MASENO UNIVERSITY

CAMPUS : CITY CAMPUS

DEPARTMENT : SDSS

COURSE : INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND

DIPLOMACY WITH IT

UNIT : FOREIGN POLICY IN COMPARATIVE

PERSPECTIVE

UNIT CODE : DIR 401

MEMBERS : WACHIRA BOB GITHUMBI DS/00010/012

GICHU WATSON KAIGI DS/03049/012

DIANA NGUNJIRI DS/04013/012

DANIEL KAISALI MUTUKU DS/00045/012

DATE OF SUBMISSION : 30/11/2015

TASK : FOREIGN POLICY OF JAMAICA TOWARDS

ETHIOPIA

ca
Foreign policy

The term foreign policy refers to a state’s international goals and its strategies to achieve those goals. It
is a policy pursued by a nation in its dealings with other nations, designed to achieve national objectives.

A country's foreign policy, also called foreign relations policy, consists of self-interest strategies chosen
by the state to safeguard its national interests and to achieve goals within its international relations
milieu

Objectives of Jamaica’s foreign policies

The current Foreign Policy Priorities include:

A. Advancement of Jamaica's Political, Trade, and Economic Interests

Enhancing the framework for Free Movement of Jamaican nationals within CARICOM;

Enhancing the full and effective functioning of the CARICOM Single Market and implementing

Advancing Jamaica's trade and investment interests at the bilateral, regional and multilateral levels;

Promoting private sector trade missions in the Caribbean and Latin America, through the vehicle of
Jamaica's Embassies and High Commissions and official visits;

Focusing on governance and the institutional structure of CARIFORUM;

Promoting technical and economic cooperation with developing countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America
and the Caribbean and with traditional partners such as Canada, USA, UK, EU and Japan;

Promoting integration and development as well as technical and economic cooperation through
regional, hemispheric and international organizations, including the Community of Latin American and
Caribbean States (CELAC);

Focusing on key social, political, economic and security issues, including:

a. Human Rights;

b. Candidatures;

c. Issues relating to Middle Income Countries, including aid graduation and global economic
governance;

d. Delimitation;

e. Small Arms and Light Weapons and non-proliferation issues;

f. International Migration and Development;

g. Sustainable Development – follow-up to Rio + 20 and SIDS issues.

ca
B. Diaspora and Consular Affairs

Completing the Diaspora Policy, including establishment of a Governance Framework for the Diaspora;

Participating in the development of a Diaspora Bond;

Enhancing Consular services for Jamaican nationals in the Caribbean region;

Enhancing opportunities for the engagement of Jamaican workers overseas.

Political system of Jamaica

Politics in Jamaica takes place in the framework of a representative parliamentary democratic

constitutional monarchy. The 1962 Constitution of Jamaica established a parliamentary system whose
political and legal traditions closely follow those of the United Kingdom. As the head of state, Queen
Elizabeth II - on the advice of the Prime Minister of Jamaica - appoints a governor-general as her
representative in Jamaica. The governor-general has a largely ceremonial role. Jamaica constitutes an
independent Commonwealth realm.

The Constitution vests executive power in the cabinet, led by the Prime Minister. Executive power is
exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested both in the government and in the Parliament
of Jamaica.

Executive branch

The 1962 Constitution established a parliamentary system based on the United Kingdom model. As head
of state, Queen Elizabeth II appoints a governor-general, on the advice of the prime minister, as her
representative in Jamaica. The governor-general's role is largely ceremonial. Executive power is vested
in the Queen, but exercised mostly by the Cabinet of Jamaica; led by the Prime Minister, currently Portia
Simpson-Miller

Legislative branch

The House of Representatives of Jamaica.

Parliament is composed of an appointed Senate and an elected House of Representatives. Thirteen

Senators are nominated on the advice of the prime minister and eight on the advice of the leader of the

ca
opposition; a two-thirds super-majority of both chambers is needed for major constitutional
amendments. General elections must be held within five years of the forming of a new government.

