Jamaica reaffirms call for reparatory justice
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica has reaffirmed its determination to further the call for international recognition of reparatory justice as a necessary path to healing, restoration of dignity and progress for people of African descent.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness, in his recent address to the 77th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, said that the world cannot turn a blind eye to the systemic imbalances that persist after centuries of exploitation.
“If our moral standards today on which we claim a higher civilisation acknowledge that the actions in the past, which generated wealth for some by depriving others of their freedom, were wrong, then that same moral standard must lead those who benefited from the wrongs of the past and claim a higher civilization today, to repair that which their morality now acknowledges to be an injustice,” he said.
The prime minister said there is an inescapable duty for economic redress for the historic injustices and recognition of the dignity of affected states and people.
“The arc of international morality would not have completed its bend for the peoples of the African diaspora without open and exclusive exchanges on the dispensation of reparatory justice,” he noted.
“We recognise the complexities associated with this sensitive issue, yet, as with all complex global challenges, we must summon the determination to take the bold and creative steps to meet the moment,” Holness added.
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN.
The UNGA makes key decisions for the UN, including appointing the Secretary-General on the recommendation of the Security Council, electing the non-permanent members of the Security Council, and approving the UN budget.
The Assembly meets in regular sessions from September to December each year, and, thereafter, as required.
It discusses specific issues through dedicated agenda items or sub-items, which leads to the adoption of resolutions.