FOREIGN MINISTRY PURSUES SOUND POLICIES

By: RODGER HUTCHINSON

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Hon. Dr. Kenneth Baugh (right), and Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Co-operation, Ambassador Miguel Angel Moratinos, sign copies of bilateral agreements for the establishment of air services between both countries, and the facilitation of the dependents of staff attached to the Spanish Embassy in Jamaica and the Jamaican Embassy in Spain seeking employment, during a ceremony held at Jamaica House in Kingston.

In 2009, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade continued to pursue sound policies and initiatives to enhance Jamaica's national interests and sustainable development, while being actively engaged in confronting the challenges posed by the global financial and economic crisis.

Responding to the crisis, the Ministry intensified its efforts to promote trade and investment as well as to secure development support and financial co-operation.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Hon. Dr. Kenneth Baugh, in appropriate fora, such as the UN High Level Meeting on the Financial Crisis in June, spoke on behalf of Jamaica and the developing world when he emphasised the importance of an increased voice for this grouping, particularly in an important council, such as the G20.

The Minister also called for a review of the situation where Jamaica and other developing countries are categorised as middle income countries, which precludes them from special consideration in terms of development assistance and financial co-operation. In its ongoing advocacy for reform of the international financial institutions, the Ministry continued to lobby international partners to seek support for the necessary changes, including the recognition of the special needs of highly-indebted middle income countries.

During the year, along with relevant Ministries, Agencies, and the productive sector, the Ministry pursued ongoing efforts, particularly in the international trading arena, to secure market opportunities and improve capacity and competitiveness, even while building partnerships, co-operation and collaboration with longstanding and new partners to ensure that Jamaica’s national interests and development were advanced for the benefit of all Jamaicans.  At the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the Ministry is advocating the case for substantial Aid for Trade support for Jamaica, recognising that ultimately, Jamaica’s solution to a better way of life for its people is through increased production in a globalised and liberalised environment.

Hosting Intl Meetings

The hosting of the Ministerial Meeting of Latin America and the Caribbean on Integration and Development (CALC) and the 28th Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Rio Group; and the inaugural Future Leaders Diaspora Conference in Kingston were just a few of the meetings that highlighted the calendar of the Ministry for the year.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Hon. Dr. Kenneth Baugh (right), looks at some of the GraceKennedy products available in the United Kingdom (UK), with UK Member of Parliament, Dawn Butler (left), and Managing Director of Grace Foods, Michael Ranglin, at the Jamaica-UK Investment Forum, organised by Jamaica Trade and Invest in London in February.

The CALC and Rio Group meetings at the Ministerial level were held simultaneously at the Rose Hall Resort and Spa in Montego Bay, St. James, in early November, with the participation of some 33 Latin American and Caribbean countries, and 10 regional organisations.

Addressing the closing press conference, Minister Baugh reported that the meetings were very successful in terms of strengthening integration and promoting closer ties through political, economic and cultural co-operation. The deliberations will be continued at the Rio Group and CALC Summits to be held in Mexico in February 2010, while the region will move actively to promote integration and development based on the Montego Bay Action Plan that was adopted at the meeting in Montego Bay.

Jamaica’s application for membership of the Rio Group was ratified by acclamation at the Ministerial meeting in Montego Bay, making the country the 25th member of the prestigious hemispheric body. Jamaica will continue to represent the interests of CARICOM in the Group. The Rio Group was founded in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1986, and seeks to promote political consultations and co-ordinated action among the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

During the meetings, Jamaica signed a bilateral Air Services Agreement with Mexico which will allow for improved air transportation links between the two countries.  It was signed by Deputy Prime Minister Baugh and Mexico’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Patricia Espinosa Cantellano.   It was recognised that the air transport sector was a critical vehicle for economic growth in both countries.

Earlier in the year, Foreign Minister Baugh and his Spanish counterpart, His Excellency  Miguel Angel Moratinos had signed an Air Services Agreement between Jamaica and Spain. 

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Hon. Dr. Kenneth Baugh (left), is greeted by Prime Minister of Canada, Hon. Stephen Harper, in Ottawa, Canada, on March 23, 2009.

In August, the inaugural Future Leaders Diaspora Conference was held in Kingston at the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies. The conference was hailed as a success by the Diaspora representatives who travelled to Jamaica.

Minister Baugh, in an interview with JIS News, noted that the Government was pleased to see young Jamaicans taking up leadership positions as they offered strategic, comparative, and competitive advantages in the global marketplace.

Young people in the Diaspora showed they were ready to step forward and contribute in a meaningful and sustained manner to the development of Jamaica, a point which was underscored by Minister of State in the Ministry, Senator, the Hon. Dr. Ronald Robinson. He called for a redefining of the concept of the Diaspora, as there were many qualified individuals of Jamaican and non-Jamaican heritage who were willing and able to contribute. It was now a question of how to engage them.