The prime minister may ask the governor-general to call elections sooner, however. The Senate may
submit bills, and it also reviews legislation submitted by the House. It may not delay budget bills for
more than one month or other bills for more than seven months. The prime minister and the Cabinet
are selected from the Parliament. No fewer than two nor more than four members of the Cabinet must
be selected from the Senate.

A bipartisan joint committee of the Jamaican legislature drafted Jamaica's current Constitution in 1962.
That Constitution came into force with the Jamaica Independence Act, 1962 of the Parliament of the
United Kingdom, which gave Jamaica political independence. Constitutional safeguards include freedom
of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of worship, freedom of movement, and freedom of
association. Judicial branch

Judiciary of Jamaica

The judiciary also is modelled on the British system. The Court of Appeal is the highest appellate court in
Jamaica. Under certain circumstances, cases may be appealed to Britain's Judicial Committee of the
Privy Council. Jamaica's parishes have elected councils that exercise limited powers of local government.

Firearms offences, including possession of unlicensed guns and ammunition, are tried before a
dedicated Gun Court established in 1974. The Gun Court hears cases in camera and practices jury trial
only for cases of treason or murder. All other cases are tried by resident magistrates or justices of the
Supreme Court of

Foreign relations of Jamaica

Jamaica has diplomatic relations with most nations and is a member of the United Nations and the
Organization of American States. Historically, Jamaica has had close ties with the UK. Trade, financial,
and cultural relations with the United States are now predominant. Jamaica is linked with the other
countries of the English-speaking Caribbean through the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and more
broadly through the Association of Caribbean States (ACS)

Role of the executive

The executive consists of the monarchy, governor general and the prime minister.

The Monarchy of Jamaica is a constitutional system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the
sovereign of Jamaica, forming the core of the country's Westminster-style parliamentary democracy.
The terms Crown in Right of Jamaica, Her Majesty in Right of Jamaica, or The Queen in Right of Jamaica
may also be used to refer to the entire executive of the government of Jamaica. Though the Jamaican
Crown has its roots in the British Crown, it has evolved to become a distinctly Jamaican institution,
represented by its own unique symbols.

The present monarch is Queen Elizabeth II—officially titled Queen of Jamaica—who has reigned since 6
August 1962. She, her consort, and other members of the Royal Family undertake various public and
private functions across Jamaica and on behalf of the country abroad. However, the Queen is the only

ca
member of the Royal Family with any constitutional role, holding ultimate executive authority, though
her Royal Prerogative remains bound by laws enacted by her in parliament and by conventions and
precedents, leaving the day-to-day exercise of executive power to her Cabinet. While several powers are
the sovereign's alone, most of the royal constitutional and ceremonial duties in Jamaica are carried out
by the Queen's representative, the governor-general.

The Jamaican monarch, besides reigning in Jamaica, separately serves as monarch for each of fifteen
other Commonwealth countries known as Commonwealth realms. This developed from the former
colonial relationship of these countries to Britain, but they are now independent and the monarchy of
each is legally distinct.

The governor general

The Governor-General of Jamaica represents the Jamaican monarch and head of state, currently Queen
Elizabeth II. The Queen, on the advice of the Prime Minister, appoints a Governor-General as her
representative in Jamaica. Both the Queen and the Governor-General hold much power, but rarely
exercise it - usually only in emergencies and in some cases, especially war. The Governor-General
represents the Monarch on ceremonial occasions such as the opening of Parliament, the presentation of
honors, and military parades. Under the Constitution, he is given authority to act in some matters, for
example in appointing and disciplining officers of the civil service, in proroguing Parliament and so on,
but only in a few cases does he have the power to act entirely at his own discretion.

