KINGSTON, Feb. 24 (JIS) – A sum of $25 million is earmarked for the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) to continue work, this year, on the country’s National Policy and Plan of Action on International Migration and Development.
The sum, which represents a $10.4 million increase over last year’s allocation, is included in the 2015/16 Estimates of Expenditure, now before Parliament.
The project, which commenced in January 2011, aims to build the capacity of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to implement the Plan; lobby and secure public ownership of and participation in its implementation; undertake implementation of the Plan’s first three years of priority engagements; monitor and evaluate earmarked activities; and develop a national statistical database.
In so doing, it is anticipated that an Extended Migration Profile will be developed; a National Working Group on International Migration and Development, as well as sub-committees, based on priority areas, will be established; a situational analysis on international migration in Jamaica will be undertaken; and national stakeholder consultations convened.
Achievements up to December 2014 included: development of terms of reference for monitoring and evaluation consultancy; drafting and presentation of the International Migration and Development Policy to Cabinet; drafting of agreement with the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) for the migration database development; development of migration indicator listing; and provision of technical support for Diaspora Mapping Project.
Targets this year include: updating of Jamaica’s migration profile – $600,000; development of a Policy implementation plan – $5 million; submission of the final National Policy draft to Cabinet for approval; development of the national migration statistics database – $5.25 million; initiation of islandwide consultations on the Green Paper – $3.5 million; hosting of Global Project Board meeting – $4.5 million; and conducting data mining across MDAs, and a midterm review – $1.5 million each.
The project, which has been extended three times, is scheduled to conclude in March 2018.
Joint funding is being provided by the Government of Jamaica and the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) International Organization for Migration (IOM).
