UK, Jamaica sign MoU to formalise £15 million Violence Prevention Partnership
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Jamaican and United Kingdom (UK) governments on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalise the UK-Jamaica Violence Prevention Partnership (VPP).
The UK committed £15 million to the partnership over the next six years to support the Government of Jamaica’s (GoJ) efforts to reduce violent crime.
The VPP was announced by former UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly when he visited Jamaica in May 2023.
According to a news release from the British High Commission in Jamaica, the partnership will support the GoJ to develop more effective responses to the underlying causes of violence.
“It will promote an integrated, evidence-based and multisectoral response to address the root causes of violence in a number of schools and targeted communities. The programme will be implemented within the framework of GOJ’s Citizen Security Plan, and will target seven vulnerable communities and schools within these communities,” it explained.
The news release added that the VPP will build on previous social intervention and crime prevention support provided by the UK, including the Citizen Security and Justice Programme, jointly funded with the Inter-American Development Bank and Government of Canada from 2014-2020.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, British High Commissioner to Jamaica, Judith Slater said “The UK is pleased to be working with Jamaica to address one of the challenges that matter most to people here.”
“We are committed to supporting Jamaica in countering the issue of violent crime. This programme will help to tackle the causes of crime at source and build a safer, more prosperous society for all Jamaicans, she added.”
The MoU was signed at the Ministry of National Security by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security, Ambassador Alison Stone Roofe and UK Development Representative for Jamaica, Oliver Blake, and witnessed by the High Commissioner, Minister of Education, Fayval Williams and State Minister in the Ministry of National Security, Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn.
