Jamaica, 2013

I am extremely

pleased that a son of the Caribbean — and one with such

a wealth of experience and tested diplomatic skills — is

presiding over the General Assembly at its sixty-eighth

session. I commend the Secretary-General, His

Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his untiring efforts

to promote international peace and development, and I

thank him for his exemplary leadership.

The theme for our debate, “The post-2015

development agenda: setting the stage”, catapults

development to the centre of the United Nations

agenda, impelling us to elaborate a meaningful and far-

reaching development framework for the benefit of all.

Our deliberations and actions during this session must

therefore send a clear message of hope to the many

millions who, sadly, are still living in poverty and

inequity. Let us redouble our efforts to fight against the

scourge of poverty. It was the late Jamaican national

hero, Marcus Mosiah Garvey, who aptly said:

“Poverty is a hellish state to be in. It is no

virtue. It is a crime. To be poor is to be hungry

without possible hope of food; to be sick without

hope of medicine; to be tired and sleepy without

a place to lay one’s head; to be naked without the

hope of clothing; to be despised and comfortless.

To be poor is to be a fit subject for crime and hell.”

Too many of the world’s citizens are facing that

reality. We need to fulfil the Millennium Declaration

(resolution 55/2), which entrusted to us the responsibility

to chart a path towards development underpinned by

a commitment to eradicate poverty on the basis of a

global partnership.

As the deadline for the attainment of the Millennium

Development Goals draws near, with under 1,000 days

remaining, we face many challenges, including the

global economic and financial crisis, climate change,

natural disasters, high levels of debt and conflict.

With the limited time remaining, it is imperative for

us to accelerate our efforts. Anything less would be a

disservice to our people.

While we contemplate a post-2015 development

framework, we must also complete unfinished business

in the reduction of extreme poverty and hunger,

combating HIV/AIDS, halting and reversing the

incidence of malaria and tuberculosis and increasing

access to reproductive health care. In our deliberations

on a post-2015 development agenda, we must determine

how best to shape a global compact that is universal and

people-centred and that strikes the balance between

the need for robust economic growth, job creation

and poverty eradication and the equally important

need to preserve and protect the environment. Our

deliberations have to take into account the special needs

of disadvantaged groups of countries, in particular the

vulnerable group of small island developing States

(SIDS), which are grappling with climate change, sea-

level rise and the need to deal with new and emerging

economic and social situations.

We are pleased that international attention will

be focused on small island developing States in 2014,

when the international community will observe the

International Year of Small Island Developing States.

The success of the Samoa Conference in 2014 will

depend on strong international support for and the

mainstreaming of SIDS issues in all activities across

the United Nations system.

A sustainable approach to development should

include people with disabilities in the post-2015

development agenda. It should also provide for the

prevention and control of non-communicable diseases

and additional financial resources to sustain the global

fight against HIV/AIDS.

Another major threat to development is the high

incidence of road crashes. I call on all countries to

take the challenge of reducing injuries and fatalities

resulting from road crashes and traffic accidents more

seriously as a crucial policy issue.

There is an urgent need for innovative and

sustainable financing to underpin our development

efforts. Reforms should be undertaken in a manner

that will assist middle-income developing countries

to deal with the challenges they face. Those reforms

must address public debt sustainability and review the

classification system of middle-income developing

countries with a view to coming up with more relevant

and appropriate measures of development.

There is an urgent need for greater focus on job

creation, including for unemployed youth. I note that

the International Labour Organization has estimated

that global unemployment will rise to 202 million

this year. That alarming statistic is overshadowed by

estimate of the global working poor, which is in the

order of 869 million, almost 400 million of whom

live in extreme poverty. Growth in joblessness is

reflected in rural and urban pockets of poverty and

social deprivation. Increased investment in developing

countries with a focus on job creation is an avenue that

must be actively pursued.

