Jamaica

The D4C initiative is funded by the IOM Development Fund and capitalizes on the dynamic link between diaspora communities and their home countries to enhance responses to climate change. It strategically focuses on priority sectors in four countries: Moldova, Bangladesh, Ghana, and Jamaica. These countries are all significantly affected by the negative impacts of climate change, and the challenges they face require immediate action from a variety of stakeholders.

The M4SD Programme (2019-2023) aimed to harness the development benefits and reduce the negative effects of migration for host and home communities, migrants, and their family members. A key component of this Programme was to showcase how inclusive policies can be implemented locally and how the results contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

The UK is home to some of the largest diaspora communities worldwide and to help leverage this untapped potential, IOM UK launches the Diaspora for Climate Action (D4C) project.The project will enable diaspora members to build connections with key stakeholders in Bangladesh, Jamaica, Ghana and Albania that can help them achieve more effective and coordinated climate action, and greater and longer-lasting impacts on climate-vulnerable populations.

Together with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), UNDP is supporting eleven countries—Bangladesh, Ecuador, Jamaica, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Morocco, Nepal, the Philippines, Serbia, Senegal and Tunisia, to continue to address the plight of migrants and their host communities by supporting national and local governments to mainstream migration into development plans.

Jamaica Diaspora Agriculture Taskforce (JDAT) Investor Circle provides microfinance funding for local farmers. The Circle provides an opportunity for persons and organizations within diaspora and Jamaica, to pool their resources in an effort to assist the country’s agricultural sector. The JDAT has been engaging Jamaican farmers in a number of initiatives aimed at promoting sustainable organic farming.

The report - The State of the Jamaican Climate 2012 - suggests that Jamaica’s climate is changing and that the country will experience significant climatic changes that could have a negative impact on various sectors.  Data collected for the island for 1992 to 2010 show a warming trend for the country of about 0.1 degrees Celsius per decade.

International migration has been an integral part of the historical and contemporary experience of most Jamaicans and is a feature of the country’s demographic landscape. The Government of Jamaica (GoJ) has recognized that with a population of approximately 2.7 million at home and a relatively large diaspora in destination countries, international migration has the potential to contribute to economic growth while reducing poverty and improving the well-being of individuals in countries of origin, transit and destination.

Migrants, forced or voluntary contribute the vibrancy, growth and quality of life a city can offer. Jamaica’s long-term development plan, Vision 2030 Jamaica– National Development Plan recognizes that in an environment characterized by high levels of crime and violence and inequitable dispensation of justice, citizens and migrants are alienated and less productive than they might be, and are more likely to engage in destructive behaviour. This fuels a vicious cycle that militates against achievement of positive social, economic and cultural outcomes.

The Caribbean Association of Training Agencies (CANTA) was created to establish and govern a Regional Training and Certification System to harmonize national TVET systems and develop regional standards in training and establish a system for assessment, certification and recognition of skills. All certification in the region comes under the CARICOM Vocational Qualification (CVQ) framework.