Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness is urging Jamaicans to see peace and security not just as social goods but as strategic economic assets, arguing that the country’s growing security resilience gives Jamaica a competitive edge.

Addressing the 4th Annual Security Seminar of the Office of the National Security Advisor at AC Hotel Kingston on Thursday, Holness said that it is important to situate Jamaica’s progress [on reducing violent crime] in a wider hemispheric context.

He pointed out that sustained national security gains are uncommon across the region, with only a small number of countries succeeding in achieving durable reductions in violence while strengthening institutions and preserving democratic norms.

“For decades, crime and violence acted as a drag on Jamaica’s growth, deterring investments, driving talent away, and increasing the cost of doing business. Today, we are positioned not only to remove that drag, but to convert national security resilience into a resource, into a competitive advantage, one that attracts investment capital, retains and draws talent, and underpins long-term, inclusive economic growth,” said Holness.

“In an uncertain world, countries that can offer stability, predictability, and institutional strength will command a premium, [and] Jamaica intends to be one of them,” he insisted.

Separately, Holness pointed to what he described as the “challenging geopolitical environment” in which Jamaica is presently operating. He cited the recently promulgated national security strategy of the United States (US), which, he said, has “re-centred the Western Hemisphere, linking irregular migration and transnational organised crime directly to US national security priorities”.

“We see this as an opportunity to deepen regional cooperation and advance our shared goal for peace across the Caribbean,” he said.

“Jamaica welcomes structured cooperation; we will continue to strengthen intelligence-sharing, maritime coordination, and joint enforcement,” he added.

However, he cautioned that “cooperation must remain balanced and principled, it must respect sovereignty, it must align with Jamaica’s national interests and regional leadership within Caricom”.

Holness also pointed to what he described as the convergence of climate-related shocks, transnational crime, irregular migration, and geopolitical competition, which, he said, defines the security environment of our time.

“These forces will not recede, they will test us again and they will test us even harder,” he said.

The head of Government was confident that Jamaica does not confront this moment from a position of fragility, saying, “We confront it with measurable progress, we confront it having reduced murders by more than 50 per cent over two years, we confront it having protected our country through a Category 5 hurricane while maintaining internal security, there was never a break in our security environment; and we confront it with institutions that are stronger, more integrated, and more capable than ever.”

At the same time, Holness again cautioned that resilience must be permanent and, with this in mind, said, “We must now move decisively from recovery to consolidation, from tactical success to institutional endurance, from gains achieved to gains secured.”

Added Holness: “We must embed crime reduction with resilient institutions that can withstand shocks; we must protect reconstruction from criminal disruption; we must harden our borders against illicit international networks; and we must ensure that every reclaimed community remains permanently inhospitable to organised violence and permanently open to lawful opportunities.”