The Jamaican Diaspora Future Leaders announced the creation of a website designed as a platform to promote networking and greater knowledge of Jamaica. Minister Robinson also announced that the Diaspora Foundation, which has overall responsibility for the development of the Diaspora, had received funding through the European Commission/United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), to underwrite the development of a database.

Executive Director-Designate of the Jamaican Diaspora Institute, Professor Neville Ying, said the conference signalled the beginning of a significant turning point in the Jamaican Diaspora movement. In November, Professor the Hon. Rex Nettleford was appointed Chairman of the Foundation, with General Manager of Jamaica National Building Society, Earl Jarrett, Deputy Chairman. The Joint Select Parliamentary Committee on Diaspora Affairs also became a reality with its first meeting in December.

On the trade agenda, the Ministry  continued to execute its mandate to formulate foreign trade policy and to negotiate trade agreements aimed at securing market access for Jamaican exporters. In this regard, CARICOM commenced negotiations with Canada for a trade and development agreement.  The first formal round of negotiations was held in Barbados,  November  9-12, 2009. 

Chairman of CARICOM's Council for Foreign and Community Relations(COFCOR), Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Hon. Dr. Kenneth Baugh(second right), addressing journalists at a press briefing, following the two-day meeting of the Council at the Hilton Kingston Hotel on May 9. Looking on (from right) are: outgoing Chairman, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Hon. Baldwin Spencer; Assistant CARICOM Secretary General, Mr. Colin Grandison, and CARICOM Secretary General, Dr. Edwin Carrington.

Jamaica also participated in the 7th WTO Ministerial Conference held in Geneva, Switzerland, November  30 -  December 3.  This meeting provided an opportunity to review work done in the WTO, including in the Doha Development Round negotiations, over the last four years.  Jamaica’s delegation was led by Minister of State in the Ministry, Senator, the Honourable Marlene Malahoo Forte, who in her statement to the plenary, highlighted Jamaica’s concerns as a small and vulnerable, highly indebted middle income country.

In addition, during the course of the year, work continued on the implementation of the CARIFORUM/EC Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). In fact, the year commenced with a seminar on the EPA targeting the private sector, which was organised by the Ministry and supported by the Delegation of the European Community. A political dialogue between Jamaica and the EU was held at the Ministry on September 9,  which addressed a number of issues in the bilateral relationship, including the EPA and development support.

Work also continued on the implementation of the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME).  At the meetings of the CARICOM Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED), work continued to resolve various issues related to Jamaica’s trade within the region.  A Convocation on the CSME, mandated by CARICOM Heads of Government at their meeting in Belize in March 2009, was held in Barbados, October 9-10, to consider progress in the implementation of the CSME.  This Convocation examined an appraisal of the state of play in the region which was mandated by CARICOM Heads of Government in July 2008 and facilitated an exchange of views between Government representatives and stakeholders, such as the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce and the Caribbean Congress of Labour.

The year 2009 also saw Jamaica, represented by Minister Baugh, taking over the Chairmanship of CARICOM’s Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR).   Jamaica hosted the annual COFCOR meeting in Kingston in May, with participation of Foreign Ministers from the member states of the Caribbean Community.

In his capacity as COFCOR Chair, Minister Baugh played a leading role on behalf of the region at meetings with third states and in various multilateral fora, including the United Nations and the Organisation of American States (OAS). Of special note was the role played by the Jamaican Foreign Minister at the OAS General Assembly in June, when he worked as part of a small, select group of Foreign Ministers, including those from the USA, Mexico and Brazil, to craft the final resolution that rescinded Cuba’s exclusion from the hemispheric body.

Over the course of the year, visits and bilateral meetings remained useful mechanisms for strengthening relations with key partners. In an official visit to Canada in March, Minister Baugh met with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and International Co-operation and paid a courtesy call on the Prime Minister of Canada His Excellency Stephen Harper, ahead of the latter’s visit to Jamaica the following month. Dr. Baugh also met with the Jamaican community in Ottawa and Toronto and used the opportunity to call on the community to invest in Jamaica’s agriculture and food processing sectors, to help guarantee Jamaica’s food security.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, the Hon. Dr. Kenneth Baugh (left) and Mexican Foreign Minister, Her Excellency Patricia Espinosa Cantellano (right), signing the Air Services Agreement between Jamaica and Brazil, on November 5, during the Joint Foreign Ministers Meeting of Latin America and the Caribbean on Integration and Development (CALC), held at the Rose Hall Resort and Spa, in Montego Bay, St. James.

Minister Baugh met with United States Secretary of State, Mrs. Hillary Clinton during the General Assembly of the Organisation of American States (OAS) in Honduras in June, and chaired consultations between the US Secretary of State and CARICOM Foreign Ministers.  The discussions covered several issues of mutual interest, including trade and investment, security and development co-operation.

