Mr. Chairman,
As this is the first time that I am taking the floor, may I begin by warmly congratulating you and the Bureau on your election to this Committee and commend you for the excellent manner in which you have been conducting our deliberations. The Jamaican delegation aligns itself with the Statement made by the distinguished Representative of Trinidad and Tobago on behalf of CARICOM and by Indonesia on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement.
Mr. Chairman,
I participate in today’s First Committee thematic debate on Conventional Weapons with an overwhelming sense of despair about the devastating and deadly impact of the illegal trade in arms and ammunition on the daily lives of the Jamaican people, and indeed many other citizens in every region of the world. This is a real and present danger; and for us the true “weapons of mass destruction”. While Jamaica and countries in the CARICOM region are not affected by armed conflict, we face insurmountable challenges as it relates to armed violence in many of our countries.
According to statistics available within CARICOM, approximately 70 per cent of all homicides committed in Jamaica and the wider sub-region feature the use of a firearm. The accessibility of illegal firearms has resulted in an increased number of highly organised criminal gangs, the development of a sub-culture that promotes violence and the desirability of gun-ownership which pose severe security, safety and socio economic challenges. Faced with the gruesome consequences, the Jamaican Government has been obliged to divert scarce resources from the national development budget in a bid to stifle its far reaching effects.
Mr. Chairman,
It is against this bleak backdrop that CARICOM governments have been advocating for many years the need for strong and effective multilateral action to tackle this major problem. We cannot as individual countries hope to succeed alone. The very nature of transnational organised crime requires cross-border collaboration at all levels to combat the illegal trade and tackle with equal vigour the supply, transit and demand sides of the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons and their ammunition.
We were therefore quite disappointed that the international community failed to take decisive action on a robust and legally binding instrument at the landmark Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) Conference in July of this year. Nevertheless, Mr. Chairman, for Jamaica and CARICOM, the missed opportunity of July is not permanent. We will continue to work with all delegations to achieve a comprehensive and robust Treaty that will establish the highest possible common international standards to regulate the trade in conventional weapons.
It is with this firm objective in mind that we welcome and fully support the draft resolution tabled at this Session calling for the resumption of the negotiations on the ATT, at a final conference to be held in March next year. In this connection, we believe that significant progress was achieved at the July Conference and we therefore endorse the use of the draft ATT text submitted by the President of the July Conference, which would not prejudice the right of Member States to put forward additional proposals on this text.
Mr. Chairman,
We support efforts to ensure the universal acceptance and implementation of the ATT which, as we all know, is fundamental to the treaty’s effectiveness. Accordingly, we continue to endorse the consensus approach in the negotiations of the Treaty. However, we must work harder to eliminate the divide that exits in our various positions, through a willingness to put aside narrow national interests for the good of all humanity. That said, we reiterate our position and expectation that consensus does not mean unanimity or the conferment of the power of veto on any State or States, as we seek to adopt a robust and legally binding instrument.
In advancing our discussions on regulating the trade in conventional weapons, the Jamaican delegation will continue to advocate for the inclusion of small arms and their ammunition in the ATT. The Foreign Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, speaking on behalf CARICOM at the ATT Conference in July, rightly said that “without bullets, small arms are virtually rendered useless as instruments of death”. For too long, ammunition has been regulated to the periphery of international discussions concerning the arms trade.
Mr. Chairman,
The successful outcome of the 2nd Review Conference on the Programme of Action on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in all its Aspects and the spirit of compromise and of purpose, which prevailed throughout the Conference, has brought renewed hope for the adoption of the ATT. I take this opportunity to pay special tribute to Ambassador Joy Ogwu for her excellent stewardship of the Conference. As we welcome the success of the Review Conference, we remain hopeful that the international community will take concrete measures aimed at implementing its recommendations, with a view to buttressing implementation of the Programme of Action (POA).
For its part, Jamaica is strongly committed to the full and effective implementation of the Programme of Action. This position is underpinned by Jamaica’s National Development Plan: Vision 2030, which outlines innovative strategies that address the problems associated with the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons. In this connection, the Government of Jamaica has undertaken a number of measures at the national level to strengthen the framework to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and lights weapons and their ammunition. Recent measures include the drafting of a national small arms policy to stem the flow of illicit weapons in the country.
Likewise, we are in the process of reviewing the Firearms Act which is expected to refine the legislative framework to combat the availability of illegal firearms in Jamaica. Despite our efforts, however, there is need for technical assistance and capacity building support from the international community for the full and effective implementation of the POA.
Jamaica also actively supports implementation at the regional, hemispheric and global levels to fully combat the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. We therefore take the opportunity to highlight and strongly commend the UN Regional Disarmament Centre in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) for the tremendous work it has been carrying out in Jamaica and many other countries in the region in addressing the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons and their ammunition.
We particularly welcome UNLIREC’s assistance in weapons stockpile management practices and in the destruction of seized ammunition. Collaboration with the Centre remains crucial in our efforts to confront the challenges posed by illegal weapons. Jamaica endorses the Centre’s work and looks forward to continuing the very fruitful engagement which should continue to benefit the entire region.
Mr. Chairman,
The people of Jamaica and in many other countries around the world rightly expect that our deliberations on Conventional Weapons will be translated into real and concrete actions to end the senseless suffering, resulting from the unregulated trade in conventional weapons. The adoption of the Arms Trade Treaty during this 67th Session is a timely action. Let us not disappoint our peoples.
I thank you.