PM Urges Diplomats to Forge Partnerships for National Reconstruction Under NaRRA

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has urged Jamaica’s Heads of Mission to mobilise partnerships aligned with national reconstruction priorities, which will be spearheaded by the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA).

“Each Mission should identify at least two priority sectors aligned with our reconstruction agenda and pursue structured, measurable engagements in those areas. Engagement and partnership must move from concept to capital flows,” he instructed.

Dr. Holness issued the call to action during his address to diplomats at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade in downtown Kingston on Wednesday (February 11).

The Prime Minister noted that many of Jamaica’s diplomats are stationed in countries that are advanced in building climate‑resilient infrastructure, and that these relationships can be leveraged to support the island’s own development.

“We need to understand what they do, how they do it and whether or not they would be willing to share their learnings and resources and partner with us… and this will be done primarily through NaRRA,” he explained.

NaRRA, which was established in response to the widespread devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, will embed resilience, climate adaptation and sustainability into Jamaica’s national recovery efforts.

Dr. Holness noted that priority areas for collaboration include climate‑smart housing, along with renewable energy and storage solutions.

“Renewable technology is becoming more accessible… we’d love to have greater partnerships to do this at scale. I think there is a growing industry in the household renewable [sector]. But we need, now, industries that will look at taking entire communities off grid. These are things we can pursue,” he outlined.

The Prime Minister pointed out that the global economy is undergoing profound structural transformation, with supply chains shifting, investments diversifying, digital and green transitions accelerating, and new production corridors emerging, emphasising that Jamaica must embrace these changes.

Meanwhile, Dr. Holness underscored the importance of strengthening Jamaica’s security and deepening regional cooperation.

He noted that transnational crime, narcotics trafficking, the illicit flow of weapons, cyberthreats, and organised criminal networks undermine economic independence and erode investor confidence.

“Our Missions must prioritise structured cooperation on intelligence sharing, maritime security, border management, financial crime enforcement… and we must look seriously at capacity-building partnerships,” the Prime Minister stated.

Pointing to the experience of Hurricane Melissa, Dr. Holness emphasised that Jamaica must be deliberate in building capacity.

“When Hurricane Melissa struck, there was an immediate need for airlift capabilities. We were really short on airlift capacity. We just didn’t have the airlift capability to move the relief supplies and the emergency services as timely and as quickly as we would want. It is our standing partners… who provided significant airlift capabilities,” he shared.

While expressing gratitude to the partners who supported Jamaica with airlift, the Prime Minister noted that the experience underscored the need for Jamaica to make capital investments in its own capabilities.

“We need to equip ourselves and we need to have multiple partnerships so that if one can’t come, we know we can rely on another,” Dr. Holness said.

He emphasised that capacity‑building is critical as weather events and other shocks grow more intense, occur more frequently and, at times, overlap.

The Prime Minister urged Jamaica’s Heads of Mission to pursue partnerships that include mutual support arrangements in the event of emergencies.

He noted that areas for collaboration include intelligence sharing and the development of intelligence capabilities, as well as addressing organised criminal activities and transnational crime.

“There are countries who may want to train with our forces, and we may want to train with them. There are countries that have specific capabilities in equipment and technology that we don’t have… that we could secure partnerships with in getting our personnel trained, particularly in cyber, which is absolutely critical. So these are areas that I would want you to pursue,” Dr. Holness added.