23/06/2026
Earlier this week, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Honourable , represented Prime Minister Dr. the Most Honourable at the Solemn Session commemorating the Bicentennial of the Amphictyonic Congress of Panama.
In remarks delivered on behalf of Jamaica, Minister Johnson Smith recalled that Simón Bolívar’s vision for a congress of the Americas was expressed in his 1815 Carta de Jamaica, written while he was in exile in Jamaica, and later took shape through the 1826 Congress of Panama.
On behalf of Prime Minister Holness, Minister Johnson Smith also presented President José Raúl Mulino Quintero with bound copies of the Carta de Jamaica and other selected writings by Bolívar during his exile on the island.
She noted that the bicentennial was not only a moment to honour history, but to renew the hemisphere’s commitment to effective multilateralism, sovereign equality, peaceful settlement of disputes and collective action on shared challenges. The Minister also underscored the importance of stronger cooperation on security, climate resilience, disaster risk reduction, development and support for Small Island Developing States.
While in Panama, Minister Johnson Smith is also leading Jamaica’s Delegation to the 56th Regular Session of the OAS General Assembly.