UN General Assembly
2009

called green shoots of economic recovery. For the majority, the impact of the recession will be deep; it will be prolonged; and it will be painful. The irony is that developing countries are hapless victims of a crisis for which they are inculpable. The synchronized nature of the downturn in the world economy means that its repercussions are evident in virtually every sphere. Inflows of financing and investment have plunged precipitously; exports are weak, and commodity prices are low; official development assistance has diminished drastically. 09-52592 18 Those consequences are reflected in Jamaica and throughout the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) region. Countries like ours now face the daunting challenge of protecting the most vulnerable of their citizens in a responsible and sustainable manner in the context of declining export demand, contraction in services, including tourism, and lower remittances. As with most developing countries, the fiscal and financial stress has forced us to make significant adjustments to our expenditure programmes. The distressing reality is that we in the developing world have limited scope and capacity to