Latest News International News North & East Environment Business Bites Social Love Horse Racing World Champs Commonwealth Games FIFA World Cup Entertainment Art & Culture Tuesday Style Food Awards JOL Takes Style Out Design Week JA Black Friday Relationships Classifieds Motor Vehicles Place an Ad Jobs & Careers Study Centre Jnr Study Centre Advertorial Supplements Latest News International News North & East Environment Business Bites Social Love Horse Racing World Champs Commonwealth Games FIFA World Cup Entertainment Art & Culture Tuesday Style Food Awards JOL Takes Style Out Design Week JA Black Friday Relationships Classifieds Motor Vehicles Place an Ad Jobs & Careers Study Centre Jnr Study Centre Advertorial Supplements International News Business Bites Food Awards Entertainment World Champs Career & Education Classifieds Environment Advertorial Supplements Design Week Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Honourable Kamina Johnson Smith (front row, centre), shares a photograph with Permanent Secretary, Ambassador Sheila Sealy Monteith (front row, second right), Ambassador Shorna-Kay Richards (front row, second left), other senior Ministry officials, course facilitators and participants at the opening of the 15th OPANAL Course on Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation.
The opening ceremony took place at the Ministry’s headquarters in Kingston on October 7, 2026.
Latest News, News October 8, 2026 Jamaica hosts first Caribbean staging of OPANAL nuclear disarmament course KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica is hosting the 15th edition of the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL) Course on Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation from October 7 to 9, marking the first time the programme is being held in the Caribbean.
The three-day course, organised by the Government of Jamaica in collaboration with OPANAL, is being hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.
According to a release, the programme was officially opened with remarks from Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, and a video message from OPANAL Secretary-General, Ambassador Juan Carlos Ojeda Viglione.
The initiative underscores Jamaica’s commitment to advancing nuclear disarmament education, strengthening regional cooperation and increasing the participation of Caribbean countries in international discussions on nuclear non-proliferation.
It also provides a platform for diplomats, government officials and other professionals to deepen their understanding of nuclear disarmament issues while exchanging knowledge and experiences.
Throughout the course, participants will examine the Treaty of Tlatelolco, which established Latin America and the Caribbean as a nuclear-weapon-free zone, alongside key aspects of the international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation framework.
Discussions will also explore the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and the importance of gender and youth participation in global disarmament efforts.
The programme features contributions from Jamaican experts representing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, the International Centre for Environmental and Nuclear Sciences (ICENS) and the Earthquake Unit at the University of the West Indies.
Specialised sessions will also be delivered by the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
As part of the programme, participants will visit ICENS to gain first-hand insight into how nuclear....
