Mr. Chairman,
Please accept my appreciation for the work you and the members of the Bureau have done thus far, and to the Secretary General for the report contained in the document A/67/307, which has informed the discourse today. I would also like to extend my best wishes to Mr. Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal on his recent appointment as Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information.
My delegation associates itself with the statement made by the Distinguished Representative from Trinidad and Tobago on behalf of CARICOM and Chile on behalf of CELAC. In this regard, I wish to add the following remarks in my national capacity.
Mr. Chairman,
The DPI continues to play a vital role in generating discussion and debate on key issues within the international community, and as such, we are particularly pleased by the efforts of the DPI and other relevant partners to bring warranted attention to the issue of the illicit trade in arms through its development and implementation of a communication strategy in support of the United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty which was held in July 2012. Against this background, my delegation urges the DPI to continue to raise awareness of the negative impact of the unregulated trade in conventional weapons including small arms and light weapons and their ammunition as a threat to the survival of many countries across the globe, including my own Caribbean region.
We also take the opportunity to express our gratitude for the work undertaken in bringing attention to the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, by way of a documentary recounting the history of the Convention. In view of the historic importance of the occasion, we urge the DPI to continue to disseminate information on the 30th anniversary commemoration within the UN system and to the wider international community.
Mr. Chairman,
The Third Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) is scheduled to be held in the Pacific in 2014. The sustainable development challenges of Small Island Developing States, like Jamaica, are many and are of a critical nature. We therefore encourage the DPI to play an active role in disseminating information on this important Conference which will give recognition to the unique and particular vulnerabilities of SIDS member states and will seek to garner concerted action in addressing their developmental needs.
Mr. Chairman,
In true spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states that “No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms”, Jamaica remains committed in leading the initiative towards the realization of the Permanent Memorial Project to establish a monument at the UN in honor of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. We commend the work of the DPI in garnering support for and disseminating information on this very important issue, especially with regard to its educational outreach programmes, and the organization of a series of activities in 2012 for the International Day of Remembrance in honour of the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade.
The history, lessons and legacy of this dark moment in human history, is a key component in educating the general members of society, about the fundamental values and principles on which the United Nations was founded. In this regard, I urge the DPI to continue its efforts in building momentum geared towards the erection of the Permanent Memorial as we seek to ensure that never again will we allow what today would be condemned as a crime against humanity to reoccur in our world.
I thank you.