KINGSTON, Jamaica - This week, the leaders of the world — including our prime minister — are gathered at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York for the annual General Assembly.
This exercise is often dismissed as a glorious talk shop with photo opportunities. Indeed, Jamaica's participation has been dismissed locally as a waste of time and resources, because a small country has little or no influence on the United Nations and international affairs.
This impression is wrong because, first, small states need the multilateral forum of the UN to mobilise coalitions to support issues and policies of interest to them, and to protect them from the abuse they can suffer in bilateral relations with larger, more powerful states by resorting to the rule of international law. Second, small states can indeed influence the UN. Proof of this is Jamaica's record of doing so consistently over the years.