General Assembly Official Records Asdfsixty-Eighth Session 18Th Plenary Meeting Saturday, 28 September 2013, 9 A.M
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
United Nations A/68/ PV.18 General Assembly Official Records asdfSixty-eighth session 18th plenary meeting Saturday, 28 September 2013, 9 a.m. New York President: Mr. Ashe . (Antigua and Barbuda) The meeting was called to order at 9.05 a.m. agenda, impelling us to elaborate a meaningful and far- reaching development framework for the benefit of all. Agenda item 8 (continued) Our deliberations and actions during this session must therefore send a clear message of hope to the many General debate millions who, sadly, are still living in poverty and Address by Mrs. Portia Simpson Miller, Prime inequity. Let us redouble our efforts to fight against the Minister, Minister of Defence, Development, scourge of poverty. It was the late Jamaican national Information and Sports of Jamaica hero, Marcus Mosiah Garvey, who aptly said: The President: The Assembly will now hear an “Poverty is a hellish state to be in. It is no address by the Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, virtue. It is a crime. To be poor is to be hungry Development, Information and Sports of Jamaica. without possible hope of food; to be sick without hope of medicine; to be tired and sleepy without Mrs. Portia Simpson Miller, Prime Minister, a place to lay one’s head; to be naked without the Minister of Defence, Development, Information hope of clothing; to be despised and comfortless. and Sports of Jamaica, was escorted to the rostrum. To be poor is to be a fit subject for crime and hell.” The President: I have great pleasure in welcoming Too many of the world’s citizens are facing that Her Excellency Mrs. Portia Simpson Miller, Prime reality. We need to fulfil the Millennium Declaration Minister, Minister of Defence, Development, (resolution 55/2), which entrusted to us the responsibility Information and Sports of Jamaica, and inviting her to to chart a path towards development underpinned by address the General Assembly. a commitment to eradicate poverty on the basis of a Mrs. Simpson Miller (Jamaica): I am extremely global partnership. pleased that a son of the Caribbean — and one with such As the deadline for the attainment of the Millennium a wealth of experience and tested diplomatic skills — is Development Goals draws near, with under 1,000 days presiding over the General Assembly at its sixty-eighth remaining, we face many challenges, including the session. I commend the Secretary-General, His global economic and financial crisis, climate change, Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his untiring efforts natural disasters, high levels of debt and conflict. to promote international peace and development, and I With the limited time remaining, it is imperative for thank him for his exemplary leadership. us to accelerate our efforts. Anything less would be a The theme for our debate, “The post-2015 disservice to our people. development agenda: setting the stage”, catapults While we contemplate a post-2015 development development to the centre of the United Nations framework, we must also complete unfinished business This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the interpretation of speeches delivered in the other languages. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room U-506. Corrections will be issued after the end of the session in a consolidated corrigendum. 13-48803 (E) *1348803* A /68/PV.18 28/09/2013 in the reduction of extreme poverty and hunger, this year. That alarming statistic is overshadowed by combating HIV/AIDS, halting and reversing the estimate of the global working poor, which is in the incidence of malaria and tuberculosis and increasing order of 869 million, almost 400 million of whom access to reproductive health care. In our deliberations live in extreme poverty. Growth in joblessness is on a post-2015 development agenda, we must determine reflected in rural and urban pockets of poverty and how best to shape a global compact that is universal and social deprivation. Increased investment in developing people-centred and that strikes the balance between countries with a focus on job creation is an avenue that the need for robust economic growth, job creation must be actively pursued. and poverty eradication and the equally important We need to provide more assistance for people need to preserve and protect the environment. Our to cope with daily life, as growth and prosperity are deliberations have to take into account the special needs unevenly distributed and the most vulnerable are at of disadvantaged groups of countries, in particular the risk of falling through the cracks, being overlooked vulnerable group of small island developing States and failing to achieve a decent quality of life. Social (SIDS), which are grappling with climate change, sea- protection schemes should work effectively to provide level rise and the need to deal with new and emerging for basic needs and encourage target groups to pursue economic and social situations. self-advancement while facilitating empowerment We are pleased that international attention will and fostering greater inclusiveness. As countries like be focused on small island developing States in 2014, Jamaica implement strategies to deal with indebtedness when the international community will observe the and also encourage growth and investment, it is International Year of Small Island Developing States. critical that international financial institutions and The success of the Samoa Conference in 2014 will multilateral and other development partners recognize depend on strong international support for and the the importance of social protection mechanisms. mainstreaming of SIDS issues in all activities across As we forge the agenda for development for the the United Nations system. next decade and beyond, we do so in part on behalf of A sustainable approach to development should a group that is very close to my heart — our children. include people with disabilities in the post-2015 The future we want, the future we craft, the future we development agenda. It should also provide for the achieve will be our legacy to our children. We must prevention and control of non-communicable diseases redouble our efforts to safeguard their rights and and additional financial resources to sustain the global enhance their development. Despite limited resources, fight against HIV/AIDS. Jamaica continues to make every effort to meet its obligations to its children. We condemn violence and Another major threat to development is the high abuse against our children and reaffirm our commitment incidence of road crashes. I call on all countries to to safeguarding and promoting the rights of children take the challenge of reducing injuries and fatalities everywhere. We must leave no child behind. resulting from road crashes and traffic accidents more seriously as a crucial policy issue. The issue of human trafficking is of paramount concern. I am always mindful of the horrors and evils There is an urgent need for innovative and of slavery, both in history and in its modern-day form. sustainable financing to underpin our development I am particularly moved by the knowledge that young efforts. Reforms should be undertaken in a manner girls and boys are torn daily from the bosom of their that will assist middle-income developing countries families, taken to strange lands, placed in subhuman to deal with the challenges they face. Those reforms conditions and forced to perform unspeakable acts. We must address public debt sustainability and review the must unite in our efforts to eliminate that transnational classification system of middle-income developing scourge and bring an end to human trafficking among countries with a view to coming up with more relevant our women, men and children. We must ensure that in and appropriate measures of development. these modern times we do not have a re-enactment of There is an urgent need for greater focus on job slavery.We must stamp it out wherever it exists and bring creation, including for unemployed youth. I note that the perpetrators to justice. We must protect our future the International Labour Organization has estimated generations. Never again should anything resembling that global unemployment will rise to 202 million slavery be tolerated anywhere. 2/48 13-48803 28/09/2013 A /68/PV.18 Jamaica is proud to lead the efforts, in collaboration We remain deeply concerned about the suffering of with the countries of the Caribbean Community and the people in Syria and join the international community members of the African Union, to have the permanent in condemning the use of chemical weapons. We memorial to the victims of slavery and the transatlantic welcome the recent positive steps taken by the Security slave trade erected here at the United Nations. The Council. Jamaica remains firmly committed to a just, unveiling of the winning design of the permanent lasting and peaceful solution to the situation in the memorial earlier this week signals an important chapter Middle East. in our journey to honour the memory of the millions of Turning closer to home, the trade and economic men and women who were subject to untold atrocities. embargo against our neighbour Cuba has caused its When I attended the unveiling I was reminded of the people untold hardship. It has no place in the twenty- words of our reggae icon, Bob Marley: first century. We reiterate our call for an end to the “Old pirates, yes, they rob I; embargo against Cuba and to extraterritorial measures Sold I to the merchant ships, that target third-party countries. Minutes after they took I Jamaica has never lost faith in the influence for From the bottomless pit.