I want to say a few words about why the American Embassy and the U.S. Government are investing their limited resources in presenting workshops like this one. One of our most fundamental interests has to do with the strengthening of democracy in Jamaica and around the world. We believe that democracies function more efficiently, drain fewer resources from limited development funds, require less attention on the part of a relatively small bureaucracy for monitoring, are less likely to engage in dangerous activities, treat their people better, and are better neighbors and potential markets for our goods and services. One of the most important elements in strong democracies is a faith by the citizenry in the workings of government. In other words, countries with weak democracies are inefficient and their people are unhappy.
Economic growth can only take place alongside dynamic social progress and wide-open civic discourse.
Government institutions that shape the place of citizens in the economy must, if they are to work, be shaped by citizens. We have come a long way in recent years. Voters no longer tolerate corruption or the misappropriation of public trust. Civil society in nearly every country in the world is holding leaders accountable. The international community, including the private sector, is joining hands to build integrity into the rules that govern global markets.