climate action will depend on adequate financing and transformative and scalable programmes.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“We look forward to the convening of the Ocean Conference in Norway next month and in Portugal in June 2020. That brings me to the single most visible threat to the global environment, which is climate change. Its effects are intensifying, with coastal cities and low-lying island nations facing the greatest risk. The recent devastation wrought by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas reinforces this reality. We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life and extensive damage to property, infrastructure and livelihoods occasioned by this climate disaster. Jamaica and other Caribbean islands have first-hand experience of the increase in the intensity of hurricanes, as well as intermittent increased rainfall and extended periods of drought. These adverse weather events have resulted in major economic loss and dislocation across the region.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“We are considering expanding the ban as we make it a priority to strengthen our waste-management systems. We also launched a national tree-planting initiative this year through which we will plant more than 3 million trees over three years, which represents a tree for every Jamaican citizen. We remain committed to reducing the erosion of watersheds and its related impact on coastal ecosystems. We are partnering with others to ensure that our marine environment, on which our socioeconomic survival depends, is being sustainably utilized and managed. The High-level Panel on Building a Sustainable Ocean Economy convened by the Prime Minister of Norway, Ms. Erna Solberg, and its resulting Call to Ocean- Based Climate Action and report entitled The Ocean as a Solution for Climate Change: 5 Opportunities for Action enjoy Jamaica’s full support.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“In the context of our special vulnerabilities, my delegation welcomes the midterm review of the Small Island Developing States Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA Pathway), which presents an opportunity to further operationalize the mandate of the Pathway. Jamaica is committed to this process and looks forward to seeing the full support of the international community in this regard. I am pleased to inform the Assembly that on 1 January, Jamaica successfully implemented a ban on the importation, manufacture and distribution of single-use plastic bags, expanded polystyrene and plastic drinking straws. The ban has served to sensitize the general public to the environmental challenges posed by non-biodegradable litter, especially that which ends up in our oceans.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Although we are poised for economic transition, our potential is seriously constrained by having to choose between high external-debt repayment and catalytic growth spending. Furthermore, the current policies that govern access to concessional-financing windows do not allow us access to sufficient, affordable long-term financing for SDG investments, and our capacity to mobilize public resources domestically is limited by our small size and vulnerability. This touches on the issue of graduation criteria, which do not take into account the range of vulnerabilities facing middle-income countries. Our economies face further challenges as a result of de-risking and the attendant problem of losing correspondent-banking relationships, which severely impedes access to essential financial services.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“It is for this reason that Jamaica and Canada continue to spearhead initiatives through the Group of Friends of SDG Financing and to work with partners such as Denmark on the Closing the Investment Gap Initiative so as to attract greater investment in sustainable infrastructure. Jamaica also welcomes India’s offer to establish and host the Coalition for Disaster-Resilient Infrastructure to provide a framework to ensure that all future infrastructure is resilient in the face of disasters. We encourage coordination and cohesion in emerging initiatives so as to maximize the impact of our efforts. I am also compelled to reiterate the special challenges faced by such highly indebted middle-income countries as Jamaica and our Caribbean neighbours.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Instability and insecurity affect foreign direct investment and have implications for gross domestic product growth, revenue, employment and public spending. Yesterday’s High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development as well as the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development remind us of the pressing need for us to mobilize increased capital. Sustained progress is not achievable without the requisite quantity and quality of public and private investment to close the financing gap for climate action and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Transnational, regional and multilateral action are needed if we are to effectively tackle the malignant links between organized crime, the illegal drug trade and the illicit proliferation and trafficking of small arms. We therefore not only rely on the support of our neighbouring countries, but we also look to the United Nations to continue to play a pivotal role in supporting peace and security at all levels, including with respect to the proliferation of conventional weapons. The growing geopolitical challenges and risks of global economic instability are of concern. The situation is especially worrisome for small developing countries like Jamaica that are already susceptible to external shocks.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“I have shared the foregoing indicators of Jamaica’s steady economic performance while fully acknowledging that the successes are not solely dependent on a strengthened domestic fiscal-responsibility framework but also on an enabling global economic and financial environment. Jamaica is determined to achieve economic independence and social equity by working collaboratively with our bilateral and multilateral partners. A major challenge for Jamaica is crime and security, particularly in terms of its impact on our economic development goals. Despite the strong programmes that are in place to get guns off the street and our investments in improved border-control systems and other forms of security investments, on our own we do not have the capacity to stem the flow of illegal arms trafficking.