The following is the text of a joint statement by the Governments of the United States of America and Jamaica.
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Jamaica and the United States of America held their first Strategic Dialogue virtually on December 3, 2020. The two countries focused on their shared commitment to build upon their strong bilateral ties with emphasis on their economic, political, technical and security cooperation. In this spirit, the two countries agree to adopt this joint statement and to hold an annual high-level strategic dialogue to advance their shared interests in security, prosperity and democracy in the Western Hemisphere.
Security Cooperation
The United States and Jamaica share deep historical ties and common values that have endured since before Jamaica's independence in 1962. Recognizing their mutual interests and common responsibility to regional defense and security and combatting transnational criminal organizations and gangs, the United States and Jamaica will continue to robustly combat trafficking in persons, narcotics, illegal weapons, and the illicit financial networks and activities that support these regional threats. They will strengthen maritime security, enhance law enforcement capacity and deepen anti-corruption cooperation. They recognize the importance of mitigating risks to global supply chains and of protecting critical infrastructure and communications networks.
Prosperity
A world increasingly connected through technology, travel, and trade needs modern infrastructure to support economic opportunity. The two sides agreed that energy security and diversification are critical to economic growth and national security. Jamaica's regional leadership on renewable energy and liquefied natural gas, paired with the United States' innovative energy solutions and world class service sector, present unique opportunities for cooperation in the energy sector. They intend to cooperate on sustainable, clean and efficient energy technologies, such as solar, wind, hydro, smart city technologies and energy storage solutions, including through partnerships with the private sector. They will work together to expand connectivity, ensure the development of secure digital infrastructure and support the growth of the digital economy.
The long-standing economic relationship between the United States and Jamaica is strong and has been steadily growing over many years. Greater economic cooperation through increased trade and investment will enhance economic growth, create more jobs and encourage increased productivity for both countries. Trade in goods and services as well as investment is increasing and plays an important role in our relationship, as does labor mobility. They emphasize the necessity of an enabling investment environment that is based on free and fair competition, transparency, and the rule of law. They intend to continue to explore ways to enhance cooperation and reduce barriers to greater trade and investment.
Health
In an effort to address health threats and to strengthen their response to the global pandemic, they will seek opportunities to collaborate on new initiatives aimed at promoting public health. Both sides also look forward to further collaboration to combat HIV/AIDS, Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and to improving capacity within the health sector.
Disaster Resilience
The United States and Jamaica have partnered successfully in disaster preparedness and humanitarian assistance. They remain committed to enhancing bilateral cooperation and promoting resilience through investment in resilient infrastructure, energy diversification, disaster response training, risk assessment and enhanced use of ICT.
Conclusion
The United States and Jamaica are committed to strengthening bilateral cooperation and anticipate that the annual Strategic Dialogue will be a forum in which these and other issues of mutual interest will be addressed. In this spirit, Jamaica and the United States are pleased to announce initiatives being pursued that that will enhance cooperation in 5G technology, disaster preparedness and resilience, health, energy and infrastructure finance. These include a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed on December 3, 2020 between the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) and the Ministry of Finance and Public Service for Jamaica to work collectively on strengthening public procurement.
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