The Lions Club of St. Andrew Central hosted an enlightening event titled “Strengthening Collaborative Alliances: The UK’s Approach to Deepening Civil Society Partnerships for Accelerated Sustainable Development in Jamaica and the Caribbean.”

In a session Moderated by JCC director Christopher Chinapoo, guest speaker Judith Slater, British High Commissioner to Jamaica, shared key insights into the UK’s strategies for fostering enhanced partnerships across various sectors.

Slater outlined the multifaceted approach by the United Kingdom, focusing on critical areas such as trade, climate change, agriculture, disaster risk reduction, governance, youth scholarships, crime prevention and security, AI ethics and regulation, and cyber security. The event provided a platform for dialogue on ways to better support civil society organisations in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.

During her presentation, Slater emphasized the UK’s commitment to mobilising state organisations, professional organisations such as the CQI, Institute of Fire Engineers, CIM, CIBSE, CICES, CIWEM, CIPS and other trade associations, and both formal and informal institutions to strengthen competency development governance and assurance to support the green transition, improve competitiveness, trade and accelerate sustainable development.

She highlighted the importance of advocating for the participation of young people from Jamaica and other small island developing states (SIDs) in global climate and disaster risk reduction dialogues like the COP and others.

While no specific commitments were made, the high commissioner expressed the UK’s intention to actively advocate and potentially provide support to enable the greater inclusion of future leaders from the region in these crucial dialogues.

Jamaican youth leaders were also encouraged to apply for the Chevening scholarships, as the call for applications is currently open.

The British High Commission is actively exploring avenues to facilitate easier access to financing for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and civil society.

Expectations include increased support for SMEs through initiatives like the Compete Caribbean export expansion programme and the UK Export Finance Programme. Furthermore, efforts are underway to advance the CARICOM-UK trade agreement and foster greater participation of UK businesses in Jamaica.