We need to provide more assistance for people

to cope with daily life, as growth and prosperity are

unevenly distributed and the most vulnerable are at

risk of falling through the cracks, being overlooked

and failing to achieve a decent quality of life. Social

protection schemes should work effectively to provide

for basic needs and encourage target groups to pursue

self-advancement while facilitating empowerment

and fostering greater inclusiveness. As countries like

Jamaica implement strategies to deal with indebtedness

and also encourage growth and investment, it is

critical that international financial institutions and

multilateral and other development partners recognize

the importance of social protection mechanisms.

As we forge the agenda for development for the

next decade and beyond, we do so in part on behalf of

a group that is very close to my heart — our children.

The future we want, the future we craft, the future we

achieve will be our legacy to our children. We must

redouble our efforts to safeguard their rights and

enhance their development. Despite limited resources,

Jamaica continues to make every effort to meet its

obligations to its children. We condemn violence and

abuse against our children and reaffirm our commitment

to safeguarding and promoting the rights of children

everywhere. We must leave no child behind.

The issue of human trafficking is of paramount

concern. I am always mindful of the horrors and evils

of slavery, both in history and in its modern-day form.

I am particularly moved by the knowledge that young

girls and boys are torn daily from the bosom of their

families, taken to strange lands, placed in subhuman

conditions and forced to perform unspeakable acts. We

must unite in our efforts to eliminate that transnational

scourge and bring an end to human trafficking among

our women, men and children. We must ensure that in

these modern times we do not have a re-enactment of

slavery.We must stamp it out wherever it exists and bring

the perpetrators to justice. We must protect our future

generations. Never again should anything resembling

slavery be tolerated anywhere.

Jamaica is proud to lead the efforts, in collaboration

with the countries of the Caribbean Community and

members of the African Union, to have the permanent

memorial to the victims of slavery and the transatlantic

slave trade erected here at the United Nations. The

unveiling of the winning design of the permanent

memorial earlier this week signals an important chapter

in our journey to honour the memory of the millions of

men and women who were subject to untold atrocities.

When I attended the unveiling I was reminded of the

words of our reggae icon, Bob Marley:

“Old pirates, yes, they rob I;

Sold I to the merchant ships,

Minutes after they took IFrom the bottomless pit.

But my hand was made strongBy the hand of the Almighty.

We forward in this generationTriumphantly.”

We are grateful for the generous contributions

towards the erection of the memorial, and we encourage

the international community to continue to show

financial support for that important initiative.

Jamaica supports the call for an international

discussion in a non-confrontational manner on the

question of reparations. We fully support the initiative

to proclaim a decade for people of African descent.

The quest for development will not be complete

without requisite attention being paid to peace and

security. My heart goes out to the families of the victims

of the horrific attack in Kenya. Transnational organized

criminal enterprises wreak havoc on economies and

challenge the capacity of States to deal with those

threats. No country is immune to the direct or indirect

effects of the scourge of transnational crime. Increased

collaboration is necessary in confronting such threats

to human development. To that end, we welcome the

recent opening for signature of the landmark Arms

Trade Treaty in June of this year, which represents one

of many steps that the international community must

take towards defeating terrorism, crime and violence.

Jamaica is currently embarking on the process leading

to ratification of the Treaty.

Bilateral and regional cooperation through

information-sharing, capacity-building and assistance

are integral to dealing with crime, violence and security

issues.

We remain deeply concerned about the suffering of

the people in Syria and join the international community

in condemning the use of chemical weapons. We

welcome the recent positive steps taken by the Security

Council. Jamaica remains firmly committed to a just,

lasting and peaceful solution to the situation in the

Middle East.

Turning closer to home, the trade and economic

embargo against our neighbour Cuba has caused its

people untold hardship. It has no place in the twenty-

first century. We reiterate our call for an end to the

embargo against Cuba and to extraterritorial measures

that target third-party countries.

Jamaica has never lost faith in the influence for

good that exists here at the United Nations. We are

fully aware that the expectations and aspirations of

peoples rest in our hands. At this pivotal moment in

history, let us revitalize the partnership on which this

great institution is built. I draw on the words of the civil

rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., when he said,

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he

stands in moments of comfort and convenience

but where he stands at times of challenge and

controversy.”

The challenges and expectations of our time are

indeed great. It falls to our generation to take a stand.

Now is the time to act.