KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, says Jamaica continues to place its people at the centre of its development strategy, with significant gains being made in improving lives and livelihoods.

Delivering Jamaica’s third Voluntary National Review (VNR) report at the seventh meeting of the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development at the UN Headquarters in New York, on July 10, the minister said that despite an increasingly unpredictable global climate, Jamaica has maintained its commitment to inclusive and sustainable development through innovative policy and financing measures that have delivered strong results.

She highlighted the implementation of economic expansion and poverty reduction programmes, which have contributed to a decline in the prevalence of poverty from 21.4 per cent in 2015 to 7.8 per cent in 2024.

She noted that this represents “the lowest rate since Jamaica commenced measuring poverty in 1989”.

Further progress, she said, has been recorded in employment, with unemployment declining to 3.3 per cent in 2025, down from double-digit levels in 2013.

On the health front, Senator Johnson Smith said Jamaica achieved a significant milestone in 2024 when the country joined the 20 countries validated by the World Health Organization (WHO) for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV and congenital syphilis.

“These represent key milestones in the pursuit of the 95-95-95 target now extended to 2030,” she said.

The minister also pointed to the impact of sustained fiscal reforms, which have significantly reduced Jamaica’s public debt-to-GDP ratio.

“Our sustained fiscal reforms have reduced the public debt to GDP ratio from 135.6 at the end of financial year 2012/13 to 62.4 per cent at the end of financial year 2024/25,” she said.

Senator Johnson Smith said improved treasury management has increased Jamaica’s reserves to record highs, helping to stabilise the exchange rate.

She added that revenue growth, resulting from improved tax compliance and increased economic activity, has created fiscal space to finance development projects, capitalise the Contingency Fund and support disaster risk financing.

“This enhanced economic stability has resulted in improved sovereign credit-worthiness, which in turn has built investor confidence,” she said.

On environmental sustainability and climate action, Senator Johnson Smith said Jamaica continues to strengthen its commitment through its third revised Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, targeting the energy, land use, forestry and industry sectors.

“We’re proud that we have achieved 26 per cent terrestrial and 15 per cent marine protected areas and are, therefore, on track for 2030,” she said.

She further outlined Jamaica’s efforts to achieve 50 per cent renewable energy in electricity generation, increase forest coverage through forest management plans, and advance the country’s 2050 long-term emissions reduction strategy.

The minister said these achievements demonstrate Jamaica’s continued commitment to sustainable development while responding to the challenges posed by a changing global environment.

— JIS