Jamaica urges U.N. reform to restore trust and serve small states

Camina Johnson Smith, Jamaica's minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade, told the United Nations General Assembly that trust in multilateralism is waning and that reform is necessary to restore its effectiveness for smaller states.

"We must reform it. We must make it more representative, more accountable, more efficient, and more responsive to the needs and realities of the people it was created to serve," Smith said, arguing that reform is the best way to preserve the institution rather than abandon it. She noted Jamaica co-chaired an informal working group on mandate implementation review that culminated in General Assembly Resolution 80251, which she described as an "important framework" for improving how U.N. mandates are created, implemented, and reviewed.

Smith framed the call to reform around the concrete needs of small island developing states, saying that a rules-based order undergirds sovereignty, security and development. She emphasized that reforms must reduce procedural overhead and increase outcomes, advocating for changes to make U.N. bodies more representative and better able to deliver assistance to vulnerable populations.

The minister concluded by saying Jamaica will continue to work with partners to revitalize the General Assembly, pursue Security Council reform, and improve coherence and accountability across the U.N. system.