Important Visits

There was the official visit in February of China’s Vice-President, His Excellency Xi Jinping.  Prime Minister the Honourable Bruce Golding engaged the Chinese Vice-President in fruitful discussions on strengthening bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and  multilateral  issues of mutual interest.  The Vice-President broke ground for the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James, which received $1.8 billion in funding from the Chinese Government and $802.2 million from the Government of Jamaica.  The visit of His Excellency Xi Jinping was the first by a Chinese Vice-President since 2005, when His Excellency Zen Quinghong visited the island for the China-Caribbean Economic Trade Forum.

In April, the Prime Minister of Canada, His Excellency Stephen Harper paid an official visit to Jamaica, following his attendance at the Summit of the Americas in Port-of-Spain Trinidad and Tobago. Prime Minister Golding and Prime Minister Harper held bilateral talks on a wide range of issues, including Canada’s assistance in the implementation of the Justice Reform Programme and the proposed free trade agreement with CARICOM. In an address to Parliament, Prime Minister Harper urged CARICOM and Canada to successfully complete negotiations for the trade agreement.

Jamaica also laid out the red carpet and welcomed King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain, who paid a two-day state visit in mid-February.  It was the first visit of a Spanish Monarch to Jamaica. King Juan Carlos opened an exhibition at the Institute of Jamaica titled 'XAYMACA: Life in Spanish Jamaica 1494-1655', and addressed Parliament at Gordon House in Kingston. He also declared open the refurbished wing of the Spanish Town Hospital in St. Catherine, which was financed with assistance from the Spanish Government.

The Secretary General of the Organisation of American States (OAS) Jose Miguel Insulza, arrived in March on an official visit. The Secretary General used the visit to discuss issues on the hemispheric agenda and received the backing of Jamaica for his candidature for a second term at the helm of the hemispheric organisation.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, the Hon. Dr. Kenneth Baugh (right), listens to Minister of External Relations, Federative Republic of Brazil, His Excellency Celso Amorim (left), at the closing press conference of the Ministerial Meeting of Latin America and the Caribbean on Integration and Development (CALC), held at the Rose Hall Hotel and Spa, in Montego Bay, St. James, on November 6.

Deputy Prime Minister Baugh, again primarily in his capacity as Chairman of COFCOR, visited Honduras in August as part of a special OAS mission in the wake of the ousting of  President Manuel Zelaya in June and the suspension of Honduras from the OAS under the Inter-American Democratic Charter. The OAS mission was designed to support efforts towards national reconciliation and the restoration of democracy in Honduras and to promote the acceptance by the Honduran society of the San Jose Accord mediated by President Oscar Arias Sanchez of Costa Rica. Minister Robinson represented Dr. Baugh in October on a similar mission to Honduras.

In June, Minister Baugh paid an official visit to Brazil. He held consultations with his colleague Foreign Minister His Excellency Celso Amorim, and engaged in discussions with various leaders and officials. Jamaica and Brazil agreed to the establishment of a Joint Commission to co-ordinate and advance a wide range of bilateral activities between both countries.

The President of the United Republic of Tanzania, His Excellency Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, and First Lady Salma Kikwete, paid an official three-day State visit to Jamaica in November. President Kikwete was received by Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Honourable Sir Patrick Allen, and held fruitful talks with Prime Minister Golding on a wide range of issues of mutual interest. The President had a full programme of activities, including visits to sites of interest in the tourism and agricultural sectors. He addressed Parliament and spoke to students and staff at the University of the West Indies.  

Jamaica, under the leadership of the Prime Minister, participated in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in November in Trinidad and Tobago, which had as its theme: ‘Partnering for a more Equitable and Sustainable Future’.  A number of issues of relevance to Jamaica were discussed, including: climate change, the global economic situation, concerns of small states and middle income developing countries, small arms and light weapons and reform of international institutions.

Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Hon. Dr. Ronald Robinson, speaking at a JIS 'Think Tank', prior to the start of the inaugural Diaspora Future Leaders Conference earlier this year.

Jamaica became a member of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) which is the body that monitors the adherence to the Commonwealth’s fundamental political values of democracy, rule of law and human rights.

Climate Change Discussions

The critically urgent issue of Climate Change continued to attract the attention of the Foreign Ministry in 2009. The Ministry participated in the discussions on climate change and global warming at the following meetings in September: the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Summit in New York, the CARICOM Ministerial in Grenada, and the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Summit on Climate Change.

Against the backdrop of the negative effects of climate change on small island developing countries like Jamaica, Deputy Prime Minister Baugh, who led Jamaica’s delegation  to the 15th Conference of Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen, Denmark,  told the conference that Jamaica and AOSIS were demanding a “legally binding, verifiable and enforceable agreement; an agreement that substantially reduces greenhouse gas concentrations, lowers limits on temperature rise, establishes an  earlier peaking point and makes provision for adequate funding to enable developing countries to adapt to climate change, without compromising our path to development.”

He also called for the international community to achieve a fair, balanced and just agreement in the shortest possible time.

As the country enters 2010, the Ministry will continue to build on progress made to date by discharging uncompromisingly, its mandate to promote and protect Jamaica’s national interests for a better quality of life for all Jamaicans.