MONTEGO BAY, March 31, 2015 – Prime Minister, Portia Simpson Miller, says Jamaica, as a small island developing state, has always been at the forefront of the global environmental agenda.
Speaking yesterday at the opening of the first ever Inter-American Congress on the Environmental Rule of Law, at the Secrets Resorts in Montego Bay, Mrs. Simpson Miller said Jamaica’s presence on the global environmental agenda has been evident even before the 1970s.
“Long before the 1972 United Nations conference on human development, Jamaica had a conscious environmental agenda. Enactments such as the Beach Control Act, the Watershed Protection Act, the Wildlife Protection Act and the Fisheries and Public Health legislation, show our long term commitment to the protection of the natural environment and human health,” the Prime Minister pointed out.
Mrs. Simpson Miller said that as a country, Jamaica remains sensitive to changes affecting the environment, which have resulted in amendments to various pieces of legislation to reflect the new realities.
“The Jamaican constitution protects the right of every citizen to a healthy environment. For more than two decades, Jamaica’s policy on the environment has been explicitly linked with development approvals. This is to ensure that national development takes place in a sustainable manner,” the Prime Minister said.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Simpson Miller said despite the advances Jamaica has made over the years, efforts continue to ensure that the right balance is reached between conservation of the island’s natural resources and development of the economy.
“As we grow the economy, the Government is aware of the need to preserve the natural resource base on which our development hinges. The Government is also acutely aware of the inextricable link between poverty and environmental degradation. So, as we address the social and economic realities of poverty, we are also paying keen attention to environmental protection,” she said.
