KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC—The government says it will launch two projects aimed at improving communication and engagement between Jamaica and the Diaspora during the three-day 10th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference, which gets underway here on June 16.
Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister Kamina Johnson Smith will officially launch the Diaspora Registration Portal (DRP) and Jamaica Diaspora Engagement Model (JAM-DEM) on Wednesday, June 19.
The DRP will streamline registration and provide a database of Diaspora members, while JAM-DEM will ensure that the Diaspora’s contributions are effectively integrated into Jamaica’s national development plan.
State Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Alando Terrelonge, who is responsible for Diaspora Affairs, said the projects are important initiatives aimed at improving engagement with the Diaspora and providing platforms to facilitate trade and investment.
He said the DRP can assist in a crisis abroad by facilitating consular services.
“So it is an important mechanism to know where Jamaicans are, [to] know where the numbers are in terms of how many Jamaicans are in various locations, to be able to provide them with assistance,” Terrelonge said.
Regarding the JAM-DEM portal, he said the facility would allow Jamaicans across the Diaspora “to see, in real-time, what investment opportunities there are in Jamaica and how to engage in those.
“So, it will effectively integrate them into the national development plan,” Terrelonge added.
The diaspora conference will be held under the theme, ‘United for Jamaica’s Transformation: Fostering Peace, Productivity and Youth Empowerment”.
The government said the event calls on Jamaicans worldwide to join forces in propelling Jamaica towards becoming a global mecca for trade, investment, sustainable economic growth, and human capital development “where no one is left behind, pursuant to the objectives of our national development policy, Vision 2030.”
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