Jamaica Expresses Appreciation to UAE For Its Hospitality

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, has thanked the Government and people of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for their hospitality and support to the Jamaican delegation at World Expo 2020 Dubai.

From curation to creation and daily operations, the UAE has been with us walking side by side and hand in hand, allowing the team to make the very best use of opportunities to make business-to-business, business-to-government, government-to-government and indeed people-to-people connections. Indeed, we are connecting minds and together, creating the future, Senator Johnson Smith said.

She was speaking at the national flag raising ceremony for Jamaica National Day held on February 18 at the Al Wasl Plaza in Dubai.

The Jamaica Pavilion, located in the Mobility Zone of the Expo grounds is a gift from the UAE. The Pavilion is built from shipping containers from around the world, heralding Jamaica’s push to become a logistics hub, connecting the world.

Senator Johnson Smith also highlighted the areas of focus for Jamaica while at the six-month-long global event.

These include promoting Jamaica as the Caribbean destination of choice and increasing airlift emerging from the Gulf region; promoting and preparing for Jamaica’s hosting of the World Free Zone Organization’s Annual International Conference and Exhibition in Montego Bay, St. James in June; and securing investments for Jamaica as an emerging logistics hub connecting Dubai, Rotterdam and Singapore.

Focus is also being placed on securing investments in renewable energy.

Our aim is to achieve fifty per cent of our energy generation capacity from renewables by 2030 and that presents great investment potential. This target will not only allow us to create the resources on which to grow our industries, but simultaneously to mitigate against the existential threat of climate change, which affects us all, Mrs. Johnson Smith said.

For his part, Executive Director of the Office of the Director General of Expo 2020 Dubai, His Excellency, Najeeb Al Ali, commended Jamaica’s impactful participation in World Expo 2020 Dubai and shared his hope for continued good relations between both countries.

I would like to express our appreciation for Jamaica’s exceptional participation in this Expo. Our theme, Connecting Minds, Creating the Future, is a powerful tool that allows us to bring about positive change as well as chart the way forward towards an inclusive and more sustainable future for our people and planet. Through its active participation, we are thankful to Jamaica for its contributions to this purpose, he said.

“We are proud of the prospering relations we share with Jamaica which are based on the principles of friendship and mutual respect. With this in mind, we aim to explore new frameworks for further collaboration in areas of common interest such as logistics maritime and cultural cooperation with the purpose of building bridges between our people and ensuring their collective well-being, he added.

Jamaica was invited to participate in EXPO2020 Dubai, from February 16 to 20, by the UAE as part of that country’s outreach to encourage Caribbean nations to engage in one of the most globally diverse events ever organised.

The six-month-long Expo, which opened in October 2021, aims to provide opportunities for building partnerships, enhancing South-South cooperation, and creating a legacy of knowledge and co-creation.