The prime minister

The Prime Minister of Jamaica is Jamaica's head of government, currently Portia Simpson Miller.
Simpson Miller, as leader of the governing People's National Party (PNP), was sworn in as Prime Minister
on 5 January 2012, succeeding Jamaica Labor Party (JLP) leader Andrew Holness. This was a result of the
PNP's victory in Jamaica's 29 December 2011 general election. The Prime Minister is formally appointed
into office by the Governor General of Jamaica, who represents Elizabeth II, the Queen of Jamaica
(Jamaica's Head of State). Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller, ON, MP (born 12 December 1945) is a
Jamaican politician who has been the seventh Prime Minister of Jamaica since 5 January 2012. Simpson-
Miller, who leads the People's National Party, previously served as Prime Minister from 2006 to 2007;
she was Leader of the Opposition from 2007 to 2012.

Role of the Prime minister

The prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government, often
in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may
dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most
systems, the prime minister is the presiding member and chairman of the cabinet. In a minority of
systems, notably in semi-presidential systems of government, a prime minister is the official who is
appointed to manage the civil service and execute the directives of the head of state.

In parliamentary systems fashioned after the Westminster system, the prime minister is the presiding
and actual head of government and head of the executive branch. In such systems, the head of state or

ca
the head of state's official representative (i.e. the monarch, president, or governor-general) usually
holds a largely ceremonial position, although often with reserve powers.

The prime minister is often, but not always, a member of parliament and is expected with other
ministers to ensure the passage of bills through the legislature. In some monarchies the monarch may
also exercise executive powers (known as the royal prerogative) that are constitutionally vested in the
crown and may be exercised without the approval of parliament.

As well as being head of government, a prime minister may have other roles or titles—the Prime
Minister of the United Kingdom, for example, is also First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil
Service. Prime ministers may take other ministerial posts—for example during the Second World War,
Winston Churchill was also Minister of Defense (although there was then no Ministry of Defense).

Formulation of Jamaica’s foreign policy

Jamaica's foreign policy is rooted in the dock of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, i.e. to
"maximize international influence to foster national development". As such, the Ministry seeks to
engage with the international community in various fora in order to confront the economic, social and
political challenges at home and contribute to Jamaica's national development goals, guided by the
objectives outlined in its Vision 2030 Jamaica National Development Plan.

Actors

Cabinet

The roles of the Cabinet Office as they relate to the Cabinets in the developed Commonwealth
countries, such as the United Kingdom and Canada:

The prime minister represents the nations in international for a.

Developing Cabinet’s forward agenda;

Initiating and participating in key meetings leading up to the formulation of foreign policy;

Ensuring an adequate degree of inter-departmental consultation on proposals for Cabinet Decision;

Providing an independent perspective on departmental proposals;

Controlling the quality and content of information reaching Cabinet and Cabinet Committees by
reviewing all materials in advance;

Controlling the issues that come before Cabinet for discussion by managing Cabinet’s agenda;

Briefing the Prime Minister on his/her role as Chairman of Cabinet and Cabinet Committee Chairmen on
the handling of issues coming before Cabinet or a Committee of it;

Recording and disseminating Cabinet Decisions.

ca
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade is the ministry responsible for handling the Jamaica's
external relations and foreign trade. The ministry's current director is Senator A. J. Nicholson, who has
been in Jamaican national politics since 1989. The ministry's official mission statement notes that it "is
responsible for the implementation of Jamaica’s foreign policy, the management of Jamaica’s
international relations and the promotion of its interests overseas." After achieving independence from
the United Kingdom in August 1962, Jamaica immediately established its foreign ministry, then known
as the Ministry of External Affairs. In 1976, the government changed the ministry's name to the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs and eventually added "and Foreign Trade" sometime later to reflect the full scope of
its mission. The Ministry is committed to promoting friendship and cooperation between Jamaica and
other countries around the world, through political and diplomatic channels, providing effective
representation of the government of Jamaica overseas through resident diplomatic missions and
consular posts and creating opportunities for foreign trade, investment and tourism.

Determinants of Jamaica’s foreign policy.

