SENATOR THE HONOURABLE KAMINA JOHNSON SMITH MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND FOREIGN TRADE

On World Humanitarian Day, Jamaica joins the rest of the world in expressing its immense gratitude to the heroic men and women who commit themselves to delivering life-saving aid to those most vulnerable. We laud their acts of kindness and recognize their tireless efforts to give hope and support where there is despair and abandonment. We particularly commend this year’s focus on Women Humanitarians and their special contribution to this essential work. This theme holds special significance for Jamaica as we attach tremendous importance to the role of women in all spheres of life, including in crisis situations. Many will recall that the role of women in the related fields of conflict prevention and peace building was first highlighted by Jamaica during its presidency of the United Nations Security Council in July 2000.

Jamaica, therefore, fully supports the launch of the United Nations’ #WomenHumanitarians global campaign, which pays special tribute to and raises support for the broad spectrum of work undertaken by women to alleviate human suffering in areas of conflict and disasters. Indeed, the invaluable contribution of our women, who make up over 40% of the humanitarian global workforce cannot be understated. In that regard, Jamaica also looks forward to the redoubling of efforts to prioritize women’s issues and the role of women in the advancement of the world humanitarian agenda.

It is also fitting that we honour the contribution and memory of the military, police and civilian personnel who have perished while serving in various humanitarian organisations and United Nations peacekeeping missions. We are gravely concerned by the increase in murders, injuries and abductions of humanitarian workers. Since the commemoration of World Humanitarian Day began ten years ago, dozens of United Nations peacekeeping personnel, and most recently our own, Mr. Clive Peck, have lost their lives while on Mission. These brave souls, like so many before them, made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of humanity and the noble cause of international peace and security. We are deeply concerned that the occurrence of attacks and threats against humanitarian personnel severely hinder the provision of assistance and protection to persons who rely on humanitarian aid for their very survival. For these reasons, in addition to the senseless loss of precious of human lives, the safety and security of our humanitarian personnel, particularly women, must continue to be a priority. These atrocities must not be allowed to continue. We therefore, call for additional measures to prevent and address all act of violence against humanitarian personnel and those supporting humanitarian relief operations worldwide.

Today, however, Jamaica honours and celebrates the committed and courageous Women Humanitarians on this tenth anniversary of World Humanitarian Day!