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“As part of this endeavour, we are increasing emphasis on science, innovation and technology, and we are committed to creating a labour force adaptable to the new and emerging demands of the global workplace. We have also launched the Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment (HOPE) programme, which enables unattached young people to access training in life skills, character development and employment. Over the last three years, more than 26,000 young people have benefited from and have become ambassadors of HOPE. In addition to cutting youth unemployment in half over the past three years, Jamaica achieved a record-low unemployment rate of 7.8 per cent, 18 consecutive quarters of economic growth, low and stable inflation and a reduction in our ratio of debt to gross domestic product from 147 per cent to 95 per cent.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“We have therefore increased the budgetary allocation to the Jamaica Social Protection Strategy programme, which encompasses wider social and income-security imperatives associated with a range of vulnerabilities. In 2017, we revised our national poverty-reduction programme aimed at reducing the national poverty rate to below 10 per cent by 2030. We are working to ensure that persons living with disabilities, the elderly, women, children and young people are part of an inclusive, resilient and prosperous society. We have made significant advances with universal enrolment at the pre-primary, primary and secondary levels of education through a strategic and integrated programme of education and training.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Jamaica is pursuing several policy and legislative measures designed to create a more cohesive society and a more resilient economy. Our major goals are the promotion of inclusive sustainable growth, economic opportunities, a peaceful society, social harmony and citizen security. We are working to make this a reality for every Jamaican. Greater investment in human capital will undoubtedly yield exponential returns for national development. Empowerment of our people will facilitate participation in the growth and development of Jamaica, our region and the broader international community. Special attention must be given to the most vulnerable in society to ensure that no one is left behind.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“At the same time, our global space is facing unprecedented risks, including deepening geopolitical conflicts, heightened trade tensions, terrorist attacks and security threats. There is also growing religious intolerance, increasing xenophobic behaviour and, not least, the devastating effects of climate change. Sadly, we are witnessing these phenomena against the backdrop of fears of a global recession. I therefore very much welcome the theme chosen for the General Assembly’s general debate this year, “Galvanizing multilateral efforts for poverty eradication, quality education, climate action and inclusion”. Now is indeed the time to redirect our focus and enable our countries to reverse these negative trends.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“I extend my most heartfelt congratulations to Mr. Muhammad-Bande on his election as President of the General Assembly at its seventy-fourth session and assure him of Jamaica’s full support in the work ahead. I also want to convey our deepest appreciation to Her Excellency Ms. Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces for so ably guiding our work during the previous session. The United Nations is a critical tool for building a world of peace, security and development. These are the hallmarks of multilateral collaborative activities of which we can all be justly proud. No individual country can fulfil the development aspirations of its people without working in partnership with others. We are therefore grateful to the Secretary-General, his team and all who have been the drivers behind the many successful United Nations initiatives.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Our global alliance comprises 193 sovereign States, but there is no denying the fact that we are all interdependent. A joint and multifaceted response is required to surmount the myriad hurdles ahead of us, for it is only through collaboration that we can build our societies and secure our common future. Our legacy must be one that uplifts and inspires. Let that therefore be our mandate for the seventy-third session of the General Assembly.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“The Secretary-General is correct in stating in his report on the work of the Organization that “one of the most valuable assets of the United Nations is its capacity to operate as a convener of people, a proponent of ideas, a catalyst for action and a driver of solutions.” (A/73/1, para. 1) For that reason, we remain steadfast in our support of efforts to reform the United Nations. We commend the Secretary-General’s actions in pressing for reform of the peace and security architecture and the United Nations development system and its management and operational structure. Of course, we are ever-mindful of the words of our recently departed former Secretary- General Kofi Annan, a stalwart of multilateral diplomacy, that no reform of the United Nations will be complete without reform of the Security Council.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“I felt truly energized as I joined my CARICOM colleagues this morning in launching Caribbean Moves, a region-wide initiative aimed at raising awareness and increasing physical activity among our young people, as well as those who are not so young. We look forward to building on the outcomes of the high-level meeting that has been convened this week on non-communicable diseases. Jamaica will also support ongoing actions to combat tuberculosis and promote universal health coverage. The President of the General Assembly has challenged us to ensure that the United Nations remains a beacon of hope for each citizen across the globe. To that end, the United Nations must be responsive to an ever-changing and unpredictable world if it is to remain relevant and effective.