ISSN 0799 –2386
Vision 2030 Jamaica Update
Vol. 6 Issue # 2
ISSN 0799 –2386
UPDATE A Quarterly Newsletter of the Planning Institute of Jamaica
APRIL 2013 – JUNE 2013 IN THIS ISSUE APRIL 2013 – JUNE 2013
Caribbean Growth Forum Jamaica Kick-Off Workshop… Jamaica, on Tuesday, May 2, 2013, became the 10th Caribbean Island to host a national kick-off Caribbean Growth Forum (CGF) workshop, aimed at facilitating private sector led growth and job creation. The forum was held at the University of the West Indies, Mona, as part of a region-wide advocacy for the identification of practical and implementable policies and activities to induce growth and create jobs throughout the region. This initiative comes against the background of the fiscal challenges, precipitated by the global financial crisis, which many countries in the region now face. The event was attended by approximately 250 participants from the public and private sectors, academia and the media, decision makers, business leaders, policy makers, youth leaders and other stakeholders. They discussed and brainstormed solutions towards addressing country specific constraints to growth. The workshop served to establish the CGF National Chapter in Jamaica and the three Thematic Working Groups based on three main areas—Logistics and Connectivity, the Investment Climate, and Skills and Productivity—all aligned to the government’s growth agenda. The CGF is a regional project supported by a number of international development partners, including: the World Bank; Inter-American Development Bank (IDB); Caribbean
Development Bank (IDB); as well as Compete Caribbean. The organizations work in collaboration with the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). General Manager, Caribbean Country Department at the IDB, Gerard Johnson, in explaining the IDB’s involvement in the Forum, at a CGF pre-publicity media sensitization event on the JIS Think Tank Programme, noted that the lack of growth was not just a Jamaican problem, and that there was a comfortable level of confidence by the IDB and other donor/grant agencies in what can be accomplished by the Caribbean Growth Forum. Mr Johnson noted further that the idea was to join with Jamaica in its efforts to “convene groups and in an urgent fashion, put Jamaica on a growth path and bring international experiences in that area. Hopefully our presence, our energies and commitment to work with you and be guided by you, will help accelerate what you’re doing already,” he added. The kick-off workshop marked the beginning of an intense dialogue that is expected to last for a period of 5-6 weeks, to build consensus around key priorities for reforms in the country. As such, follow-up workshops have been held around the three thematic working areas.
5TH BIENNIAL JAMAICA DIASPORA CONFERENCE Prime Minister, the Most Honourable Portia Simpson Miller (c), at the head table, during the Opening Ceremony of the 5th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference at the Rose Hall Hilton Hotel & Spa, on Sunday, June 16, 2013. Page 2
READ ACROSS JAMAICA DAY Pupils of the Swallowfield Primary & Junior High School read from the Vision 2030 Jamaica Popular Version as they participate in “Read Across Jamaica Day” on Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Page 3 More… New Champion Outreach & Consultations Tracking Our Progress Community Renewal Programme Next Steps & Bite of the Quarter What’s Happening? Our Vision for Jamaica
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April 2013 – June 2013
VISION 2030 UPDATE | Volume 6 Issue # 2
VISION 2030 JAMAICA – Blueprint for Development at 5th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference The Vision 2030 Jamaica Secretariat took the opportunity to heighten the overall awareness of members of the th Jamaican Diaspora who attended the 5 Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference, held June 16-19, 2013, at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, Montego Bay, about Vision 2030 Jamaica – National Development Plan. Under the theme: “A Nation on a Mission: JamaicaDiaspora Partnership for Development”, the Conference was structured around the priorities for development— with trade, development, and investment— and the Diaspora’s role, through partnership. The over 700 delegates and business interests from Canada, the UK, USA and Jamaica, engaged in “interactive plenary, business consultations and special workshops, a Marketplace for exhibition, deal making and networking” around the priorities in the areas of strategic investment in logistics, information and communication technology (ICT), tourism, the creative industries, agribusiness, development in the social sector, health, and education. These were closely aligned to the Goals and Outcomes of Vision 2030 Jamaica. The Conference, which was officially opened by Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller on Sunday, June 16, 2013, also explored how to effectively deepen the partnership between Jamaica and the Diaspora, “drawing on the lessons learned from other countries such as Israel and Ireland”.
