National migration and development plan to be advanced
KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — Formulation of the national plan on migration will be advanced this fiscal year through an allotment of $26.3 million in the 2016/17 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives.
The project, which began in January 2011, aims to build the capacity of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to implement the National Plan of Action (NPA) on Migration and Development; and seek public ownership and participation in the implementation of the NPA.
Other imperatives are to develop a national statistical migration database; and monitor and evaluate activities.
Up to December 2015, a National Working Group on International Migration and Development newsletter has been published; a draft IMD Policy has been presented to a Joint Committee of Cabinet; the migration indicator listing has been developed and refined; and finalisation of a National Diaspora Policy has been supported.
In addition, technical support for the Diaspora Mapping Project has been provided; migration metadata sheets have also been developed; South-South dialogue with Cape Verde has been facilitated; and an implementation plan for the International Migration and Development (IMD) Policy has been developed.
For the 2016/17 period, it is anticipated that the International Migration and Development Green Paper will be prepared for tabling in Parliament; islandwide consultations on the Green Paper will be conducted; data mining across MDAs will be carried out; the JamStats database will be updated with migration indicators; and the policy implementation plan will be developed.
The project is being implemented by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) with funding from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Following several extensions, it is expected to conclude in March 2018.