JAMAICA: DIASPORA ENGAGEMENT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINGSTON 000732

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: BEXP BTIO EAID OEXC OIIP PGOV PHUM PREL SCUL SMIG
TSPL, EINV, JM, XL
SUBJECT: JAMAICA: DIASPORA ENGAGEMENT


1. The following information is keyed to reftel, paragraph 15:



A) The Jamaican Diaspora is a readily identifiable community in
both North America and the U.K. The Friends of Jamaica, University
of the West Indies (UWI) Alumni Association, the Government of
Jamaica (GoJ)'s annual Diaspora Conference, and the recently-formed
group Young Diasporans are platforms for outreach.



B) The diaspora maintains very close connections to Jamaica,
including kinship networks, educational and institutional ties, one
of the world's highest per capita levels of remittances, and heavy
involvement in the political and cultural life of the country.



C) The diaspora community self-activates to provide substantial
disaster relief in the wake of hurricanes which periodically
devastate Jamaica.



D) While there is great potential for long-term diaspora community
investment in Jamaica, it has not yet been fully leveraged. USAID
supports a Partnership for Education and the Jamaican Educational
Trust. Grace-Kennedy Corp. and Western Union, with the support of
former U.S. Ambassador Susan Cobb, have implemented a successful
Building Bridges project.



E) Among the diaspora community, groups of physicians, engineers,
and teachers conduct outreach visits to the country. There is
probably considerable scope for expansion of science diplomacy
programs.



F) As far as Post is aware, the diaspora community has not become
engaged in conflict resolution and peace building.

G) (not applicable)

H) A number of diasporans have returned to Jamaica and played key
roles in electoral reform, institution building, and civil society
development. There are numerous opportunities in these areas.

I) The GoJ gives considerable concern and attention to the
diasporans, and the country's two major political parties maintain
close ties to, and have affiliations in, the diaspora community.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade (MFAFT) has a
Diaspora Desk as part of its organizational structure. The GoJ
supports an annual Diaspora Conference, and recently helped
organize/sponsor a group of Young Diasporans. The current
Government has encouraged diasporans with certain needed experience
and skills to return to the country. Some have proposed that
representatives from the diaspora community be accorded seats in
the Senate, although nothing formal has been introduced.

J) Recognizing the need to leverage remittances for development
work, a remittance project was formed in 2003 as part of the
Building Bridges (BB) Florida-Jamaica Initiative. Building Bridges
was created by former U.S. Ambassador Sue Cobb in collaboration
with Jamaica's Investment and Trade Promotion Agency (JAMPRO),the
Private Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ),and the American
Chamber of Commerce of Jamaica (AMCHAM). The program sought to
strengthen links between the public and private sectors of Jamaica
and Florida by enhancing and coordinating programs in areas of
mutual interest. The remittance (IPLEDGE) component of the BB
program included trading conglomerate Grace Kennedy and Company,
Western Union, USAID, the U.S. Embassy, and an NGO with
Jamaican/American ties that aims to mobilize U.S. and Jamaican
public and private resources in support of primary education. The
program funded the printing of mathematics and language textbooks
for primary school students in grades one to three and was a
natural progression of the numeracy and literacy program, to
strengthen the teaching of reading and writing in schools. Primary
education was chosen as the area of focus for the IPLEDGE program
because it was agreed that this area would have a significant
impact on the sustainable development of Jamaica. The Ministry of
Education, Youth, and Culture supports the IPLEDGE initiative,
particularly because it ties in with their strategic objectives,
which include investing in primary education. USAID and the

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diaspora community also support the Partnership for Education and
the Jamaica Educational Trust.



K) Through the U.K. High Commission, the diaspora community
recently sought funding for a reception to welcome delegates to the
GoJ's annual Diaspora Conference (unfortunately, Post was unable to
identify funding which could be used for this purpose).

L) Post has not designed or participated in public diplomacy
programs customized to diaspora community needs and interests, but
may do so in future.



M) A useful tool would be the PAS's Speakers Program. USAID will
continue to build opportunities for diaspora collaboration and
co-funding into its projects going forward. The University of the
West Indies (UWI) has an active diaspora studies program with which
post could cooperate.




2. Post's points of contact for diaspora follow-up will be EconOff
Nathan Carter (CarterNC@state.gov) and USAID Deputy Director Sean
Osner (sosner@usaid.gov).
Parnell