THE MINISTRY of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, in association with the Mona School of Business, will be holding an all-day symposium entitled 'The Jamaican Dias-pora: Reciprocal Relations Way Forward', tomorrow.
The symposium will see a number of influential overseas-based Jamaicans participating in panel discussions with their local counterparts covering areas such as immigration, business and education.
The main focus will be on Jamaicans living overseas and how the country can have them participating more in the affairs of the country, said Delano Franklyn, State Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade. "We have long recognised the need for more dialogue with the overseas community... to get Jamaicans here at home and abroad to see the benefits that can be derived from pulling together."
Mr. Franklyn said the Government "is firmly of the view" that nothing of significance can be achieved without first soliciting the views of Jamaicans in and outside the Diaspora, noting that "this is the way forward."
"We cannot draft or sign off on any policy without getting the views of our important overseas compatriots," he said. "We have a lot of outstanding Jam-aicans living in Canada, the United States and England...this symposium is about bringing some of those voices together...to discuss matters and as to how they affect Jamaicans here at home and abroad."
Guest speaker at the symposium will be Sir William 'Bill' Morris, president of the British Workers Union and Chancellor of the University of Technology. Other panellists include: David Lewis, vice-president of International Business Advisors out of Washington, DC; Paul Barnett, director, the Alliance of Jamaican Alumni Association out of Toronto; Glenn Joseph, president, Greater Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce out of Florida; Elsie Foster-Dublin, a Councilwoman from New Jersey; Dr. Astley Smith, Honorary Consul out of Vancouver; and Irwin Clare, Managing Director, Caribbean Immigration Services in New York.
