Trade Policy Review
Jamaica
Minutes of the Meeting
Chairperson: H.E. Dr
Adamu Mohammed Abdulhamid (Nigeria)
CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON............................................... 2
2 OPENING
STATEMENT BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF JAMAICA (SENATOR THE HONOURABLE KAMINA JOHNSON SMITH)....................................... 4
3 STATEMENT BY
THE DISCUSSANT.......................................................................... 9
4 STATEMENTS
BY MEMBERS................................................................................... 11
5 REPLIES BY
THE REPRESENTATIVE OF JAMAICA AND ADDITIONAL COMMENTS..................................................................................................................................... 43
6 CONCLUDING
REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON................................................. 49
Note: Advance written questions and
additional questions by WTO Members, and the replies provided by Jamaica are
reproduced in document _WT/TPR/M/457/Add.1 and will be available online at http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/tpr_e/tp_rep_e.htm.
1.1. The fifth Trade Policy Review of Jamaica
was held on 10 and 12 July 2024. The Chairperson, H.E. Dr Adamu Mohammed Abdulhamid
(Nigeria), welcomed the delegation of Jamaica, headed by Senator the Honourable
Kamina Johnson Smith, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade; Ambassador
Esmond Reid, Under‑Secretary of Foreign Trade at the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and Foreign Trade; H.E. Ambassador Dr Richard Brown,
Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the United Nations and other international
organizations at Geneva; the rest of the delegation; and the discussant, H.E. Ambassador Dr José Sánchez‑Fung
(Dominican Republic).
1.2. The Chairperson remarked that the current
Review took place in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, which recently hit
the Caribbean, including Jamaica, and caused extensive damage.
1.3. The Chairperson was pleased that, in addition
to physical presence, the meeting also benefited from the Interprefy online
connection, allowing for a wider participation of the Membership.
1.4. The Chairperson recalled the purpose of TPRs
and the main elements of procedures for the meeting. The Report by Jamaica is
contained in document _WT/TPR/G/457, and that of the WTO Secretariat in
document _WT/TPR/S/457.
1.5. Questions by the following delegations were
submitted in writing before the deadline: Canada, Singapore, Australia, Brazil,
the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Colombia,
Trinidad and Tobago, and the European Union. The following
delegations submitted written questions after the deadline: the
Republic of Korea, Iceland, China, the Dominican Republic,
Thailand, Indonesia, Türkiye, and Panama.
1.6. The Chairperson began by recalling some
elements of Jamaica's previous Review in 2017 and developments since then, as
well as by identifying some key issues arising from the advance written
questions submitted by Members for this TPR.
1.7. During Jamaica's previous Review in 2017,
Members commended Jamaica for achieving positive socio‑economic developments
through fiscal prudence, debt reduction, and tax policy reforms. The Chairperson
was pleased to note that, over the period under review, the Jamaican economy continued to perform well despite the effects of
the pandemic that were reversed by the implementation of a programme to support
the economy and employment. Growth was also sustained by tourism and
remittances. Sustained development would depend on diversifying the narrow
economic base and strengthening resiliency.
1.8. Jamaica continued to rely on trade to achieve
sustainable and inclusive socio‑economic growth; exports and imports of goods
and services represented 94.5% of GDP in 2022, up from 81.7% in 2017. As was the case in
2017, Jamaica's export base remained narrow;
Members may have wanted to learn more about Jamaica's initiatives aimed at
diversifying trade.
1.9. In 2017, Members encouraged Jamaica to continue
creating an environment conducive to investment. The Chairperson was pleased to
note that, over the review period, measures to facilitate investment were
introduced, including the National Investment Policy, as were others aimed at
creating a more business-friendly climate.
1.10. During the previous Review, Members praised
Jamaica for its participation in the WTO. In 2017, Members encouraged
Jamaica to consider accepting the Protocol amending the
TRIPS Agreement and joining the Government Procurement Agreement. They
also invited Jamaica to fully meet its notification commitments. In the context
of the current Review, Jamaica's record of notifications seemed to remain a
concern.
1.11. Regarding tariff protection, the
Chairperson noted that the simple average tariff protection remained unchanged
over the review period. While Jamaica removed discrepancies with regards to
applied and bound tariff rates, for a certain number of tariff lines, the
applied rate of the Additional Stamp Duty (ASD) is greater than the bound
rate for other duties and charges. Members may have wanted to clarify the issue
with Jamaica during the discussions. It is noteworthy that since 2017, Jamaica has not used trade
remedies.
1.12. For the current review meeting, Jamaica received over 239 written questions covering
a broad range of issues addressed in both the Government and Secretariat Reports.
1.13. In the advance written questions, Members
enquired mainly about measures affecting imports, preferential tariffs, the SPS
regime, government procurement, and agriculture. They sought clarification on
import procedures, restrictions, and licensing; and referred to the ASD.
Several questions were raised to better understand Jamaica's SPS regime;
Members enquired about specific procedures and plans to modernize the existing
legislation.
1.14. Members also asked Jamaica to provide further
details on its new government procurement regime.
1.15. Members' advance written questions also
referred to Jamaica's efforts and challenges to create a competitive,
sustainable, and market‑oriented agriculture sector. In this context they
sought clarification on domestic support programmes and urged Jamaica to notify
these measures.
1.16. Other areas of interest to Members included
IPRs; initiatives to promote e‑commerce; women participation in trade and
gender equality in investment opportunities; and adjustment to climate change.
1.17. In total, 18 delegations
submitted over 239 advance written questions for the current Review, out of
which over 160 questions from 10 delegations were sent within the
established deadline. Prior to the meeting, Jamaica already provided written replies to most
questions submitted within the established deadline.
1.18. The questions and replies, along with the
insightful Government and Secretariat Reports, provided a solid basis for
Members to discuss issues of interest to them and of systemic importance to the
multilateral trading system during the two‑day meeting. The Chairperson looked
forward to a fruitful exchange.