Targeted technical assistance through the Canada-CARICOM Expert Deployment Mechanism (CCEDM) can help Jamaica’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and attainment of medium-term development goals. This was stated by Deputy Director General of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Barbara Scott, at a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’. Ms. Scott, who has responsibility for External Cooperation Management and Project...

Jamaica is the first country in the region to make significant progress in the development of a National Consumer Protection and Welfare Policy and Implementation Plan. Spearheaded by the Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC), the Policy seeks to ensure that consumers are protected from unsafe goods and unfair business practices, and that they are empowered to defend their rights and welfare....

The recently held Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, provided an opportunity for important bilateral talks between Jamaica and several other countries. Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) with Responsibility for Information, Hon. Robert Morgan, said that Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator...

Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says a single-visa regime among CARICOM member countries should be the next critical consideration in rationalising entry protocols in the region. “[This is] for touristic purposes and can be provided for visitors coming into your space for 30 days or three days… a simple platform that allows everybody and anybody to apply for a CARICOM...

Chairman of the CARICOM Council for National Security and Law Enforcement (CONSLE) and Jamaica’s National Security Minister Dr. Horace Chang, says the illicit trafficking of illegal firearms is a significant challenge for the region. Addressing Thursday’s Committee meeting on Hemispheric Security at the Organization of American States, by video-conference, Dr. Chang pointed out that “the Caribbean accounts for approximately 23...

Jamaica has called on Commonwealth countries to continue to make collaborative best efforts and for the Commonwealth Secretariat to nurture partnerships and enhance coordination in the public health interest. This was the message from Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, to the 34th annual Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting (CHMM), which ended today (May 19), at the Commonwealth Secretariat in...

The Government is committed to providing humanitarian assistance to the Government and people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, following the impact of the La Soufrière volcano on the island. This was emphasised by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, during Friday's (April 23) sitting of the Senate at Gordon House. Senator Johnson...