Multilateralism

Jamaica is committed to the principles of the United Nations Charter. This governs the conduct of its
international relations and serves as the basis for her approach and presence on the international stage.
As a Small Island Developing State, Jamaica is convinced that multilateralism offers her the only viable
source of protection, and therefore continues to advocate for a multilateral system which is equitable,
democratic, effective and principled. Jamaica's membership in international organizations such as the
United Nations and The Commonwealth has assisted in raising the profile of the country. Her alliance
with groups of developing countries has served as important avenues for advancing the interests of
small developing states. Jamaica is well aware that as a small state, she cannot 'go it alone' in seeking to
redress global concerns that impact her locally. Key issues of interest to it requiring a collaborative
global effort, include the maintenance of international peace and security, illicit trafficking in drugs and
arms and transnational organized crimes, the promotion of multilateralism, the reform of the United
Nations, prevention and control of HIV/AIDS, sustainable development and international economic
cooperation, international trade and development, Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and the
implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action (BPOA).

Regional and Hemispheric Relations

Jamaica is mindful of its role and responsibilities within CARICOM and the wider hemispheric region of
the Americas and is committed to supporting its goals. The continuing impact of globalization, the
rapidly changing international political and economic environment, impels Jamaica to develop closer
links with the countries of the Caribbean Basin and within the wider hemisphere, in the quest for
regional and hemispheric integration. Jamaica continues to play an important role in Caribbean
integration through its relations with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Jamaica has sought to give
new impetus to relations with the wider Caribbean including through participation in the work of the
Association of Caribbean States (ACS) in critical areas such as trade, transport, tourism and natural
disasters. Part of foreign policy, “We continue to participate actively in the work of the Organization of
American States (OAS) and its subsidiary bodies in promoting peace and security, democracy, human
rights and cooperation for economic and social development in the countries of the Americas”. The

ca
development programmes of the OAS continue to be of integral importance to Jamaica and to the
Caribbean region with benefits accruing from projects and programmes in the areas of science and
technology, education, tourism, sustainable development and culture. At the bilateral level, she
maintain strong links with her traditional North American partners. Part of foreign policy, “Our dynamic
cooperation programmes have continued to make a positive impact in critical areas of national
development including health, education, business development, security, public sector modernization
and capacity development”. Jamaica also continues to enjoy excellent relations with the countries of
Central and South America, and remains committed to the further deepening and strengthening of
political and economic ties with these countries, including the development of initiatives within the
framework of established joint consultative and cooperative mechanisms. Jamaica is pursuing closer
engagement with the BRICS countries and will also continue to develop closer ties of friendship,
cooperation, trade and investment with countries in Africa and Asia-Pacific. . Part of foreign policy, “We
will also promote technical and economic cooperation with the European Union and individual countries
in Europe”.

Foreign Trade

Trade remains critical to the country's economic development and a key component of Jamaica's foreign
policy. Therefore, Jamaica is committed to advancing a Foreign Trade Policy that enhances its trade
performance and contribute significantly to the attainment of the country's vision for growth,
productivity and development. In this context, adopting policy measures and negotiating strategies to
secure Trade Agreements and other initiatives that will support trade facilitation and market access that
bring direct benefits to Jamaica's producers and exporters is critical. Jamaica also continues to play a key
role in ensuring that it contributes to the strengthening of the multilateral trading system and the
advancement of a development oriented International Trade Agenda. Against the backdrop of dramatic
changes in the international trade and economic environment over the last decade, and the need to
ensure that Jamaica derives maximum benefits from Trade Agreements to which it is a Party, the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade has almost completed the process of revising Jamaica's
Foreign Trade Policy which is intended to drive our productive and export base and contribute to
increased economic growth.

