Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith Meets with Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo at UNGA79

New York, USA — Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, held a productive meeting with her Philippine counterpart, Secretary Enrique Manalo, on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA79) in New York. The discussion, announced by Johnson Smith via her official X (formerly Twitter) account, covered a range of pressing global and bilateral issues, including health, education, and climate change.

In her post, Johnson Smith expressed her enthusiasm about the discussions, noting the progress made toward formalizing technical cooperation between Jamaica and the Philippines. Both countries are keen to collaborate in the fields of health and education, with a focus on advancing mutual interests through shared expertise.

It was a pleasure to meet my counterpart from the Phillipines, H.E. Enrique Manolo @SecManolo in the margins of #UNGA79 . We had productive discussions on formalizing our technical cooperation and pursuing the areas of #Health and #Education We also discussed multilateral issues… pic.twitter.com/CdxfIiPdtU

— Hon. Kamina J Smith (@kaminajsmith) September 26, 2024

“We had productive discussions on formalizing our technical cooperation and pursuing the areas of health and education,” Johnson Smith wrote in her update.

The two foreign ministers also touched on multilateral issues such as climate change and women, peace, and security. Johnson Smith emphasized the importance of these global concerns, particularly given the growing impacts of climate change on island nations like Jamaica and the Philippines.

“I look forward to our further engagement towards delivering fruitful outcomes,” she added.

The meeting underscores Jamaica’s ongoing efforts to strengthen international partnerships, particularly in areas that align with the country’s development goals and global advocacy on critical issues like climate resilience and gender equality.

As both Jamaica and the Philippines face similar challenges as island nations, this dialogue marks a significant step toward closer cooperation, and further meetings are expected to solidify these plans. The engagement between Johnson Smith and Manalo reflects the shared commitment of both countries to tackle global issues through collaborative efforts.