Consular Corps president promises ‘big things to come’

Robert Scott, general manager of Lifespan Co Ltd and honorary consul to the Republic of Latvia, has been re-elected as the Dean of the Consular Corps at their annual general meeting which took place on Wednesday, June 7 at the Spanish Court Hotel.

Scott shared in his outgoing Dean’s Report on initiatives that spoke to trade and youth development, among others. He highlighted the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers Association Trade mission where 16 companies travelled to Jamaica in November exploring trading opportunities with several contracts being signed soon after. He reminded the group of the Youth in Agriculture Award presented to three youth farmers during the 2022 Denbigh Agricultural Show as well as the sponsorship of the first-time New Generation Award category in the 2022 Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association Gala Awards.

He congratulated the consuls who had done yeoman service in attending to their citizens during the first wave of the pandemic. “Your respective countries owe you a debt of gratitude,” he said.

He alluded to “big things to come” in his second term. He indicated that efforts to mitigate human trafficking will be enhanced through technology and that a leading information technology firm has started the development work to provide this solution.

Additionally, a committee is being formed with key medical, legal and other professionals to have an organ donor registry established in Jamaica. “This will be a long-term project but happily there are several professionals in the know who can make this a reality. What is needed is a catalyst to bring this all together. We will be that catalyst. We are in the process of creating a committee and I have appointed a well-known medical professional as co-chair.” He added that, “despite the complexity, there is a low-hanging fruit that can be explored soonest”.

SPECIAL AWARDS

Scott also serves in other capacities. He is the 2nd vice president of the Jamaica Olympic Association and is the treasurer of the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association, a director of the Honey Bun Foundation and is the Caribbean’s representative on the Marketing Commission of the 2023 Central America and Caribbean Games.

Scott showed appreciation to members of his executive and two special awards were presented. A Dean’s Award was presented to Christopher Issa, honorary consul for Slovakia, for his tremendous support to the administration. A Humanitarian Award was presented to Yodit Hylton, honorary consul for Ethiopia, for her role in organising a donation and shipment of a 40ft container of food, clothing and household items to Haiti shortly after the earthquake in 2021.

The AGM also saw the following members being elected to serve:

Vice Dean – Yodit Hylton, Honorary Consul for Ethiopia

Secretary – Alveta Knight, Honorary Consul for Bahamas

Treasurer – Indera Persaud, Honorary Consul for Guyana

The directors are Winston Bayley, honorary consul for Barbados, Irena Cousins, honorary consul general for Poland, Andrew Issa, honorary consul for Finland and Norway, Nicole Foga, honorary consul for Romania, Peter Goldson, honorary consul general for Sweden, Lisa Johnston, honorary consul for Costa Rica, Josef Forstmayr, honorary consul for Austria. The Consular Corps of Jamaica is the umbrella organisation of the honorary consuls in Jamaica representing 50 nations. An honorary consul represents a nation where there are no embassies or high commissions to attend to visiting or resident citizens of the “sending country”.