The Jamaican Diaspora

Jamaica is committed to strengthen linkages with the Jamaican Diaspora and encourage their
participation in the process of national development. Part of foreign policy, “Our role as protectors and
promoters of Jamaica's interests internationally include, naturally, the interests of our nationals
overseas in the communities in the Diaspora, represented in almost every metropolitan Centre of the
world”. Since 1993, the Jamaican Government has sought a more structured approach towards
enhancing the relationship with the Diaspora. Part of foreign policy,” We expect to deepen the
symbiotic relationship which has always existed, and to establish a framework which should see a
heightened and more beneficial relationship through partnerships at the private sector level, between
individuals and organizations and within the government sector, thereby tapping into the potential that
exists”.

ca
BACKGROUND

The relation between Jamaica and Ethiopia traces its origin in 1930s following the coronation of Haile
Selassie 1 as emperor of Ethiopia. Members of the Rastafarians way of life from both countries then
began relations on culture and religion. During the Africans enslavement, Ethiopianism slogan came up
in Jamaica led by Marcus M. Garvey who provided historical material written by Greek historians who
referred to all Africa as Ethiopia not only the present day geographical boundaries. This scholars found
that the Greeks spoke of Ethiopia as the land where the gods loved to be and of Ethiopians as the
blameless race. Ethiopians is otherwise known as Black redemption and repatriation back to Africa.

CULTURAL RELATIONS.

In reggae mythology, Africa is the Promised Land, the destined homeland where the African diaspora
will someday be repatriated. Africa—and Ethiopia in particular—is the “Land of Zion” sung about in so
many reggae songs. Reggae has its own code and language, infused largely with the ideology of the
Rastafarians—followers of a spiritual system that arose in the 1930s in Jamaica. A big influence on the
Rastafarians was Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican political leader in the 1920s who led a Back to Africa
movement among descendants of slaves throughout the Americas. Rastafarians regard Garvey as a
prophet who predicted that one day a black man would be crowned king in Africa and would bring
deliverance to dark-skinned people everywhere. “Follow, follow, follow, follow Marcus Garvey’s
footsteps,” sang reggae singer Burning Spear. And where exactly was Garvey going? “We’re leaving
Babylon, we’re going to our father’s land,” Bob Marley told us in “Exodus.” Not Babylon, Long Island,
mind you, but the metaphorical one where, as Marley sang, “the system is the vampire”—the wicked
place that embodies all of what’s wrong with Western culture. Babylon, as Steel Pulse said, “Makes the
rules . . . where my people suffer.” When Haile Selassie I was declared emperor of Ethiopia, in 1930, the
followers of Garvey believed Garvey’s prophecy had been fulfilled. They declared His Imperial Majesty to
be the Messiah, or “Jah.” Selassie’s pre- coronation name, Ras Tafari Makonnen, was adopted to name
their movement. The greatest similarity is the Rastafarian faith which wades misconception and
distortions that it is a religion of people who live in Jamaica and Ethiopia, smoke weed and are
dreadlocked. However, this people do not know what is behind the movement this is because
Rastafarian is more than a religion, it is a way of life a social movement as well as a mindset mostly
against the western way of life Babylonians. The settlement in Shashamane traces its roots in 1948
Shashamane land grant by emperor haile selassie 1 to members of the Ethiopian world federation in
gratitude for their defense of Ethiopia during the second Italo Ethiopian war. Most of the initial settlers
who took advantage of this offer, were African Americans but Jamaicans began coming in the 1960s.
They quickly came to form a notable presence in the shashamane settlement earning it the nick name
little Jamaica. By 2001, roughly 200 families of Rastafarians lived in shashamane. Currently however,
Ethiopian nationality law does not incorporate the concept of jus soli, the children of Jamaicans living in
Ethiopia are not citizens and cannot access certain public services reserved for citizens. The Jamaican
diaspora in Ethiopia has pressed the Jamaican government to establish an embassy in Addis Ababa in
order to represent their concerns more effectively to the Ethiopian government. As of 2010, Jamaica
was represented in Ethiopia solely by an honorary consul.

This kind of relation where the citizens of Jamaica are in Ethiopia and the shared culture and religion,
forces Jamaica to have a cordial relationship with Ethiopia due to the fact that they share a lot in
common and so as to safeguard the interests of their citizens in the diaspora.

ca
GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS

Jamaica and Ethiopia are both sovereign states with functional governments and thus are players in the
international system. They have therefore in pursuit of national interests in the international arena
joined a number of intergovernmental organizations together. They have also ratified a number of
international treaties.

