Percival Noel James Patterson is a Caribbean and international statesman who has committed his life to ensuring positive social and economic transformation for the people of Jamaica, the Caribbean and the African Diaspora. For more than six decades he applied his sharp intellect, legal training, vast political experience and keen global insights towards achieving this objective.

Early in his life, PJ Patterson responded to the call to political service gaining valuable apprenticeship in national representation as President of Jamaica’s Sixth Form Association, while at Calabar. As Chairman of the UCWI’s External Affairs Commission, he participated in international student forums, interacting with prominent world statesmen and future Caribbean leaders. This provided the foundation for his immersion into international political and economic affairs and created a lifelong commitment to Caribbean regionalism and the causes of the developing world.

During Michael Manley’s tenure as Prime Minister, Mr. Patterson was at various times Minister of Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade; Minister of Development, Planning & Production; Minister of Finance & Planning; and Deputy Prime Minister.

On Michael Manley’s retirement Mr. Patterson won the contest for the presidency of the PNP and was appointed Prime Minister of Jamaica in March 1992. While Mr. Manley was the first Jamaican Prime Minister to win a third term in office, Mr. Patterson has the distinction of being the first to win three terms in succession with electoral successes in 1993, 1997 and 2002. He retired in March 2006 having served as Prime Minister for 14 consecutive years and having been MP for the now Eastern Westmoreland constituency between 1970 and 1980 and 1989 to 2006.

Following his retirement from public office, Mr Patterson has remained actively engaged in national, regional and global affairs. Among other things, he is Chairman of the International Advisory Board of the Caribbean Research & Policy Centre Inc. (CRPC), based in Washington DC, a think-tank dedicated to in-depth research and analyses for the positioning of CARICOM states on issues relating to international trade, development, the economy, society, politics, security and the environment.

The Heads of Government of CARICOM underscored their recognition of Mr Patterson’s advocacy and leadership qualities by appointing him in February 2010 to serve as the Special Representative of CARICOM on Haiti. In this capacity, his major focus is facilitating the provision of medium and long-term assistance for the recovery, reconstruction and development of Haiti in the aftermath of the January 12, 2010 earthquake which devastated that country.

In June 2020 he was appointed Statesman in Residence at the PJ Patterson Centre for Africa-Caribbean Advocacy at the University of the West Indies. The Centre coordinates public policy and advocacy in fostering development relations between the Caribbean and Africa. It also facilitates dialogue at the level of Heads of Government to agree on a common agenda and to initiate a programme of international cooperation among countries in Africa and its global diaspora of people of African descent.

In that capacity, Mr. Patterson is responsible for coordinating technical analysis for academic exchange and institutional collaboration in the areas of trade policy, cultural interaction, governance, climate change and other critical areas.