Ministry of Foreign Affairs Gets Ready for Diplomatic Week

Plans are in high gear for the 17th annual staging of Diplomatic Week 2015, by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.

The Week will be observed from February 8 to 13 under the theme: ‘Building Partnerships for Sustainable Development’.

“We use the week to really brief them on political, social and economic development in the country and since they are in Jamaica, we use the opportunity to expose them to the beauty of our landscape,” said Director of Protocol in the Ministry, Patricia Evering.

She said that 26 non-resident Heads of Mission will be participating in the week-long event.

This year’s activities get underway with a service on Sunday, February 8 at

8:30 a.m. at the Hope United Church, 221 Old Hope Road in Kingston, and will conclude on Friday, February 13, with a visit to the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park.

On Monday, February 9, three newly appointed Heads of Mission from the Republic of Guinea, the State of Qatar and the Slovak Republic, all resident in Havana, Cuba, will present copies of their Credentials to Foreign Affairs Minister, Hon. A.J. Nicholson, and the Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen.

These three newly accredited diplomats will be joined by their other non-resident counterparts from Australia, Austria, Belize, Botswana, Croatia, Ecuador, Egypt, Georgia, Greece, Israel, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and Zambia.

On Tuesday, the diplomats will do a brief tour of the University of the West Indies (UWI), after which they will be addressed by Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Hon. A. J. Nicholson.

Later in the evening, the Consular Corps of Jamaica will host the diplomats at a reception at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston.

The programme continues on Wednesday, February 11 with briefings from three Ministers of Government – Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. the Hon. Peter Phillips; Minister of Education, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, and Minister of National Security, Hon. Peter Bunting.

On Thursday, February 12, there will be a presentation by Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO). Later in the evening there will be a State dinner at King’s House hosted by their Excellencies the Governor-General and Lady Allen.

Explaining the significance of the theme, Mrs. Evering said the Ministry’s focus is to collaborate and partner with other countries.

“We all want to develop along with the rest of the world, so that’s where our focus is, to partner with other countries, to share best practices and to enhance cooperation,” she added.