The members of the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council (GJDC) are elected to serve on a voluntary basis for a period of three years. Fourteen (14) members of the GJDC are elected from within the three major locations which contain the largest Jamaican Diaspora populations, namely: the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Canada. An election process is carried out at the end of the three- year tenure in order to choose the candidates that will serve to carry out the overall impetus of the Councils- ‘deepening Diaspora engagement with Jamaica’.

The election process for membership to the GJDC is carried out by an independent electoral committee, in consultation with the relevant Jamaican Overseas Mission(s) in the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Canada.

HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE GJDC

The Election Process for Membership to the GJDC will occur every three years, at the end of each term. During the elections, members of the Diaspora who meet the eligibility criteria for membership to the Council are encouraged to submit: a Nominators Declaration Form, a Nominee Consent Form, a Nominee Declaration Statement of Qualification Form, a person profile and photograph, during the election period. 

All nominations will be reviewed by an electoral committee in each region. If the nomination is accepted by the electoral committee, then nominees will be allowed a period of time to campaign for their candidacy to the Council.  The candidate that receives the most votes will be appointed to the GJDC for the region in which they reside.

Please see the table below which details the GJDC territories according to the various region. 

REGION	TERRITORIES
CANADA	All
UNITED KINGDOM- NORTH	North East, North West, East Midlands, West Midlands, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man
UNITED KINGDOM –  SOUTH	London, South East, South West, Wales, Isle of Wight, Bailiwick of Jersey, Guernsey and Sark, Isles of Scilly
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA-  NORTHEAST	Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington DC, West Virginia
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA-  SOUTH	Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA –  WEST MID-WEST	Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming

It is critical to ensure the election process provides a transparent, orderly, fair and systemized way to allow qualified members of the Jamaican Diaspora to offer themselves for service.

For more information on the election process of the GJDC, please visit glojamcouncils.com

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE GLOBAL JAMAICA DIASPORA COUNCIL

a) Be Jamaican or of Jamaican descent;

b) Be At least 21 years old;

c) Have no criminal convictions imposed on him/her by any court;

d) Have never been adjudged or otherwise declared bankrupt by any court or financial institution;

e) Have no pending litigation proceedings against him/her; and

f) Possess expertise/experience in one of the following:

1. Socio-economic Engagement and Involvement;
2. Human Exchanges, Transfers and Philanthropic initiatives;
3. Integration and Reintegration;
4. Safety and Security;
5. Governance;
6. Engagement of Diaspora Youth and Young Adults;
7. Diaspora Tourism and Cultural Exchanges;
8. Legislation and Policy Reform; and
9. Data and Information 

g) Be either properly resident in the United States of America, Canada, the United Kingdom or in Jamaica.