“The Diaspora constitutes a mighty force and represents a valuable resource base for the country through its intellectual, technical, scientific, professional and entrepreneurial support, and has significant potential and interest to contribute to the social well-being and prosperity of our nation.” Source: Maximizing the Value of the Diaspora in: the Jamaica Diaspora Conference 2013 Handbook, p. 37
Jamaica, the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business
Vision 2030 Jamaica Programme Director, Mr Richard Lumsden (l) speaks with two delegates/businessmen from the USA diaspora, when they visited the Vision 2030 Jamaica booth in the Marketplace.
Key areas of focus under Vision 2030 Jamaica, showcased in the PIOJ combined booth in the Diaspora Marketplace were: the new Migration and Development Policy which is at the draft stage and the Diaspora and Development Policy in which delegates had the opportunity to make an input in the work being commenced; and the Community Renewal Programme which seeks to rehabilitate the 100 most volatile and vulnerable communities across the Island.
Diaspora Marketplace “The Diaspora Marketplace [was] a defined space running contiguous with the main conference floor and lobby of the Conference. It [was] designed to facilitate business-to-business connections, meetings, and the display of products and services. More than 50 companies, ministries and agencies of the Government of Jamaica, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), cultural, tertiary and civic groups, as well as local authors” participated in the event (Diaspora Conference 2013 Handbook, p 76). Against this background, the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), through the Vision 2030 Jamaica Secretariat, Migration Policy Project Unit (MPPU), and Community Renewal Programme (CRP) Secretariat, mounted an integrated booth in the Marketplace. Under the theme: A Nation on a Mission: To 2030 and Beyond, the display centred on Vision 2030 Jamaica and two of the key elements for realizing the national vision: Community Renewal; and development of a National Policy and Plan of Action on International Migration and Development as well as a Diaspora and Development Policy.
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April 2013 – June 2013
VISION 2030 UPDATE | Volume 6 Issue # 2
Reading Across Jamaica…
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our members, from the Vision 2030 Jamaica Secretariat, and Community Renewal Programme Secretariat, visited the Swallowfield Primary and Junior High School located in Kingston 8, on Tuesday, May 7, 2013, to participate as guest readers in the Jamaica Teachers’ Association’s (JTA’s) coordinated “Read Across Jamaica Day”.
Members of the Vision 2030 Jamaica and Community Renewal Programme team, Above: Samantha Wilmot (l) and Ashli Henry (r), respectively, and below: Sherica Hawthorne, read to pupils of the Swallowfield Primary and Junior High on Tuesday, May 7, 2013 as part of “Read Across Jamaica Day”.
Pupils and teachers observed “Read Across Jamaica Day” under the theme: Advancing the Nation’s Human Capital through Education. Using the Vision 2030 Jamaica Popular Version as the selected text, members of the team read to two classes of Grade 6 pupils, who were also given the opportunity to read aloud selected sections of the book. In this way, they were able to become more familiar with key content areas of the Plan and to understand its implications for their future.
Above: Children participate in reading the Popular Version aloud; and below: they listen attentively as the vision 2030 Jamaica Communication Specialist, Carmen V. Miller, talks about the importance of reading and literacy.
Communication Specialist, Ms. Carmen V. Miller, also spoke to the pupils on the importance of reading and literacy to their personal development. At the end of the interactive session, pupils were given the opportunity to explain what they’d learned, and to receive memorabilia, copies of the Vision 2030 Jamaica Popular Version and other educational material.
New Champion for Vision 2030 Jamaica Mr. Colin F. Bullock assumed duties on April 15, 2013 as the new Director General of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), and by extension, the man to lead the Vision 2030 Jamaica implementation process. Mr. Bullock comes to the PIOJ with impressive credentials, having had extensive working experience in the field of Economics— approximately 17 years as Lecturer in Economics at the University of the West Indies, Mona; 19 years at the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) moving from the position of Director to Deputy Governor; and three years as Financial Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and Planning. He is therefore eminently suited to lead the charge begun in 2006 to transform Jamaica Jamaica, the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business
into ”…the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business”.
PIOJ Director General, Colin Bullock (r), is happy to receive his Vision 2030 Jamaica information kit from Programme Director, Richard Lumsden
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April 2013 – June 2013
VISION 2030 UPDATE | Volume 6 Issue # 2
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SDC TWENTY20 COMMUNITY CRICKET
CGF WORKSHOP Logistics Hub the most likely topic here, as Minister of Investment, Industry and Commerce, Anthony Hylton (r), speaks with Mr. Richard Lumsden at the Caribbean Growth Forum Kick-Off Workshop in Jamaica, May 2, 2013.