The UN Charter

Both nations are members of the UN and therefore subscribe to the protocol of the UN like avoidance of
war between them in the midst of their relations but pursue diplomatic negotiations.

Abolition of Forced Labor Convention

The two countries have ratified this treaty to ascertain their commitments in the fight against forced
labor. It was effected in January 17th 1957, it is one of the International Labor Organizations
fundamental convention which cancels certain forms of forced labor such as punishments for strikes and
as a punishment for holding certain political views.

Protocol for the suspension of unlawful acts of violence in airports

It was effective from January 26th 1973, it is also referred to as the sabotage convention or the
Montreal convention and is a multi-lateral treaty by which states agree to prohibit and punish behavior
which may threaten the safety of civil aviation. The convention states out the principle of aut dedere aut
judicare, that a party to the treaty must either prosecute a person that commits on of the offenses in
the convention or send the individuals to another state that requests his or her extraditions for
prosecution of the same crime.

Basel Convention on the control of Trans boundary movements of hazardous wastes and Their disposal

It was effective in May 1992 as an international treaty that was designed to reduce the movements of
hazardous wastes between nations and specifically to prevent transfer of hazardous wastes from
developed to less developed countries. It does not, however, address the movement of radioactive
waste. The convention is also intended to minimize the amount of toxicity of wastes generated to
ensure their environmentally sound management as closely as possible to the source of generation, and
to assist less developed countries in environmentally sound management of hazardous and other wastes
they generate.

Chemical weapons convention

The convention on the prohibition of the development, production, stock piling, and use of chemical
weapons and on their destruction. It was effective from April 29th 1997. It is an arms control treaty
which outlaws the production, stock piling and use of chemical weapons and their precursors and it is
administered by the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons, an intergovernmental
organization based in the Hague Netherlands.

The parties’ main obligation under the convention is to prohibit the use and production of chemical
weapons as well as the destruction of all current chemical weapons.

ca
Equal Remuneration Convention

It was effected on 23rd May 1953 concerning equal remuneration for men and women workers for work
of equal value. It is the 100th International Labor Convention and the principle one aimed at equal
remuneration for work of equal value for men and women.

States parties may accomplish this through registration, introduction of a system for wage
determination and collective bargaining agreement.

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

It was effected in 1994. It is a convention to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought
through national action programs that incorporate long term strategies supported by international
cooperation and partnership arrangements.

The convention is based on the principles of participation, partnership and decentralization the
backbone of good governance and sustainable development.

To help publicize the Convention, 2006 was declared International Year of Deserts and Desertification
but debates have ensued regarding how effective the International Year was in practice.

Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development

It was effected on 7th June 2006 and is now endorsed by 112 states. It is the strongest political
statement to date that addresses the impact of armed violence within a development context.
Understanding that the fight against the global scourge of armed violence and the prospects of
sustainable development are closely linked. The signatories recognize that armed violence constitutes a
major obstacle to the achievement of Millennium Development Goals. They agree to strengthen their
efforts to integrate armed violence reduction and conflict prevention programs into national, regional
and multi-lateral development frameworks and strategies.

This approach is based on three pillars, which are, advocacy, measurability and programming.

Areas of conflict between the Jamaica and Ethiopia.

There has been a longstanding diplomatic relation between Jamaica and Ethiopia but there are two
issues that the governments differed strongly and threatened the cordial relations, one was the attempt
of the Ethiopian government to transfer the remains of bob marley to Ethiopia for burial, a move bob
marleys first wife rita marley supported. The second was the issue of marijuana where Jamaicas
government wanted its Ethiopian counterpart to legalize it. This brought about conflict as marijuana is
illegal in Ethiopia, however, it is still used in the shashamane region where Rastafarians smoke it and use
it as a burnt sacrifice to jah and smoke it as a sacrament in place of wine.

Embassy establishment.

