Dis n’ Dat ...

Wednesday,  January 18, 2006

Jamaica to Hand over Chairmanship of UN Group to South Africa 

KD Knight

Jamaica handed over chairmanship of the Group of 77 & China (G-77 & China) to South Africa during an official ceremony at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York City on Thursday, 12 January.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, KD Knight handed over the Instrument of Authority, signalling the change of chairmanship, to Dr Nkosazana C Dlamini Zuma, Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Africa, during the ceremony.

South Africa’s candidacy for the chairmanship of the Group was ratified during last September’s sitting of the General Assembly of the UN in New York.

When Jamaica assumed the Chair from Qatar last year January, Minister Knight said then that he was aware of the tremendous responsibility that came with the office and that attention would be placed on increasing the flow of resources to developing countries as well as improving global governance, enhancing South/South co-operation and disaster management and relief and the formulation of a development agenda.

The high level ceremony and meeting will be addressed by UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan; the Swedish Ambassador and newly appointed President of the 60th session of the UN General Assembly, Jan Eliasson, and the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Kemal Dervis.

Formed in 1964, the G-77 & China bloc is the main voice of developing countries on matters of economic and social issues in the UN system.

Minister Knight Urges G-77 to Push for Reform of ECOSOC

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, K.D. Knight has called on the Group of 77 and China (G-77/China) to push for the reform of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations.

“It is of particular importance that the strengthening of ECOSOC be given major attention and for the G-77/China to take a more forceful position in the reform process,” Minister Knight said, as he addressed the ceremony to hand over the chairmanship of the group to South Africa recently at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

Minister Knight, who chaired the body last year, said that 2005 was an active year for the G-77/China, especially in advancing the work of ECOSOC and its functional commissions.

Looking to the future, he said that it was his hope that the outcome of meetings with the Bretton Woods institutions and the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) would provide more concrete policy guidance on international economic issues.

He noted further, that the significant levels of destruction from natural disasters last year, has pointed to the need for increased focus on disaster management and relief and he urged member states to push for the implementation of a resolution sponsored by the G-77/China to address this issue.

Jamaica’s stewardship of the G-77/China was lauded by a number of speakers including the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan; President of the UN General Assembly, H.E. Jan Eliasson and Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Kemal Davis.

In accepting the instrument of authority from Minister Knight, Dr. Nkosazana C. Dlamini Zuma, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of South Africa, noted Jamaica’s tireless efforts in promoting the development agenda under difficult negotiating circumstances.

The Republic of South Africa will chair the influential 131-member grouping for 2006.

US Medical Team to Visit Jamaica

Dr Basil Bryan, Consul
General to New York

A United States medical team arrived in Jamaica on 13 January, where they are offering free healthcare to residents in communities throughout the island. They are scheduled to leave the island on 22 January.

The nine-day mission is being facilitated by the Organization for International Development (OID), which is headed by Dr Roy Streete, a Jamaican dentist based in the Bronx, New York.

According to Dr Streete, who is also head of the healthcare sector of the Jamaica Diaspora in the Northeast United States, the medical team offers dental, podiatric, ophthalmology and general health care and will make stops in the parishes of Portland, Clarendon, St Catherine, Kingston, St Andrew, St James, Hanover and St Elizabeth.

The nine-day visit is the first of two OID-sponsored missions to the island this year.

Last December, OID was presented with the title and keys to a fully equipped mobile health clinic by the Vincent Hosang Family Foundation, in support of the organization’s bi-annual mission of mercy to Jamaica since 1990.

The mobile unit, which was purchased and outfitted at a cost of just under JMD $200,000 is expected to be in Jamaica in time for the second leg of the mission later this year.

Once in Jamaica, the mobile clinic will ease the dependence by the OID on the Jamaica Cancer Society’s mobile unit in carrying out its health mission.

Jamaica’s Consul General to New York, Dr Basil Bryan, who participated in the handing over ceremony, noted then that, “little things mean a lot and if we were to magnify all the little things in our lives, we would be surprised how they become great.”

Commissioner of Police to meet with Jamaicans in Canada

Lucius Thomas,
Commissioner of Police

Commissioner of Police, Lucius Thomas will be visiting Canada from 20 to 24 January, to meet with Jamaicans living in that country.

The Jamaican Diaspora-Canada Foundation (JD-CF) is facilitating Commissioner Thomas’ five-day visit.

Philip Mascoll, president of JD-CF and member of the Jamaican Diaspora board, explained that the Commissioner was invited to speak to the Jamaican community about crime and to hear proposals to alleviate the situation. “We have to come to grips with the various ways in which we can help Jamaica and we can only do that with unity and cooperation,” said Mr Mascoll.

“Let us forget about what Jamaica can do for us and concentrate now on what we can do for Jamaica. Regardless of our political stripe or our membership in any organization, we must have one common goal - the betterment of Jamaica,” he continued.

The Commissioner’s speaking engagements begin on 20 January with an address at the Jamaican Canadian Association (JCA) on Arrow Road in Toronto’s west end starting at 7:00 pm and on 21 January, he will journey to the city of Hamilton, where he will speak at the Anglican Church of the Resurrection.

On Sunday, 22 January, he will address the congregation of the Revivaltime Tabernacle, one of the largest black churches in Toronto, which is led by Jamaican-born Rev Dr Audley James.

While in Canada, Commissioner Thomas is also expected to pay courtesy calls on Toronto’s Chief of Police, Bill Blair and Hamilton’s Chief of Police, Brian Mullan, before returning to Jamaica on Tuesday.

Commissioner Thomas is the latest public official that the JD-CF has brought to Canada in recent times.

In November 2005, Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Delano Franklyn, the minister with responsibility for the Diaspora, spent five days in Canada, meeting with the Jamaican community and various officials.

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