Simón Bolívar ’s Jamaica Letter Hailed for Integration

State Minister in the Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Ministry, Hon. Arnaldo Brown, has hailed Simón Bolívar’s Jamaica Letter for engendering the entrenchment of regional integration among Latin American and Caribbean nations.

Speaking at a symposium, held at the Regional Headquarters Building on  the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies, on November 11, which examined the progression of Latin American and Caribbean regionalism, the Minister explained that much has been accomplished through partnerships with these countries following the writing of the Jamaica Letter.

The State Minister pointed out that the Community of Latin America and Caribbean States (CELAC) has embodied Bolívar’s ideations of an America that demonstrates true potential for development and leadership. “It also reaffirms his dictum that unity must be our emblem,” he added.

“It is the only regional organisation, which embraces all our 33 countries of the Latin American and Caribbean region, which provides a space for us to collectively address our challenges and derive mutual benefits from our natural and comparative advantages,” said Mr. Brown.

CELAC offers a combined approach in matters affecting the region such as the eradication of poverty, the adverse effect of climate change and solutions to sustainable development.

The State Minister emphasised that Jamaica is dedicated to a wider regional integration and cooperation, evidenced by the hosting of various meetings geared towards this goal. He also emphasised Jamaica’s commitment to CELAC.

Turning to the Jamaica-Venezuela connection through Simón Bolívar, Mr. Brown  acknowledged Bolívar’s legacy to the island in his successor, the late  Hugo Chávez, who came years later.

“The legacy of President Chávez is evident across several areas of our infrastructural, social and economic landscape, including construction of the Montego Bay Sports Complex, refurbishing of the Port Maria Civic Centre, the joint venture with Petrojam Oil Refinery and the promotion of renewable energy with the Wigton Wind Farm, being the largest in the English-speaking Caribbean,” he said.

At the symposium titled, ‘Simón Bolívar’s Jamaica Letter After 200 Years: History, Sovereignty and Regionalism in Latin America and the Caribbean’, topics related to Caribbean integration and regionalism as well as the Jamaica Letter were examined.

The speakers included Keith Ellis, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto, and Professor Jessica Byron, Senior Research Fellow of the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies, among others.

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, Ambassador S.R. Insanally, also launched his second book, ‘Dancing Between the Raindrops: A Dispatch from A Small State Diplomat’.