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Diaspora Conference Takes Centre Stage June 13 To 18 In Mo-Bay

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KINGSTON, April 27 (JIS): BY: ELAINE HARTMAN RECKORD
Members of the Diaspora and Jamaicans at home will gather at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, in St. James, from June 13 to 18, to participate in the sixth staging of the Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference.
Activities will include a business and cultural exposition, a range of meetings to address investment opportunities and social activities, culminating with a Diaspora Day of Service.
The forum is being spearheaded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, in collaboration with the Jamaica Diaspora Foundation, the Jamaica Diaspora Institute, the Jamaica Diaspora Advisory Board Members, key community persons and Diaspora community groups, under the theme: ‘Jamaica and the Diaspora: Linking for Growth and Prosperity’.
This year, the conference promises to be bigger and better, with the organisers anticipating a robust turnout of Diaspora members.

Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade,
Hon. Arnaldo Brown, tells JIS News that the last staging saw a record number of diaspora members in attendance. He is hoping the number will increase in 2015.
“Our intent is to have 1,000 local participants and hopefully, we will have an equal number from the Diaspora in attendance at the conference,” he says.
Since its inception in 2004, the event has grown, and in 2013 more than 1,500 participants attended the conference.

He notes that efforts are being made to increase the turnout through the deliberate targeting of the Diaspora outside of the traditional areas of the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Canada.
Since the conference was officially launched in February 2015 by Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, Mr. Brown says several others have been held to promote it overseas, noting that the first international launch was held at the St. George’s Episcopal Church, in New York, last month.

“Consequent upon the New York launch, we launched in Canada from the 12th of April to the 19th of April. There were launches in Toronto, Edmonton, Ottawa, Montreal and all launch events have gone fairly well,” he adds.
Other Diaspora launches include Grand Cayman and Florida. The launch in Florida will take place at a community forum on Thursday, April 30 at 6:30 p.m. at the Miramar City Hall, 2300 Civic Center Drive, Miramar.
Mr. Brown is urging Jamaicans who wish to attend the conference to register now and take advantage of the early bird rates. The official conference hotel is the Rose Hall Hilton Hotel and attendees are being encouraged to log on to: www.jamaicandiaspora.gov.jm for early registration and further details. He is also reminding Jamaicans in the Diaspora who have difficulty registering online to get in touch with the nearest Consulate or Mission in their area to get the form completed.

“I am encouraging persons to book their tickets and to make their reservations early. Reservations can be made online and if there is a difficulty registering online, then get to your nearest Consulate or Mission,” he advises.

The State Minister says Jamaicans can also register to share their skills and resources in projects in communities in Jamaica while at the conference.

“So, any Jamaican who is interested, whether here or overseas, there is an outlet for persons to sign up and to be on the programme of activities,” he notes.

Mr. Brown says a report on the achievements from Conference 2013 and highlights of Conference 2015 and some of its expected outcomes will be presented to participants on day two of the conference.
“We will present a report card on the successes that we have had, implementation that have taken place and our view is that persons will be satisfied that significant work has taken place during the period between conference 2013 and conference 2015,” he tells JIS News.

“We are positing the conference as a global forum for Jamaicans worldwide to be actively engaged,” he says, adding that a report will also be presented on the Diaspora Mapping Project, an online survey which seeks to identify the locations, skills, expertise and interests of members of the global Jamaican Diaspora.

Additionally, he notes that there will be a report on the Diaspora Policy, along with the International Migration and Development Policy.

“We hope that the Diaspora Policy will be at the Green Paper stage by the time we get to conference. Work is now being done,” he says.

Mr. Brown explains that organisers are seeking to build on the successes of the 2013 conference and will be placing much emphasis on social development and trade and investment. A feature called, Marketplace, which was introduced at the last conference, will be expanded this year. It will feature a range of local businesses and brands from various sectors, including business matching meetings, transactions and networking and Jamaican cultural presentations and other entertainment.

“A number of features were introduced in that conference. Marketplace was introduced and the matchmaking session. We are introducing it again, but with a twist. There is also going to be the Marketplace Live. There are 70 slots that are available for companies, whether in Jamaica or overseas, that are interested in displaying their wares,” he states.

The six-day programme will also feature a Government at Your Service ‘One Stop Shop’ which is a collaboration of public sector agencies offering attendees fast-tracked Government services.

“We are going to have a golf tournament. We are going to have two church services, which is a first, on Saturday and on Sunday, marking the start of the Diaspora Week,” he says.

In addition, he notes that another event; ‘the Diaspora Day of Service’, has been significantly broadened in scope in an effort to encourage civic-minded Jamaicans to participate in outreach activities.

“Members of the Diaspora will be able to go out into the different communities and undertake projects that are of interest to them in the communities, in and around the conference site, and even wider if they so desire,” he adds.

