AS THE Government seeks to deepen the dialogue with Jamaicans living overseas and engage them in the process of nation building, Prime Minister P.J. Patterson has announced that a Jamaican Diaspora Conference will be held in Jamaica from June 16-17 to advance collaborative efforts with Jamaicans living overseas.
It is expected that approximately four hundred delegates will attend the conference, 50 of whom will come from Canada.
In addressing Jamaicans at a function held at the Jamaican Canadian Association in Ontario, Canada on Tuesday, Mr. Patterson said the government was fully aware of the need for continued dialogue and discussions in order to develop a programme that also addresses the concerns of Jamaicans living overseas.
He said it was expected that out of the conference, additional proposals would be agreed on to further advance the work of the Government in its collaboration with Jamaicans overseas.
DEEPEN THE RELATIONSHIP
The Prime Minister told the audience that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had been mandated by the Cabinet to strengthen and deepen the relationship with Jamaicans abroad and that several initiatives had been implemented in this regard. These the Prime Minister said included improving the responsiveness of the Jamaican Overseas and Consular Affairs Department to the needs of Jamaicans living abroad and the development of a co-ordinated approach with private and public sector entities including JAMPRO and the University of the West Indies, in an effort to do more on behalf of the overseas community.
In his address to the largely Jamaican audience that gathered at the Jamaican Canadian Association, Mr. Patterson said the system of Government should be open and transparent and that the Government had enacted laws to ensure absolute accountability. This, he said, involved the opening of parliamentary committees to the public and the press as well as the referring of Bills to a Joint Select Committee of Parliament which provided an opportunity for civic organisations and special interest groups to participate in the development of legislations such as the Child Care and Protection Act and the Property (Rights of Spouses) Act.
