Jamaica's Foreign Minister Makes the Case That One Hurricane Proved the World's Financial System Is Broken

Jamaica's top diplomat used the United Nations General Assembly to deliver a sweeping indictment of the international order's failure to protect climate-vulnerable small states — anchored by the staggering fact that Hurricane Melissa wiped out nearly 57% of the island's GDP in a single day. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kamina Johnson Smith paired that warning with a roster of concrete diplomatic moves: endorsing a Caribbean candidate for Secretary-General, escalating reparations claims to Britain's highest judicial body, and showcasing security gains that made Jamaica the most peaceful country in the Caribbean.

• Hurricane Melissa inflicted damage equal to 56.7% of Jamaica's GDP, exposing the limits of even the most disciplined fiscal planning for small island states

• Jamaica and CARICOM endorse Guyana's Carolyn Rodrigues-Burkitt for UN Secretary-General — a historic first for the Caribbean if successful

• Jamaica delivers reparations petition to Buckingham Palace; case referred to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council

• Lowest homicides in more than 30 years and the Caribbean's top Global Peace Index ranking bolster Jamaica's call for a "global war on gangs"

• Jamaica presses the Security Council to renew Haiti's Gang Suppression Force mandate, warning armed gangs cannot determine the region's future

The basics: On Oct. 28, 2025, Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica with what Minister Smith called the most catastrophic hurricane in the country's modern history. The damage and loss were estimated at 56.7% of GDP.