Institutional Framework
The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) was formally established in 1984 by the Planning Institute of Jamaica Act and is the government body responsible for population and development issues. In the government structure, it reports hierarchically to the Ministry of Finance and Public Service. Among its functions, it is responsible for presiding over the mechanism in charge of institutional coordination for population and development issues and the implementation and follow-up of the Montevideo Consensus, called the Population Thematic Working Group. The mechanism, including the aforementioned coordinating body, involves ten State entities with jurisdiction over different specific issues. Among the areas involved are: migration; population dynamics; territory, development, environment and climate change; sexual and reproductive health; women, gender equality and combating violence; comprehensive care for older persons; rights of persons with disabilities; children, adolescents and youth; combating drug addiction; labor and labor rights. It is worth mentioning that Jamaica's coordination mechanism is characterized by establishing sexual and reproductive rights as a cross-cutting issue, particularly emphasizing focus on women, adolescents and youth.
Participation
Jamaica has established a mechanism for civil society participation in the implementation and follow-up of the Montevideo Consensus, which is permanent and consultative in nature. The aforementioned cross-cutting approach to sexual and reproductive rights is reflected in the participation of the JFPA-Jamaica Family Planning Association, an NGO present in the country since 1957. The organization has developed a close cooperation with government institutions on sexual and reproductive health issues, with particular focus on adolescents, STD prevention and maternal mortality, among others. At the academic level, the University of the West Indies participates in the mechanism, providing technical assistance and advice through the demographers of its Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work. In addition, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) provides technical consultancy on population issues from a global perspective.
The information on Institutionality comes from the regional survey for the update of the Virtual Platform for the follow-up of the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development, implemented by the technical secretariat in 2023.