Vision 2030 Jamaica Knowledge Wheel Attraction Children attending the SDC Twenty20 Community Cricket match in the cool hills of Belvedere, St. Andrew, on Sunday June 9, 2013, are eager to spin the wheel and win a prize!
More Outreach & Consultations Formatting Tips by [Article Author]
Participants at the CGF collect informational material on Vision 2030 Jamaica, during Registration, from Sherica Hawthorne (standing) and Samantha Wilmot.
He’s a Winner! Communication Specialist, Carmen V. Miller, presents a spectator at the recently held Kingston & St. Andrew SDC National Twenty20 Community Cricket match in Belvedere, St. Andrew, with a Vision 2030 Jamaica message polo shirt after he correctly answered a question relating to Goal 3 of the Plan.
Partnership talks Consul General of Jamaica in Toronto, Mr. Seth George Ramocan (l) pays a courtesy call on Vision 2030 Jamaica Programme Director, Mr. Richard Lumsden on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 at the PIOJ office, 16 Oxford Rd., Kingston 5, to discuss a number of issues related to CanadianJamaican partnership for development, including assistance to rehabilitate the Sir John Golding Centre by 2014, and the transformation of Papine into a University town. Mr. Ramocan is joined by Bonita Ramocan, member of the Papine Area Development Committee.
Below: Participants in the Logistics and Connectivity Group, led by President of the Shipping Association of Jamaica, Roger Hinds discuss the priorities and how these would feed into the larger growth agenda during one of the Thematic Working Group Sessions.
Explaining the link Spectators get a better understanding from the Communication Specialist, of the importance of the National Twenty20 Community Cricket Competition to the achievement of Vision 2030 Jamaica, through live interviews conducted by MC of the event, SDC Development Area Coordinator Mr. Oren Osbourne, during a break in the game.
Above: President of the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ), Christopher Zacca (l) speaking with Vice Chancellor of the UWI, Mona, Prof. E. Nigel Harris, during the Opening Ceremony of the Caribbean Growth Forum, Jamaica Kick-Off Workshop, May 2, 2013, at the Vice Chancellor’s Building, UWI.
PickneyPalav Vision 2030 Jamaica Youth Ambassador, Kemesha Kelly (l) speaks with children in the studio of the RJR 94 FM Radio programme, PALAV, about the practical applications of Vision 2030 Jamaica, during a special Child Month programme, on Sunday, May 19, 2013.
Jamaica, the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business
April 2013 – June 2013
VISION 2030 UPDATE | Volume 6 Issue # 2
Tracking Our Progress … (As presented at the PIOJ Quarterly Press Briefing, May 22, 2013)
This quarter, we report on six of the eight key indicators of national well-being, under the Vision 2030 Jamaica - National Development Plan frame-work: Health Status, Education Status, Labour Force Quality, Security Status, Justice Status, and Economic Growth. An overview of performance shows progress in five of the six areas, and a decline in one indicator for Education Status. Diagrams, “National Goal #1…,” “National Goal #2…,” and “National Goal #3…” below, present a detailed performance in each area.
Vision 2030 Jamaica Programme Director, Mr Richard Lumsden (r) provides an update on the progress of implementation of Vision 2030 Jamaica, at the PIOJ’s Press Briefing on May 22, 2013 at the PIOJ. At centre is PIOJ Director General, Mr. Colin Bullock, and at left, Director - Economic Planning, Research and Policy Logistics, Mr. James Stewart.
Health Status
Education Status
Labour Force Quality
Under Health Status (see table above), we report on immunization coverage for children. The immunization coverage for children between 0 and 11 months for BCG, OPV and DPT/DT (covering tuberculosis, polio, diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus, respectively) increased to an average of 95.5 per cent in 2012, up 1.6 percentage points from an average of 93.9 per cent in 2011.
The gross enrolment rate of students at the tertiary level for the academic year 20112012 fell to 29.5 per cent, based on final figures; a decline of 3.6 percentage points compared to a gross enrolment rate of 33.1 per cent for the academic year 2010-2011 (see table above).
Labour Force Quality (see table above) improved, with an average of 23.8 per cent of the total labour force having vocational or professional certification based on the quarterly labour force survey for January 2013, an increase of 1.0 percentage point from 22.7 per cent in the January 2012 survey.
The immunization coverage for children between 12 and 23 months for MMR (covering measles, mumps and rubella) also increased to 92.3 per cent in 2012, up 5.8 percentage points from 86.5 per cent in 2011. Jamaica, the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business
The decline in the gross enrolment rate occurred despite an increase in the absolute number of students enrolled in tertiary institutions and programmes, due to an increase in the size of the tertiary age cohort (20-24 years).