On Tuesday, 12 May 2015, Ambassador Girma Birru presented his letter of credence, accrediting him to
be the non-resident Ambassador of Ethiopia to Jamaica, to the Governor General of Jamaica, His

ca
Excellency the Most Honorable Sir Patrick Allen, ON, GCMG, CD, KSt. J. The presentation marks a
significant milestone in Ethiopia’s relations with Jamaica. Despite longstanding diplomatic relationship,
this is the first time that an Ethiopian Ambassador has been accredited to Jamaica from Washington,
D.C. Ambassador Girma expressed Ethiopia's desire to further strengthen the existing friendly relations
in a mutually beneficial manner. He noted that the love that Rastafarians have for Ethiopia and the
admiration for the late Emperor Haile selassie by most Jamaicans has helped to strengthen the closer
affinity and positive sentiments between the people of the two countries. Ethiopians on their part,
admire Jamaican short-distance athletes, according to the Ambassador. He added that the Ethiopian
government is hopeful to strengthen these people-to-people relations. “Ethiopia considers Jamaica to
be a gateway to the Caribbean and beyond. We can further develop our relations in the areas of tourism
and sports among others." In accepting the credentials, the Governor General said that Jamaica stood to
benefit from its relations with Ethiopia in fostering the existing goodwill between the two peoples,
cultural exchange and the welfare of the Jamaicans in Ethiopia. “The promotion of these areas of
cooperation and positively addressing issues of Jamaicans in Ethiopia will be the heart of my tenure ",
the Ambassador stated. Ambassador Girma had earlier presented copies of his credentials to the
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Hon. Arnold Nicholson. Following the presentation, the
Ambassador met with the Prime Minister. He also attended a reception hosted in his honor by Ms. Yodit
Getachew Hylton, the Honorary Consul of Ethiopia in Jamaica, where the Ambassador had the
opportunity to meet with diplomatic community and the few members of the Ethiopian Diaspora.

The future of Jamaica Ethiopia relations.

The future of the two countries relation appears bright mostly catalyzed by the opening up of the
Ethiopian embassy in Kingston Jamaica. Jamaica apart from sharing a culture, also views Ethiopia as a
gateway to the horn of Africa and the larger African market. Ethiopia also gets many tourists from
Jamaica especially in the shashamane region. Ambassador Girma expressed Ethiopia’s desire to
strengthen the existing friendly and historical relations between both countries in a mutually beneficial
manner. He noted the love and admiration that Rastafarians, and Jamaicans at large, have for Ethiopia
and the late Emperor Haile Selassie I has helped to strengthen the closer affinity and positive sentiments
between the people of these two countries. Finance and Planning Minister of Jamaica participated in the
Third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, sponsored by
the United Nations from July 13 through 16, 2015. The conference is expected to arrive at an agreement
in the Addis Ababa Accord, on a range of modalities for financing sustainable development, both
domestic and international. In this regard, the conference will address issues relating to the new
sustainable development goals to be agreed on in September 2015. The recent multilateral efforts to
promote international development cooperation, the inter-relationship of all sources of development
financing, the synergies between financing objectives across the conference agenda for inclusion in the
final Accord. Different dimensions of sustainable development, as well as the need to support the
United Nations development agenda beyond 2015. This and many more examples are signs of a great
future ahead in the relations of the two nation in pursuit of their national interests.

ca
REFRENCES

1. http://www.speakjamaican.com/glossary/#r
2. Boxill, Ian (2008) The Globalization of Rastafari. Kingston: Jamaica Arawak Publications.
3. Chevannes, Barry (1994) Rastafari: Roots and Ideology. Syracuse, Nova Iorque: Syracuse
University Press.
4. Rogers, Robert Athlyi (2011) The Holy Piby: The Black´s Man Bible.Northamptonshire: White
Crane Publishing Ltd.
5. http://www.religionfacts.com/celebrities/bob_marley.htm
6. Braveboy-Wagner, Jacqueline. ―The English-speaking Caribbean States: A Triad of Foreign
Policies.‖ In Small States in World Politics: Explaining Foreign Policy Behavior, ed. Jeanne Hey.
Boulder, Colorado: Lynne Rienner, 2003.

ca