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Salutations: Colleague Minister of Arts and Culture of the Republic of South Africa, the Honourable Lulama Xingwana, Members of the media, Ladies and Gentlemen Good afternoon. Welcome to this media briefing where Minister Xingwana and I will, with your help, update the peoples of Jamaica and South Africa on the agreements we have made to co-operate in the area of...

Christmas is for most Jamaicans a time to take a break from work, for family and friends. In celebrating this holiest of Christian holidays, we should not lose sight of the fact that there are those in the society and amongst our membership who are experiencing difficult times. Help those less fortunate than us especially the families of members who...

Mr. President, It is indeed a humbling experience as I rise to participate in this State of the Nation Debate, particularly at a time when our nation and indeed the world is wrestling with this monster of a recession impacting on the lives of our people, particularly those below the poverty line who now find it increasingly difficult to survive....

The 10th of December each year is celebrated by the international community as Human Rights Day. It commemorates the day in 1948 when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, among other things, that "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights". This theme...

Today we join the international community in commemorating International Human Rights Day, under the theme "embrace diversity, end discrimination." This year's theme emphasizes the principle of non-discrimination enshrined in the first sentence of the first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR): "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights." Sixty-one years ago, this...

The celebration of CARICOM-Cuba day each year on 8th December presents a fitting opportunity to reflect on the strong ties of friendship and cooperation which link the Republic of Cuba and the member states of the Caribbean Community. CARICOM-Cuba Day coincides this year with the 37th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the first four independent countries of...

Heads of Government of the Commonwealth convened for 2 1/2 days in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad over the weekend amid severe challenges facing the world, the most significant of which are the global economic crisis and the urgent need to forge a collective response to the creeping disaster of global warming. 49 of the 53 member countries were represented at the meeting....

Jamaica joins the rest of the world on December 1, 2009 to commemorate World AIDS Day, which has been observed globally on that date every year since 1988. We have come a far way since then in educating and sensitizing our people about the issues surrounding HIV/AIDS. This year the general theme is simply Universal Access to Human Rights. This...

Chronic diseases claim about 3 million lives around the world each year and low and middle income countries like Jamaica are primarily affected. This is why I am pleased to take this opportunity to put diabetes in the spotlight as one of the Chronic Non-Communicable diseases that we need to take more seriously. We in the Caribbean, collectively and individually...

Mr. Trevor Alleyne, chief of the Caribbean division of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and head of the mission to Jamaica, issued the following statement today in Kingston: "An IMF team visited Kingston during October 27-November 6 to continue discussions toward a Stand-By Arrangment with the Fund. The team met with Prime Minister Bruce Golding, Minister of Finance Audley Shaw,...

I wish to address the House on the matter of the dismissal of the Governor of the Bank of Jamaica, the resignation of the Commissioner of Police and issues related thereto. BOJ Governor Last Friday, the Minister of Finance terminated the services of the Governor of the Bank of Jamaica. The Government found unacceptable, embarrassing and repugnant the interpretation and...

The Prime Minister, the Hon. Bruce Golding, will make a statement in Parliament today (Tuesday, November 3), outlining the circumstances surrounding the departure of both former Governor of the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ), Derick Latibeaudiere, and Commissioner of Police, Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin, from their positions. A release from Jamaica House, Monday night, quoted Minister with responsibility for Information, Telecommunication...