Holness receives final report from Caricom Review Commission
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Prime Minister Andrew Holness says he received the final report from the Caricom Review Commission this afternoon.
According to a release from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), Chairman of the Commission, former prime minister Bruce Golding, presented the report to Holness during a visit to his offices.
The commission comprised 17 members, along with ex-officio and support staff, from a wide cross section of sectors in Jamaica, including business, academia, the private sector and trade union among others.
The Commission, which was set up by Holness, was charged to examine Jamaica’s role in CARICOM and how the regional bloc has impacted the country’s development.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kamina Johnson Smith, had explained in February that the review aims to examine ways in which Jamaica can better secure value from the processes of regional integration and cooperation within the wider Caribbean region.
The commission met with several stakeholder groups including former prime ministers in the Caricom region as well as former secretaries general of the regional body.
In addition, the Caricom Review Commission held focus group sessions with Jamaicans across several parishes.
Holness and the Cabinet are expected to review the document and its recommendations prior to it being tabled in Parliament.
The Commission began its review last July.