Caption: Ambassador Sheila Sealy Monteith, Permanent Secretary in the Foreign Ministry and Ambassador Maud Dlomo, Deputy Director General, Americas and Europe, Department of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa ink a Joint Communiquè, during the Inaugural Session of Jamaica/South Africa Political Consultations held on Tuesday, June 28.
Jamaica and the Republic of South Africa have signed a Joint Communiqué, signalling their agreement to strengthen the longstanding cooperation between the two countries in several critical areas, including science and technology, art, culture, entertainment, the creative industries and sport.
The document was signed by Ambassador Sheila Sealy Monteith, CD Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica, and Ambassador Maud Dlomo, Deputy Director General, Americas and Europe, Department of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, during the Inaugural Session of Jamaica/South Africa Political Consultations, on Tuesday, June 28.
Ambassador Sealy Monteith indicated that, “Jamaica and South Africa have a shared vision and commitment to advancing relations, and both have a strong desire to ensure that our frameworks for engagement are maximised in areas of cooperation that redound to the benefit of our peoples.”
In the area of entertainment, arts, culture and the creative industries, both delegations discussed exploring collaboration through the development and initiation of projects to aid in capacity-building and to facilitate the exchange of knowledge with Jamaican cultural, educational and entertainment institutions. Jamaica emphasized that there are also mutually beneficial opportunities for the exchange of expertise in the areas of arts and craft, especially in artistic design and fashion.
Jamaica also expressed interest in finalizing the Twinning Agreement between the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park and World Heritage Sites, Jamaica and uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site in South Africa. This Agreement is said to present “significant possibilities for exchange in the area of research such as collaborations related to indigenous knowledge and climate change, protected areas and environmental management.”
As it relates to sports, Ambassador Dlomo lauded Jamaica’s success in this field particularly in athletics, stating that “we believe you are the best”. Both delegations also agreed to the sharing of best practices of Jamaica in developing its athletes, noting that Jamaican athletes can benefit from South Africa’s sports facilities. They also highlighted the need for sports management training and research, as well as joint course and training programmes with sporting universities.
Both Jamaica and South Africa recognised the need to renew the Agreement on Cooperation in Science and Technology, which facilitates Jamaica sharing its experience in regulating the Cannabis Industry.
The delegations also committed to exploring the prospects for deepening trade and investments between the countries. They also engaged in discussions on regional and multilateral issues, notably within the Commonwealth, the CARICOM-African Union and the United Nations. Other bilateral matters addressed included tourism, health, air services, candidatures, agriculture and Reparations.
