United Nations Development Programme Jamaica

The UNDP Jamaica Multi-Country Office recognizes that natural hazards such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and droughts pose unresolved development problems that occur when risks are unmanaged. In all the countries we cover, we support reducing the social, economic and environmental impacts of various hazards on people and economies, thus facilitating the achievement of their development goals.

Our initiatives in Disaster Risk Reduction encompass areas ranging from enhancing national capacity to respond to national disasters to on-the-ground assistance following such disasters, from policy-level strategies for incorporating Disaster Risk Reduction into policy and legislative frameworks to support for a regional Centre of Excellence.

In particular, we have assisted in early recovery from the devastation of Hurricane Dean in August 2007 and Hurricane Ivan in September 2004. Support also has extended to a key study on the projected socioeconomic impact of a major earthquake and an assessment of hazard risks for one of Jamaica’s most vulnerable communities, Portmore. A regional disaster risk reduction centre for academic research likewise is being founded with UNDP assistance. Working with communities, we have supported the establishment of an early warning response to floods and preparation of parish-level hazard risk maps.

Initiatives to Support Enhancement of National Capacity for Crisis Prevention & Recovery

Several natural hazards cause destruction of civil infrastructure, property and loss of lives in many communities across Jamaica. Many of the affected communities were planned, and developments have been situated in vulnerable areas. All this points to probable flaws in the development approval process.

In view of the weaknesses in the process, the Ministry of Land and Environment has recognized the need to implement policies and strategies to ensure that proper planning for disaster risk reduction, along with the provision of adequate and reliable water supply, is more entrenched in the development approval process.

UNDP’s support enhances the legislative framework in terms of physical planning and development approval and improves national capacity for hazard prediction and response, using data collected from Hurricane Wilma, which caused severe flooding and damage to housing, agriculture and infrastructure in 2005.

At the policy level, we encourage the integration of disaster risk planning and preparation into national development processes and plans and work with Government partners, non-Government organizations and United Nations Country Team members to implement this in poverty reduction and environmental strategies. Using existing programmes in poor communities, we also aim to assist these communities through development of livelihoods that are resilient to disasters.