Smith highlights Jamaica's decade of reforms and fiscal buffers before Melissa

Camina Johnson Smith attributed Jamaica's initial capacity to respond to Hurricane Melissa to a decade of difficult fiscal reforms that created buffers and investor confidence.

"Our debt, which once stood at more than 140% of GDP, was brought down to 62% before Melissa with unemployment then at a historic low of 3.4%," Smith said. She told the Assembly that those gains were the product of discipline, partnership and long-term planning, and that they helped Jamaica secure immediate liquidity after the hurricane.

Smith also said Jamaica's credit ratings were stabilized or upgraded despite the shock and that unemployment remained comparatively low; she used the point to argue that domestic responsibility must be matched by international solidarity to address recovery and development needs.