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Jamaica will shortly become a member of the Economic and Social Council, which is currently presided over by Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Our term of office will coincide with what promises to be a momentous year for that body. We are committed to advancing the work of the Council, including during its High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. Societies are not sustainable without healthy citizens. As a region that has been severely affected by non-communicable diseases, we in the Caribbean are actively promoting and implementing measures to reverse that trend by encouraging health and wellness.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“As we prepare to commemorate the seventieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, let us continue to be mindful of the many among us who consistently face discrimination in various forms. Jamaica has been at the forefront of international human rights efforts, having been the first country to incorporate human rights into its foreign- policy strategy, a principle that we guard fiercely. We will never lose sight of the responsibility to promote and protect the interests of the vulnerable. We are especially keen to ensure that our women, children, persons living with disabilities, our elderly and young people can make meaningful contributions to a safe and prosperous society and reap its benefits.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Societies function best when an inclusive global environment is created where no one feels left behind. The implementation of the SDGs must be people-centred. Embargoes and other financial and economic barriers must not become tools aimed at preventing people such as our neighbours the citizens of the Republic of Cuba from attaining their rightful development goals. Jamaica continues to call for a lifting of the embargoes on that country. We also believe that it is important to support the efforts of the Secretary-General and his Special Envoys in pursuing the political processes related to situations such as those in the Western Sahara, Syria and Myanmar.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“The Secretary-General has therefore appropriately emphasized conflict prevention as well as promoting a new disarmament agenda. As he has often said, we must confront issues concerning peace and security along a peace continuum, from prevention, conflict resolution and peacekeeping to peacebuilding and sustainable long-term development. Jamaica is especially interested in the efforts to build a secure environment by combating the illicit traffic and trade in small arms and light weapons. We have made significant national institutional changes, undertaken policy enhancements and adopted legislative amendments in the areas of security and justice in our own country. We now look forward to working with other Member States, the United Nations system and partners at all levels to ensure that the progress we have made is sustainable.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“In the interim, Jamaica continues to work with partners like Canada to provide a platform where countries can engage directly with actors in the private sector, development finance institutions and regulators. Our goal is to forge collaborative partnerships between United Nations Member States and the private sector in order to determine practical, solution-oriented ways of securing new and long-term capital investment, utilizing a mix of public, private and blended financing to implement the SDGs. Even as we diligently seek financing for sustainable development, we are mindful that we live in a world where international peace and security are under continued threat. The world has witnessed several terrorist attacks and is grappling with a range of conflicts that appear intractable.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“We therefore highly commend the work of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, which has affirmed the importance of complementing the per-capita income criterion by addressing structural gaps that retard development prospects for middle-income countries. Accordingly, I am reiterating my call for international financial institutions to address that persistent problem known as the middle-income trap. We believe that a special initiative for highly indebted middle-income countries could provide the framework for the type of support that those countries require. It is our great hope that the United Nations high-level meeting on middle-income countries, scheduled for later this year, will give its fullest consideration to those matters and to ways in which the United Nations system can provide better support.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“I cannot overstate the importance of including innovative ways of mobilizing private-sector financing. In addition, several small island developing States like Jamaica are deemed to have graduated to middle-income status primarily by virtue of their GDP per capita. Many of them, however, are highly indebted and vulnerable. High debt ratios constrain our ability to secure domestic fiscal resources at a reasonable cost for the implementation of national development goals. The reality is that even though many have made progress in reducing levels of extreme poverty, several of our broader development efforts have stalled.