Jamaica

I join other speakers in congratulating Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki on assuming the presidency of the Assembly at its sixty-fourth session. We are confident that his extensive diplomatic experience will guide his leadership. He can be assured of the support and cooperation of Jamaica during his tenure. I also extend Jamaica’s appreciation to Father Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann for his energetic and visible leadership during the sixty-third session of the Assembly, and our gratitude to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his expert leadership of the Organization. We meet at a critical juncture, as the world confronts multiple crises: the global financial and economic crisis and the food, energy and climate crises, joined by the H1N1 pandemic. Both developed and developing countries are affected by these crises. It is the poorest and most vulnerable, however, that are disproportionately affected and are least capable of responding. Even as major economies are reporting their emergence from the global recession, the outlook for most developing countries remains bleak. For many developing countries, there are no early signs of so- called green shoots of economic recovery. For the majority, the impact of the recession will be deep; it will be prolonged; and it will be painful. The irony is that developing countries are hapless victims of a crisis for which they are inculpable. The synchronized nature of the downturn in the world economy means that its repercussions are evident in virtually every sphere. Inflows of financing and investment have plunged precipitously; exports are weak, and commodity prices are low; official development assistance has diminished drastically. 09-52592 18 Those consequences are reflected in Jamaica and throughout the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) region. Countries like ours now face the daunting challenge of protecting the most vulnerable of their citizens in a responsible and sustainable manner in the context of declining export demand, contraction in services, including tourism, and lower remittances. As with most developing countries, the fiscal and financial stress has forced us to make significant adjustments to our expenditure programmes. The distressing reality is that we in the developing world have limited scope and capacity to mitigate the impact of the crisis. We have neither the fiscal flexibility nor the policy space to afford ambitious stimulus packages to respond effectively to the upheavals in our country. A major corollary of the economic downturn is the problem of debt servicing and debt sustainability. Many developing countries could be on the verge of a debt crisis, and require special support to help them attenuate the impact of the global crisis. Jamaica has always supported efforts to assist the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries that have benefited from debt relief initiatives. But there is another group of developing countries that are equally burdened by high debt and deserving of special consideration. I speak of the heavily indebted lower-middle-income countries, which are overlooked on the presumption that, by virtue of their levels of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, they do not require international assistance. That approach continues to mask the reality of our vulnerability to external shocks, persistently high levels of poverty and dependence on commodity exports. Jamaica is particularly concerned about the situation of highly indebted middle-income countries, which cannot benefit from the kind of assistance available to the Least Developed Countries and Heavily Indebted Poor Countries, but which have been devastated by the impact of the global economic and financial crisis. Jamaica is currently saddled with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 125 per cent. Along with our CARICOM partners, we will continue to advocate for a very special category of small, vulnerable and highly indebted middle-income countries. A review of the criteria for determining middle-income status could help to address financial resource accessibility in the long term. We are lobbying for a review of those criteria. The pervasiveness of the crisis makes coordinated international action imperative. Over the last two days in Pittsburgh, leaders of the Group of 20 (G-20) met for the third time in less than a year to review the progress on commitments made at their last summit and chart a course to counter the impact of the adverse economic environment. As much as we value the inclusion of advanced developing countries in the G-20 process, we believe that it is critical that space be made to accommodate the voices of a wider cross-section of developing countries, particularly the most vulnerable. Our interest is in ensuring that the particular needs of small, vulnerable economies and highly indebted middle-income developing countries of the CARICOM subregion are addressed through appropriate representation at the summits of the G-20. We must have an integrated approach in order to craft the type of common strategy that a crisis of this magnitude demands. At the same time, the United Nations must play an essential role in helping to manage the various ramifications of the crisis. It can ensure dialogue and enable a coordinated response based on an inclusive decision-making process. The United Nations Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and its Impact on Development, held in June, provided a useful platform. Developing countries that are not part of the G-20 group were able to bring their concerns to the international community and contribute to the search for solutions to the crisis. We are encouraged by the candour of leaders from the major industrialized countries who expressed their commitment, with obvious sincerity, to effectively addressing the concerns of developing countries in order to help them cope with the crisis. We are seized with a spirit of collectivity, and hope that this renewed momentum will overcome all obstacles and translate into tangible, targeted outcomes. The severity and complexity of the crisis is underpinned by the interlinked and interdependent nature of the global financial system. The experience of the current crisis supports the case for strengthening financial regulation and supervision to address systemic weaknesses in the global financial system. Reform of the international financial architecture is long overdue. Urgent steps must be taken to reform 19 09-52592 the governance structure of the international financial institutions, including a review of the policy conditions attached to lending by the International Monetary Fund. We are disappointed that there is as yet no visible action on reform of the international monetary and financial systems. Jamaica is a trade-dependent country. We therefore agree that there is an urgent need to conclude the Doha Round of negotiations in a bid to revive global trade and to aid in global economic recovery. Development must remain central to that agenda. Any outcome of our negotiations in the Doha Development Round must lead to clear benefits for our farmers, producers, exporters and consumers. We must redouble our efforts in this critical area and resolve to transform international trade into an engine of growth. Progress has been made in the implementation of Aid for Trade for developing countries. We