Photo caption: Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Honourable Kamina Johnson Smith, is pictured shaking hands with Mr. Santiago Cafiero, Argentina’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship at the 7th Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) which was held in Buenos Aires in January 2023.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Honourable Kamina Johnson Smith, will
represent Prime Minister Andrew Holness at the Eighth Summit of the Heads of State and Government
of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), which is set to take place in
Buccament, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, on March 1.
“Jamaica’s participation in CELAC has always been rooted in our commitment to contribute to
meaningful regional discussions that advance our sustainable development,” explained Minister
Johnson Smith, as she provided insight into the Summit’s objectives and Jamaica’s role.
“Our engagement in this year’s CELAC Summit is aimed at strengthening collaborative efforts on
the regional agenda, including security, climate change, food and energy security, digitalisation,
trade, and strengthening critical extra-regional partnerships”, continued Johnson Smith.
To highlight Jamaica’s commitment to maintaining Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace,
Johnson Smith will discuss the country’s efforts to improve national security, and to enhance security
cooperation with regional and international partners.
The Minister says that, “Jamaica is committed to addressing transnational organised crime, and is
taking steps to finalise the development of National Organised Crime Strategy, and beyond this,
engaging with partners on collective efforts in this regard. We will also be engaging on cooperation
in agriculture and agri-tech, as we strive to achieve our targets under CARICOM’s ‘25 by 2025’
initiative – work which is well underway.”
On the issue of energy security, Minister Johnson Smith is also looking forward to opportunities for
collaboration for technical and institutional capacity-building with Member States of CELAC, to achieve
a greater renewable energy mix for electricity generation.
The Summit will also mark the transition of the Pro Tempore Presidency from Dr. the Honourable Ralph
Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, to Honduran President Xiomara Castro for
the 2024-2025 period. Jamaica will also commend the Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines on
their tenure, which was the first time that an English-speaking country and CARICOM Member State