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Against that background, my delegation looks forward to the climate change summit to be convened by the Secretary-General in 2019. More specifically, I am also personally committed to working assiduously to strengthen momentum aimed at securing the promised resources to address climate-related issues, which affect all of us. Many of the structural factors that impede our ability to narrow the persistent income gap between developing and advanced economies can be addressed through the successful implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Global estimates of the scale of the SDGs financing gap run on the order of from $5 trillion to $7 trillion per annum. Meaningful progress in that regard will require us to tap into various sources of funding.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“As the report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (A/73/268) confirms, last year we witnessed the costliest North Atlantic hurricane season yet, with losses estimated at $229 billion. Furthermore, the economic cost of climate-related disasters globally was $320 billion. With special reference to the issue of climate change, I was particularly honoured by the invitation from Secretary-General Guterres to join him and President Macron of France in leading a special initiative to mobilize funds committed at the Copenhagen Summit in 2009 to the amount of $100 billion per year until 2020. We are only two years away from the deadline but as of today we are nowhere near the target. We must therefore galvanize an effective mobilization campaign.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Every year, the Caribbean region, running right up to the south-eastern coast of the United States of America, lives in fear for five months — five months of hoping that the devastation that was wreaked on North Carolina, Antigua and Barbuda, Texas and Grenada is not visited upon them this year. Have Member States seen what has happened to Dominica? The disaster wreaked by those superstorms is the closest thing that we can imagine or compare to a nuclear event. After four hours of one hurricane, Dominica lost most of its gross domestic product (GDP). The people of that small island are still recovering today.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Our concerted action must embody effective strategies to bolster the global financial system through a robust global campaign to identify funding for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and resilience and adaptation measures to address the devastating effects of climate change and natural disasters. Jamaica and our CARICOM brothers and sisters do not have the luxury of engaging in a philosophical debate on whether or not climate change is real. The issue is existential for us. Major storms are no longer uncommon; they have given way to superstorms. They are stronger and more frequent.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Those forums represent extremely influential groupings of countries. Jamaica believes that such groupings provide a unique opportunity, working alongside international development partners, to address the problems faced by weaker economies across the globe. Jamaica therefore welcomes the opportunity to share perspectives with our stronger economic partners to ensure that they gain an understanding of the risks that we face in our region of small developing States, most of which are island States. Jamaica stands ready to continue working on how we can transform global thinking and together find effective solutions within a fair, rules-based multilateral system that is supportive of policies that seek to ensure the emergence and empowerment of small and developing States, truly leaving no country — and no one — behind.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“As a small island developing State with numerous challenges, we are taking our destiny into our own hands. Ultimately, we believe that economic independence will secure our resilience. Nevertheless, we continue to strengthen traditional partnerships and build new ones with like-minded countries around the world that see the global benefits generated when countries big and small, rich and poor, work together to solve issues too big for any of us to solve alone. This year, Jamaica was pleased to be invited to represent the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) at outreach sessions of the Group of Seven and the Summit of the BRICS group of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. We have also represented CARICOM throughout the year at meetings of the Group of 20 under the Argentine presidency.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Together with persistent challenges linked to climate change and more frequent intense weather events, those problems all impact the pace of our development. Notwithstanding the multiple challenges that confront us individually or collectively, Jamaica is developing the social and political consensus it needs to pursue policies that will secure our economic independence. In the past decade, we have engaged in deep structural reform of our economy, reduced our debt profile from its previous very high level, transformed our energy sector and increased our social support for the most vulnerable. What has been the result? Our sovereign ratings and outlook have moved from negative to positive. Jamaica is not sitting and waiting for the world to save it.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“This year it has been a decade since the global economic and financial crisis manifested itself in 2008. We are greatly encouraged by reports from international development partners that global growth has improved and unemployment has declined to its lowest since the crisis. We are, however, mindful that among developing economies, including small island developing States such as mine, growth prospects are becoming more uneven. We remain vulnerable to a gamut of social, economic, environmental, financial and trade-related hazards, from within and beyond our borders. In that context, Jamaica’s quest to achieve inclusive and sustainable economic growth and meaningful job creation has encountered challenges. Ten years on, we still face the vagaries of an uncertain and at times volatile global economic environment.