Background

Jamaica is completely surrounded by the Caribbean Sea, and is at the geographic centre of the Western Hemisphere. It has two international airports, the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston and the Donald Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, which provide direct and very convenient air access to and from destinations across the world. Jamaica also has excellent seaport facilities, and major international commercial shipping lanes pass to the close north and south of Jamaica.    

The telecommunications infrastructure in Jamaica is excellent. It supports easy contact within Jamaica as well as with the regional and international communities and has been the major stimulus for a growing business process outsourcing (BPO) sector. Growth in the BPO sector has also supported by a critical mass of tertiary-level graduates and students, with qualifications including in law, medicine, engineering, architecture, accounting, construction, information technology and communication.            

Jamaica is a beautiful place, and its business and vacation hotels cater to every choice. Landmark attractions include climbing the Dunns River Falls, rafting on the Rio Grande, the Bob Marley Museum tour, hiking in the Blue Mountains, and watching the sunset from Rick’s Café. While in Jamaica, even if for work, there is always something to do and downtime does not mean boredom time. Kingston is for, for example, the cultural and creative capital of the English-speaking Caribbean. The theatre is alive and easily accessed, as are dance, music, and art.              

There has been growing need within the Caribbean for the settlement of commercial, investment, treaty, and other disputes by arbitration and other alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. Practitioner interest has also grown significantly, and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) reported that the Caribbean Branch has been among the fastest growing, with its membership having more than tripled between 2012 and 2015.

Arbitration is an important supporting requirement for the economic development agenda in Jamaica and across the Caribbean region. This approach has, for example, led to the implementation of a new Jamaican Arbitration Act, 2017, which became operational on 7 July 2017. The new law is a pure adoption of the UNCITRAL Model, and similar legislative measures are being considered across the region.