10th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference Slated for June 16-19 in Montego Bay

The 10th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference will be held from June 16 to 19 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James under the theme ‘United for Jamaica’s Transformation: Fostering Peace, Productivity and Youth Empowerment’.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, made the disclosure during Friday’s (March 8) internal stakeholders launch for the event at the Ministry’s offices in downtown Kingston.

“This is a theme for our time. It is a theme that recognises the need for unity in a world that is generally fractured and one in which tensions and geopolitics pull countries and people apart. Uniting with our diaspora in nation-building and in building you in the countries where you reside is important for us to reflect on at this time,” Senator Johnson Smith stated.

The Minister informed that this will be the first in-person conference since the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that “it is going to really be a high-energy event, and we will look to all of you to bring your energy to the fore”.

“We know that the conference has grown over the years, and it has given tangible expression to our National Diaspora Policy,” Senator Johnson Smith stated.

She noted that the Policy’s adoption in both Houses of Parliament is a signal of the fact that the Government has fully embraced it.

The Minister further noted that finalising the Action Plan is one of the active outcomes anticipated for the upcoming conference, “so, we’ll be looking forward to the work to make that a reality as well”.

“I remember a point in saying to my team that I am not delivering one more speech where I mention the upcoming Diaspora Policy. So that is in place, and we are finalising the action plan that we have the Council in place. These are achievements of which we can be proud, and implementing is now critical,” Senator Johnson Smith stated.

Meanwhile, State Minister in the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Hon. Alando Terrelonge, indicated that the Conference is timely and important, as it is an opportunity to come together to drive the planning process for the event through committed support and action.

“I look forward to our discussions and the outcomes to follow. We must not see the diaspora community as an adjunct to our development agenda, but as intrinsic to its realisation,” Mr. Terrelonge said.

“Accordingly, part of my vision for… this 10th [conference] in particular, is to transmit the sense of empowerment and pride of the diaspora to facilitate the extension of prosperity and instill within the diaspora a desire to identify more with brand Jamaica,” he added.

The State Minister’s message was read by Chief Technical Director in the Ministry, Ambassador Sharon Miller.

The Diaspora Conference is a biennial global forum that connects persons of Jamaican descent living across the globe, with the aim of strengthening linkages and building alliances that will fuel the island’s growth and development on the international stage.