Diaspora conference set for Montego Bay in June as Jamaica pushes post-Melissa rebuilding

Jamaica will host the 11th biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference from June 14 to 18, 2026 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, positioning overseas nationals and friends of the island as partners in recovery after Hurricane Melissa.

Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Alando Terrelonge said the gathering invites Jamaicans abroad to support rebuilding, sustainable growth, and a more resilient country for residents at home and in the diaspora. He noted strong humanitarian support from diaspora communities across the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, the Caribbean, and elsewhere after the storm.

Conference discussions are expected to cover government contracting efficiency, relocating vulnerable coastal communities inland, new urban centres, and reconstruction of towns such as Black River. More than 80 per cent of Jamaicans live within five kilometres of the coast, Terrelonge said. Panels will also examine investment, climate change, disaster resilience, food and water security, and national security. The government, he added, treats the diaspora as strategic partners beyond remittances, including second-, third-, and fourth-generation Jamaicans overseas.

Registration is available through aitix.app. Delegates will receive radio-frequency identification wristbands to exchange contact details digitally, with data handled under the Data Protection Act. Legacy partners include Jamaica National, Grace, and VMBS. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade will support market access, including work on tariffs and conditions for exporting goods and services.

Terrelonge described the event as action-oriented. Marketplace booths will host banks, mortgage providers, the National Housing Trust, and agencies such as PICA for passport and citizenship matters. On the Wednesday evening, an empowerment session will encourage direct purchases from vendors affected by the hurricane. Attendee skills and interests will be captured in a database to reduce fragmented follow-up.

The conference is open to Jamaicans at home, the diaspora, friends of Jamaica, and international participants. Marketplace booth options range from about US$250 for smaller “bird’s nest” spaces to roughly US$2,200 for larger plots; 73 of 80 spaces were already booked pending confirmation. Early-bird tickets cost US$180 for four days. Investment themes include agriculture, food technology, property, reconstruction, education, health, the creative industries, and export opportunities with trade experts and high commissioners present. Conference chair Earl Jarrett of Jamaica National is among those leading planning.

Separately, a feature on the origins of Labour Day noted that each May 23 Jamaicans volunteer on community projects, but the holiday stems from the 1938 labour rebellion. Unrest that began at Frome in Westmoreland spread islandwide, with workers demanding dignity and fair pay. Sir Alexander Bustamante emerged as a workers’ advocate, helping to spur trade unions including the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union and constitutional advances toward independence in 1962.

Empire Day on May 24 became Commonwealth Day in 1958; legislation in 1960 under Norman Manley moved the holiday to May 23 to mark the 1938 strikes. In 1972, Michael Manley reframed the day for voluntary national service, beginning with work on the Palisadoes Road, now the Norman Manley Highway. Themed observances began in 1989, starting with education.