Jamaica urges renewed support for Haiti and calls for international effort against gangs

Camina Johnson Smith told the General Assembly that transnational organized crime and armed gangs pose a severe threat to peace and development in the Caribbean and beyond, calling for a coordinated international response.

"Prime Minister Andrew Holness called for a global war on gangs, a coordinated international effort capable of matching the reach, financing, and sophistication of transnational criminal networks," Smith said, and she reiterated Jamaica's support for sustained international assistance to Haiti, including financial, logistical and operational resources to restore security. She urged stronger cooperation in firearms tracing and interdiction, intelligence sharing, financial investigations and law-enforcement capacity building.

Smith specifically called on the Security Council to renew the mandate of the gang suppression force (GSF) to help stabilize Haiti, arguing that security is needed to create space for humanitarian relief, development and credible elections led by Haitians.