The Hon.
Pearnel Charles, Jr.
Political Career: Began serving as a Member of Parliament for the constituency of Clarendon South Eastern after winning a by-election in 2020. MP Charles Jr has been appointed to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security as its Minister. He has served as Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and Minister of Housing, Urban Renewal, Environment and Climate Change. He previously served as a Government Senator (2016 to 2020) and as a Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, having previously served in a similar capacity in the Ministry of National Security. MP Charles is also a member of the Integrity Commission Oversight Committee of Parliament.
Civic Activities: He is an executive member of the Jamaica National Commission for UNESCO and serves as the Chairman of the UNESCO Youth Advisory Committee (UNESCOJAYAC). He is the conceptualizer of the UNESCOJAYAC Ambassador programme which brought several youth across the country together to embark on a number of initiatives to boost youth engagement and participation in national development while promoting the goals and objectives of UNESCO. He also serves as the Chairman of the National Council on Ocean and Coastal Zone Management (NCOCZM), a multi-sector, multi-stakeholder, high level advisory body to Cabinet on ocean and coastal zone affairs, and its Committees.
Profession: He is an Attorney-at-Law with qualification to practice law in Jamaica and the United States of America (New York Bar).
Education: He is a graduate from the University of the West Indies; where he earned a Bachelor of Science (double major in Biochemistry and Zoology) and a Bachelor of Laws. From the Norman Manley Law School he received a Certificate of Legal Education and a Masters of Laws from the George Washington University Law School.