A Power Breakfast will also be included, where decision-makers, whether from the public and public sector, will get a chance to meet and discuss projects that can be implemented or explore opportunities that are available.
Mr. Brown says there will also be a special symposium on Immigration and Deportation, with the aim of developing an action plan to sensitise persons who have immigration issues and “to look at how we deal with the reintegration of persons who have been deported or persons who lived away from Jamaica for a period of time.”
Additionally, he notes that there will be discussions on the role of the church and Faith based groups in Diaspora development and engagement. He says many persons who migrate continue their church tradition and can be found in various churches across the length and breadth of the Diaspora.

“We trust that the participants will be fully engaged and that they will leave feeling that they have spent a worthwhile time in Jamaica. We expect that at the end of the conference, there will be an action plan and a move towards implementation,”
Mr. Brown says.

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RTCIPF Observes World Down Syndrome Day

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On March 21st, 2024, the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force joined the international, regional and local communities in observing World Down Syndrome Day. 

Officers showed their support by wearing brightly coloured and mismatched socks to raise awareness. 

The head of the Safeguarding and Public Protection Unit, Assistant Superintendent of Police Grantley Williams, Training Manager Mrs Odessa Forbes and Media Relations Officer Denyse Renne visited the SNAP Centre and interacted with the students.

In a message to the TCI community, the RTCIPF noted that stereotypes perpetuate stigma and hinder inclusion, preventing individuals from reaching their full potential. 

Instead, the RTCIPF calls for individuals to foster an environment of acceptance and support where everyone is valued for who they are. 

By breaking down barriers and challenging misconceptions, we can create a more inclusive society where individuals with Down Syndrome are empowered to live fulfilling lives and contribute meaningfully to their communities and, by extension, the TCI. 

As law enforcement officers, we must protect and serve all members of society, regardless of their abilities. 

Let’s work together to ensure that individuals with Down Syndrome are treated with dignity and respect and that their rights are upheld.

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CARICOM speaks out on Climate Change, looking to May meeting to amplify call for Climate Funding

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March 3, 2024

 

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) remains on the frontlines of global climate crisis, an issue the Region has been aggressively advocating on for the past thirty years. Despite the many commitments and promises of international partners, the window of opportunity to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels is rapidly closing.

Heads of Government are concerned that while COP 28 was widely regarded as a historic event, with the completion of the first global stocktake (GST), on progress in achievement of the Paris Agreement goals, the outcomes of GST show that emissions of greenhouse gases continue to rise and the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) of Parties will not keep global temperatures below the 1.5 degree goal enshrined in the Paris Agreement.

Heads of Government also expressed concern to be heading to COP 29 where a New Finance Goal will be articulated to replace the 100bn goal, which has not yet been met, even as developing countries require trillions to deal with the escalating impacts of climate change. Developed country parties have not provided enough finance at scale, technology and capacity building support required to help developing countries tackle their pressing needs to build their resilience, especially in adapting to the adverse and increasingly catastrophic impacts of climate change. The clear absence of definitive timelines for action and quantitative commitments for scaling up of investments, and particularly adaptation finance emerging out of COP 28, cause great concern to our Region.

The Conference noted that Small Island Developing States (SIDS), recognized as the most vulnerable group of countries and a special case for sustainable development, have been facing strong push back against the recognition of their special circumstances especially in the context of climate finance. There is limited international support for special allocations for SIDS within financing arrangements and available climate finance from international and private sources is limited, expensive and too onerous to access.

In light of the preceding, Heads of Government called for CARICOM to take a strategic, unified and coordinated approach to ensure that the Region remains influential in the climate and development arena through engagements with key partners and advocacy groups.

They called for renewed focus by the Region to advocate for inclusion of forests, nature-based solutions and blue carbon into market mechanisms with the aim of articulating clear regional positions and strategies.

Heads of Government reiterated the call for improved readiness programmes, simplified approval procedures, a change to the criteria for determining access to low-cost finance, and for the adoption of programmatic approaches to address the bottlenecks in accessing finance.

The Region reiterates its support for the Bridgetown Initiative’s call to expand capital adequacy of international financial institutions.

Heads recognized that the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States, scheduled to be held in Antigua and Barbuda, 27 – 30 May 2024, will be an inflection point for many of these discussions to be articulated. As such, the Region remains committed to participating in the Conference at the highest level.

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South Caicos Development Plans shared with Washington-Misick led Administration

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On Monday, 12 February 2024, the Premier led a delegation to tour the island of South Caicos to view the ongoing public and private sector projects, involving the remodelling and rebranding of the airport terminals, historical districts, and the East Bay Hotel.

The tour of the various developments reinforced the Government’s commitment to collaborating with stakeholders to boost the island’s activity and economy.

Photos courtesy of the TCI Office of the Premier

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