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“I warmly congratulate Ms. Espinosa Garcés on her election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its seventy-third session. Of the four women who have served as President over the years, she is the first from Latin America and the Caribbean. Jamaica is especially pleased that this honour has been conferred on such an eminent appointee from our region. We also share her desire to see a better gender balance in the presidency of the General Assembly in the years ahead. She can be assured of Jamaica’s full support during her tenure. The chosen theme for this session resonates well with us. It is imperative that we make the United Nations relevant to all people through global leadership and shared responsibilities for peaceful, equitable and sustainable societies.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“We must not just live up to that expectation; we must surpass it. At this seventy-first session of the Assembly, let us recommit to the noble ideals of this Organization and its Charter, and to achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Let us join together, in the spirit of the national pledge of Jamaica, to advance the welfare of the whole human race.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“As the host country for the International Seabed Authority, we attach great importance to matters pertaining to the law of the sea. Jamaica supports the development of a legally binding international instrument on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction, and is actively participating in the negotiations on such an instrument. Jamaica has had a long and fruitful association with the United Nations that we value greatly. We are firm in our commitment to multilateralism and the continued strengthening of the Organization. We stand on the threshold of a world of possibilities, a world in which all can be given the opportunity to realize their full potential and where every nation State can better provide for the well-being of its citizens.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Such events, increasingly spurred by man-made activity, continue to be a clear and present danger for many societies, particularly small island developing States. Recent experience has shown us that no country or group of countries can be considered to be beyond the reach of such events. The Paris Agreement on Climate Change, under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction provide us with a blueprint for action to ensure that our development efforts do not compromise the ability of future generations to enjoy a world in which their needs can be adequately met. I can assure the Assembly that Jamaica remains committed to the implementation of those agreements and will work to continue the effective implementation of the commitments they contain.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Jamaica, like many other countries, continues to struggle with preventing and controlling the common risk factors associated with the prevalence of non-communicable and new and emerging diseases. The emerging and resurgent epidemics associated with the transnational movement of microbes such as Ebola, Zika and chikungunya represent a severe challenge for national budgets. The recently concluded high-level meeting on antimicrobial resistance and HIV/AIDS also highlighted another problem for the global health situation that must be halted if we are to ensure that our citizens have full and productive lives. Another issue that demands continued cooperation at the global, regional and national levels is our response to climate change and the increasing occurrence of natural disasters, including extreme weather-related phenomena.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“We must address the issue of preventing violence against them, particularly our women and children, as a priority. We must seek to empower our women to realize their full potential. Jamaica has a long track record of championing the rights of women and will continue to advocate for full implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Nor can we leave our children behind. If they are to realize their full potential, they must be given the opportunity to live in an environment that is free from fear and violence. That resolve is what undergirds our support for the Global Partnership to End Violence against Children. The international community must scale up cooperation in order to respond to the growing and deepening health crises that have gripped our world.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Trade represents 70 per cent of the Jamaican economy and de-risking measures therefore threaten our integration and economic viability. We therefore encourage our international partners to take an approach that establishes principles for ensuring inclusive development strategies based on a country’s ability to engage in vibrant, dynamic international trade. In the area of global trade, Jamaica realizes that the continued economic embargo of our sister Caribbean country, Cuba, is out of step with the recent actions that have been taken to re-establish diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States. We therefore urge that it be lifted as soon as possible. The hallmark of any civilized society is how it treats its most vulnerable members.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Jamaica was honoured to have chaired the recently convened Sixth Biennial Meeting of States to consider the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects. We need to effectively address the emerging crisis of the withdrawal of correspondent banking services from certain financial institutions in the Caribbean. De-risking threatens our economies. It tends to hinder our participation in the global financial system and in international trade, which in turn creates serious obstacles to our efforts to promote investment. We respect and have been complying with financial regulatory standards and working within a rules- based, multilateral trade and financial system.