Jamaica is hoping to strengthen its social and economic resilience as well as significantly reduce the adverse effects of national disasters caused by natural hazards, man-made disasters, and biological hazards by 2040.
Local Government and Rural Development Minister Desmond McKenzie made the disclosure as he tabled the country’s Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management Policy and Strategy, 2020-2040 Green Paper in Parliament on Tuesday.
“While it would appear that the case for developing this policy is self-evident, it is important to state that a range of factors, including Jamaica’s historical vulnerability to disasters, the pace of our movement towards full disaster resilience, and the need for firmly establishing the financial foundations for disaster risk reduction are among the most prominent,” he told legislators.
McKenzie said Jamaica is highly vulnerable to disasters and that approximately 82 percent of the population and 70 percent of all major industries, including tourism and agriculture, are in coastal areas, which are especially exposed to meteorological hazards.
He said the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery had identified Jamaica as the third most exposed country in the world to multiple hazards.
Jamaica’s vulnerability to hurricane risk alone is particularly high, with average annual losses estimated at US$67.3 million, or 0.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), and McKenzie said the implementation of optimal disaster risk resilience requires substantial financial investments.
“This policy is one of the performance requirements of the Contingent Loan for Natural Disaster Emergencies that was negotiated between Jamaica and the Inter-American Development Bank in 2018.
“This facility allows Jamaica to access a maximum of US$285 million to develop a project known as the Comprehensive Natural Disaster Risk Management Program, to alleviate the impact of severe natural disasters on the country’s finances,” he said.
Through the program, Jamaica’s disaster risk management capacity is being substantially improved through the emphasis on five main areas: disaster risk management governance, risk identification, risk reduction, preparedness and response, and financial protection.
McKenzie said the Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management Policy reflects the government’s strategic approach and will guide the integration of disaster risk management into development planning across all sectors and industries.
He told legislators that the Green Paper includes the management structure for implementing the policy, which will be led by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management.
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