Joint Parliamentary Committee on Diaspora Affairs to be Established

A Joint Parliamentary Committee on Diaspora Affairs is to be established during the 2008/09 legislative year.
This was announced by Governor General, the Most Hon. Professor Sir Kenneth Hall, when he delivered the Throne Speech at the State Opening of Parliament, today (March 27).
Sir Kenneth said this decision arose out of Government’s recognition of the “critical role played by the Jamaican Diaspora, ‘the Greater Jamaica,’ in the country’s developmental process.”
“The Government is placing special emphasis on the many communities overseas and the role they will play in national development,” the Governor General explained.
Sir Kenneth said the third Biennial Conference of the Diaspora is scheduled to be held in Kingston in June, and will see attendees discussing and making decisions on matters aimed at deepening the role of the Diaspora in the affairs of the country.
The State Opening of Parliament marks the beginning of the new fiscal year on April 1.