LONDON, United Kingdom — High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (UK) Seth George Ramocan says he is pleased with the positive feedback of the UK Jamaican community to the new Global Jamaica Diaspora Council (GJDC), noting that it has re-energised discussions on the important role of the Diaspora.

“Members of the Diaspora have spoken positively about the global reach of the new Council and that it will be more inclusive of Jamaicans wherever they are.  They see the Council as a fresh approach to engagement with diaspora communities across the world and as a step in the right direction,” he said.

The Council is the successor to the Jamaica Diaspora Advisory Board. The framework for the GJDC was endorsed by attendees at the eighth Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference held in Kingston in June.

Voter registration and nomination of candidates to serve on the GJDC are now underway.

Chair of the Jamaica Hospital League of Friends, Dr Val Collington, noted that people are generally interested in the new Council and its potential to bring the Jamaican Diaspora together, while Director of the Black Music Research Unit, University of Westminster, Dr Mykaell Riley, said that “what is important and exciting about the GJDC is its global reach and the potential to speak as one connected voice”.

Meanwhile, Chair of the Jamaica Diaspora UK, Dr Kevin Brown, endorsed the Council as a positive development for engagement with Jamaicans across the globe, noting that its representation extends beyond the UK, Canada and the United States of America.

Broadcaster and Journalist, Primrose Granville, said that the new Council is a refreshing idea that would allow for participation from a wider cross section of overseas Jamaicans.

“I think the Council is a refreshing idea. It empowers people on a wider basis,” she said, noting that more people will be engaged in decisions on Diaspora affairs.

Establishment of the GJDC is in recognition of the need for Jamaica to strengthen its Diaspora engagement mechanism and align it to the newly crafted goals, pillars and focus areas outlined in the draft National Diaspora Policy.

The new Council will comprise 28 members, who will serve voluntarily. These will include 14 members elected from across the Diaspora communities in the UK, Canada and the USA, as well as six members selected from regions not currently represented, namely Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe and the Middle East.

— JIS