Two New Diaspora Portals to Be Launched Wednesday
By: , June 18, 2024
Photo: Yhomo Hutchinson
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith (centre), shares a moment with (from left) President, Jamaican Women of Florida, Aisha Rainford; High Commissioner of Jamaica to Canada, Marsha Coore Lobban; Ambassador of Jamaica to Belgium and Head of Mission to the European Union (EU), Symone Betton Nayo; and Consul General of Jamaica to New York, Alsion Wilson. Occasion was a panel discussion during the 10th Biennial Diaspora Conference at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James on June 17.
Photo: Yhomo Hutchinson
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith (centre), emphasises a point during a panel discussion at the 10th Biennial Diaspora Conference at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, St. James, on June 17. Listening (from left) are Moderator, Ambassador of Jamaica to Belgium and Head of Mission to the European Union (EU), Symone Betton Nayo, and President, Jamaican Women of Florida, Aisha Rainford.The Full Story
Two new online platforms to strengthen connection and engagement with and among overseas Jamaicans will be launched on Wednesday (June 19).
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, made the disclosure while participating in a panel discussion at the 10th Jamaica Biennial Diaspora Conference at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James on June 17.
“One of the portals will be the Jamaica Diaspora Engagement Model (JAM-DEM), which persons have been asking for, for years. It is a direct portal into investment opportunities and to share information about services that are of direct importance and specific interest to you [our diaspora],” the Minister said.
“We are launching that on Wednesday as well as the Diaspora Registration Portal (DRP), which will allow you, on a voluntary basis, to share information about the work that you or your organisation is doing overseas and to allow other diaspora persons to connect with you,” she added.
Senator Johnson Smith said the registration portal will enable Diaspora grouping to come together to support each other overseas.
“Well, what we want to do is to help you with the pathway to support each other in your charities, in your community work and in your business, so we can, in fact, row as a community wherever you are located,” she noted.
Senator Johnson Smith said that diaspora engagement is a major part of Jamaica’s foreign policy and will continue to play a critical role in the nation’s relentless march towards a shared vision of social and economic stability.
She said that the Conference serves as a pivotal platform for engaging Jamaican foreign nationals in discussion that transcends borders, uniting voices in a shared vision for national progress.
“This diaspora conference provides a platform for discussing and addressing burning issues in a non-partisan manner, transcending political divides and focusing on the common good, and emphasising one Jamaica.
“By engaging in open dialogue and seeking consensus, participants can work towards finding innovative solutions to the challenges facing Jamaica and its diaspora,” the Minister added.