must build on that progress. There are outstanding commitments with respect to the provision of technical and financial support to help strengthen the trading and production capacities of developing countries. We look forward to further collaboration with our international partners and aid and development organizations in pushing the Aid for Trade initiative to build on the supply-side capacity and infrastructure of developing countries, so that they can take advantage of trade opportunities and connections with the global economy, particularly against the backdrop of this global recession. The threat posed by climate change must not be underestimated. Urgent and effective global action on climate change mitigation and adaptation is required to avoid the catastrophic consequences of global warming. The Alliance of Small Island States Climate Change Summit on 21 September, as well as the Summit on Climate Change held here a few days ago, reinforced this fact: the time for action is now. We were heartened by the broad agreement that a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is necessary to reduce global warming. What is now required is the necessary political will to take concrete, decisive action so that we can address this clear and present danger head on. As a Small Island Developing State that is vulnerable to the impact of climate change, Jamaica has a vested interest in a successful outcome of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December — an outcome based on equity and differentiated burden-sharing. It is now clearly established that developed country emitters have a historical responsibility for global warming and that they should take the lead in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Other major emitters also have a role to play in climate change mitigation while taking into account their own development needs. To this end, we favour the conclusion of a post-Kyoto framework wherein the commitments agreed to by all the parties hold to the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. A successful outcome must also include concrete commitments on adaptation, mitigation, capacity-building, technology transfers and the provision of financial resources to assist developing countries in addressing climate change. We recognize that action at the international level must be complemented by urgent action at the national and regional levels. The necessary steps must be taken to integrate climate change into broader national sustainable development planning. Jamaica has embraced this approach. The pursuit of complete disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation, with particular regard to weapons of mass destruction, must remain a shared goal. The 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty provides an opportunity for renewed commitment to strengthen the non-proliferation regime. Restoring peace and promoting regional stability through peacekeeping operations is at the heart of the contribution of the United Nations to international peace and security. However, as we have seen, peacekeeping interventions cannot by themselves produce the desired outcome of sustainable peace. The Peacebuilding Commission, established in 2006, can assure such sustainability and make a difference in the lives of people in post-conflict countries. We are therefore pleased that new arrangements have been put in place to make the Peacebuilding Fund more flexible as we seek to support peace efforts in countries emerging from conflict. In my own region, Jamaica remains committed to the long-term stability, socio-economic growth and development of our sister country, Haiti. We recognize the important role of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) in helping to foster the 09-52592 20 environment necessary to ensure a sustainable future for the Haitian people. We must increase our efforts to counter transnational organized crime, narco-trafficking and the illicit trade in small arms and ammunition, which threaten the rule of law and democratic governance in many countries, and fuel the spread of international terrorism. At the regional level, through joint collaboration and approaches within CARICOM, we continue to tackle these security challenges, which threaten the social and economic fabric of our societies. The challenges presented by the outbreak of infectious diseases and the potential pandemics, such as HIV/AIDS and the H1N1 flu, call for common global strategies to ensure that developed and developing countries alike can respond rapidly and effectively. As a result of the global economic crisis, accessibility and affordability of essential medicines are expected to deteriorate in developing countries. In this regard, however, it is anticipated that developing countries will have access to the forthcoming H1N1 vaccine at an affordable price. We end this first decade of the twenty-first century confronted by myriad challenges. These challenges are not constrained by borders and cannot be confronted by States acting on their own. They can only be confronted through international cooperation and effective partnerships. But this can only be achieved through greater multilateralism, with equitable participation by all countries, both developed and developing. Jamaica firmly believes that the United Nations is the only organization equipped to undertake this task of inclusive multilateralism. With all its imperfections, the United Nations still enjoys legitimacy in the eyes of most people in the world. But the United Nations cannot, in its current form and structure, successfully tackle this task. It must be reformed to make it more responsive to all its Members. Multilateralism cannot work effectively if the General Assembly, the most representative global body, is unable to assert itself as the central decision-making body of the Organization. Nor can it work if the Security Council remains an exclusive club, unrepresentative of the wider membership of the United Nations. The goal of the intergovernmental negotiations which commenced earlier this year should be to come to a definitive conclusion on comprehensive reform of the Council. The theme that the President has chosen for this session is both apt and timely. It evokes the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter. It calls on us to reaffirm and renew our commitment to joint responsibility for development, the realization of peace and security and harmony among peoples. It is in this spirit that we look forward to the erection of the permanent memorial to honour the victims of the transatlantic slave trade, which will remain an enduring symbol of our collective resolve to eliminate discrimination, social inequity and prejudice. The United Nations must assert its unique capability as the world’s premier multinational organization to address the challenges and meet the needs of the poor and most vulnerable. We need, therefore, to urgently correct and reverse the tendency towards inaction, inertia and indifference which has so far frustrated efforts to address the development agenda. This would be in keeping with the ideals of the Charter and our shared vision for the fulfilment of the hopes, aspirations and expectations of all our citizens across the globe. We dare not fail to live up to those expectations, as to do otherwise would seriously impair the very credibility and relevance of the United Nations, particularly during this time of crisis.