Waging Peace:  Jamaica

Building a Model for Transparency

Jamaica was one of three countries with which the Carter Center's Americas Program teamed in 1998 to reduce corruption and promote transparency in the Americas. The "Transparency for Growth in the Americas" project also focused initially on Costa Rica and Ecuador under the auspices of the Americas Program. In Jamaica, the program's work focused on ongoing legislative efforts to pass a corruption prevention act and an access-to-information act.

The prime minister invited the Center to help inform the public debate about the two acts. Consequently, the Center commissioned an annotated guide to the country's existing legislation against corruption and a comparative study of Jamaican legislation and other similar legislation worldwide.

The Center published two guides of expert studies on Jamaica's efforts in corruption prevention and access to information, in 1999 and 2002, and co-sponsored seminars to stimulate debate among Jamaican parliamentarians, citizen groups, media, and the private sector.

The Center brought international experts on implementing the new provisions on asset declarations and access to information to advise government officials and citizen groups on utilizing these tools.

The Access to Information Act passed in 2002, and implementation began in January 2004. To increase awareness of the law, the Center's project has facilitated workshops for civil servants, civil society organizations, religious groups, the media, and the private sector. The Center also supports Jamaicans for Justice in their monitoring of the Access to Information Act's use and government response. In March 2004, the Center opened a field office to provide programmatic continuity during the implementation and enforcement phases. This office serves as an in-country resource to government and civil society partners.