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Tracking Our Progress … (cont’d) Security Status Under Security Status, the indicator formerly classified as Major Crimes is now classified as Serious and Violent Crimes.
Justice Status Under Justice Status (see table below), the case clearance rate in the Resident Magistrates’ Courts (or the ratio of new cases filed to cases disposed of each year) increased to 92.1 per cent in 2012, up 9.4 percentage points from 82.7 per cent in 2011. This excludes data on Traffic Matters.
With respect to Serious and Violent Crimes (murder, shooting, rape, aggravated assault, robbery, break-ins and larceny) (see table to the left), 79 serious and violent crimes per 100,000 population were committed over the period January to March 2013, a decline of 15.6 per cent from 94 per 100,000 population over the similar period in 2012. The murder rate for January to March 2013 was 9.5 per 100,000 population, down 7.2 per cent from 10.3 per 100,000 population over the similar period in 2012. These figures extend the downward trend in crime rates that began in June of 2010 into a third consecutive year.
Economic Growth Under Economic Growth, (see table above), the per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expressed in US dollars rose to USD5,290 in 2012, up 6.4 per cent from USD4,973 in 2011, based on an increase in nominal GDP over the past three years. This economic indicator is expressed as a moving 3-year average, to smooth out annual fluctuations and show the underlying trends.
DID YOU KNOW…? The National Dashboard of Indicators of National Well-Being is closely aligned with the National Goals, and their corresponding Outcomes, of Vision 2030 Jamaica–National Development Plan. The Dashboard lists the metrics (see table National Dashboard of Indicators on p 5) that have been designed to track progress under the Plan and reports on their past, current and targeted future values. These metrics reflect concurrence with the increasing global recognition of the limits of GDP as an indicator of economic performance, national development and social progress.
COMMUNITY RENEWAL PROGRAMME TITBIT The Community Renewal Programme (CRP), as part of its socio-economic development initiative, commenced a series of entrepreneurial training workshops on June 11, 2013 in its pilot community of Majesty Gardens. The inaugural workshop dubbed “Hustler to Entrepreneur” was conducted by the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC), and attended by 150 participants from the community. Module 1 of the workshop focused on Business Ethics. Module 2 will examine Business Idea Generation and Screening including the identification of the target market; and Module 3 on Goal Setting, including planning for business start-up or expansion.
Jamaica, the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business
Facilitator, Shomarie McLeggan, Business Development Officer, JBDC, conducts one of the sessions on Business Ethics at the St. Andrew Settlement in Majesty Gardens.
April 2013 – June 2013
VISION 2030 UPDATE | Volume 6 Issue # 2
NEXT STEPS
Bite of the Quarter
Completion and distribution of, and dissemination of information on MTF 2012 - 2015 Ongoing presentations to key stakeholders on Vision 2030 Jamaica
“… I am now much better informed [about] what Vision 2030 means for Jamaica [than] before I attended the Diaspora Conference.
Ongoing monitoring of implementation of Vision 2030 Jamaica by Thematic Working Groups
Please put me in your Rolodex and please do not hesitate to give me a call if there's anything I can do to help where promotion or advertising is concerned. All the best”
Barrington Greene, Marketing Executive, Mello FM88, 63 Barnett Street, Montego Bay, St. James
Salute the Journey … Embrace the Vision
What’s Happening July – September, 2013 EVENTS
DATE
Sensitization of MDAs to MTF 2012– 2015
July-September Dates and Venues TBA
Thematic Working Group Meetings
July-September Dates and Venues TBA
SDC Twenty20 Cricket
August 11, 2013 (Semi Finals) Ultimate Cricket Ground Discovery Bay, St. Ann
Vision 2030 Jamaica Update Is produced by: The Plan Development Unit Planning Institute of Jamaica
August 25, 2013 (Finals) Alpart Sports Club Nain, St. Elizabeth
Design & Layout: Carmen V. Miller
For more information Contact us at: Planning Institute of Jamaica 16 Oxford Road, Kingston 5 Tel: 935-5150; 960-9339; 906-4471/2 Email: ndp@pioj.gov.jm Website: www.vision2030.gov.jm Facebook.com/vision2030.ja
Jamaica, the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business
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VISION 2030 UPDATE | Volume 6 Issue # 2
Jamaica, the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business
April 2013 – June 2013
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