Sir Kenneth Hall

Community and group conflicts among young people have been identified as the source of violent outbursts in Jamaica, and studies have proven that the levels of violence continue to retard the social and economic advancement of the country. In order to secure its prospects for future development, Jamaica has taken a social intervention and capacity-building approach to bring about meaningful change, and to reduce the level of violent crimes in our country.

The annual 'Peace Month' campaign, spearheaded by the Violence Prevention Alliance (VPA) and PALS, in collaboration with various public and private sector organisations, is one important element of the national initiatives to promote effective conflict-management strategies and reduce the level of violence across the nation.

The VPA is to be commended for implementing training programmes that have equipped young people with marketable skills, improved their knowledge base and fostered the development of positive, healthy attitudes; all of which can serve to enhance the socio-economic environment in at-risk communities.

Significant benefits have been realised from the work carried out by PALS and the VPA, especially those efforts that have focused on increasing awareness about the negative impact of violence on national development, and strengthening the nation's response to victims of violence. The increased collaboration and exchange of information between business, community and political groups towards reducing the causes, consequences and cost of violence to the nation is praiseworthy.

More attention to production

The VPA and PALS are encouraged to continue to facilitate the development of policies and other effective strategies and programmes towards successfully eliminating community and family violence from our society, and allow us to pay more attention to increasing our levels of production.

Every Jamaican is, therefore, encouraged to give his/her full support to the month of activities, recognising that our nation's prosperity beyond the 21st century is embedded in our ability to sustain peace within our homes and communities.

Governor-General

Sir Kenneth Hall