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Our strategic location, which is extremely favourable for trade and logistics, also provides a potential transit point for illicit activities. It is this reality that has defined and propelled our participation in a range of bilateral, regional and multilateral arrangements aimed at restricting the source, means and capabilities that have fuelled these dangerous relationships, made even more destructive through links to the drug trade. Jamaica has been a staunch supporter of the Arms Trade Treaty, and we are working towards its full and effective implementation. We call on all arms-exporting countries to abide by their legally binding obligations under the Treaty.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“This has had a destructive impact on families — particularly poor families — deterred investment and discouraged businesses. In sections of Jamaica crime threatens the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals. Tackling crime is a priority for our Government. While the Jamaican Government will do its part, the common problem we face in our region requires deeper security cooperation. The international community must also move with greater alacrity towards eradicating the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons. Jamaica is acutely aware of the destruction that can be wrought as a result of easy access to small arms and light weapons, particularly when in the possession of sophisticated networks of organized criminal groups.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“This holds the potential of providing bilateral and multilateral relief for climate change adaptation and mitigation initiatives. Such a mechanism has the potential to provide fiscal relief while helping to unlock pledged climate financing to fund adaptation and mitigation initiatives. As a country vulnerable to climate, Jamaica will play its part to close the climate implementation gap, while at the same time addressing our debt overhang. This has the potential to be a ground-breaking approach. Peace and security are a Sustainable Development Goal. They is often spoken about in the context of peace between States. However, peace within States is just as important. Jamaica, like much of the Caribbean and Central America, is challenged by crime.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“The collective size of the problem is such that a HIMIC initiative would not burden the international system. However, the potential impact of assisting these countries in transitioning would put more countries in a position to make greater contributions to the international system in the near future. Jamaica is pursuing reforms to enhance the efficiency of the public sector, improving its customer service delivery, pursuing economies of scale, reducing duplication and aligning the public sector towards enabling and facilitating economic growth and development. While we pursue reforms aimed at boosting fiscal sustainability and growth, we are also looking at innovative ways to match our financing needs with sustainable development objectives. Jamaica will work with development partners to pursue debt-for-climate-change swaps.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“However, the time has come for the international community to similarly converge around a HIMIC initiative, underpinned by the principle that highly indebted countries that have undiversifiable structural vulnerabilities, such as small size or susceptibility to the effects of climate change, and that responsibly and faithfully service their debt should be facilitated with assistance in the form of investment, favourable trade, technology transfer, security cooperation and energy. To qualify for inclusion in the HIMIC initiative, a country, in addition to being a highly indebted middle-income country, should have undiversifiable structural vulnerabilities and a demonstrated track record of commitment to economic, fiscal and social reform programmes supported by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“I re-emphasize that a review of this broad categorization of countries, based solely on GDP per capita, must be undertaken, as this measure, in isolation, fails to fully and accurately take account of added vulnerabilities and levels of indebtedness. There are various other measures of development that should be taken into account. Several years ago, the international community nobly responded to the problem of unsustainable debt in poor countries through the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative, guided by the principle that no poor country should face a debt burden that it cannot manage. We supported this then, and we support it now on a similar principle for highly indebted middle-income countries.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Instead, new investment needs to follow at a scale and velocity that are difficult to undertake without the full engagement of international development institutions. This creates the prospect of a HIMIC trap — a situation where countries are at the cusp of transitioning but are stalled and at risk of reversal. The presumption that middle-income country status obviates the need for ongoing access to official development assistance and concessional financing is not supported by empirical evidence. The potential HIMIC trap threatens hard-won development gains and countries such as ours have for some time been highlighting this problem. Yet the prospect of a HIMIC trap has not yet triggered a change in the mindset of those who preside over the decision-making process that directly influences our global, economic and financial outlook.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“However, arbitrary classification, on the basis of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, precludes HIMIC countries from accessing such resources. The problem is that while GDP per capita gives an indication of average incomes, it says nothing about a country’s stock of wealth, nor does it take into account the vulnerabilities that some countries face. Furthermore, some HIMIC countries such as Jamaica have made deep structural and fiscal reforms to improve fiscal management and achieve debt sustainability, ensuring that we will never return to unsustainably high levels of debt. However, in the absence of an abundance of unused spare capacity in our economies, these reforms will not immediately kick- start the growth cycle.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)