Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, is expressing concern that emerging from the sitting of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament (PAC), an impression is being given that the relocation of the Ministry’s corporate offices to 61 Hagley Park Road, represents a frivolous and inappropriate use of public money.

“The reasons for moving are clear. The previous location constituted a continuous security risk for our staff members, some of whom were in fact robbed and threatened, and parking and other basic amenities were woefully inadequate. Not only were these and other reasons accepted by Cabinet, but I also advised Parliament in this regard in a series of responses to Questions tabled by the Opposition. It is also the case that from the time of the previous Administration, during the watch of the now Opposition Spokesman on Community Development, the staff made appeals for something to be done. Absolutely nothing was done, despite his promises to take action.”

“The question was raised in the PAC as to why the Ministry paid $80 million to conduct works on the building after having signed a lease to use it. These works were necessary, as the building did not already contain office partitions, the requisite sanitary facilities and all other necessary infrastructure to house the Ministry’s employees. These works commenced after the lease was signed, and three Units of the Ministry moved into the property as soon as was practicable, and meetings and other Ministry business were conducted there even before the building was fully occupied. I note this, because the impression is being given that the property’s Landlord was being paid with public funds for a building in which no public business was being conducted for an extraordinary length of time.”

The Local Government Minister has also taken issue with the description that came from some Members of Parliament on the PAC, that the lease agreement is a “sweet deal” for the Landlord.

“This baseless assertion is coming from the difference in price per square foot, between the $1,200 that was recommended by the National Land Agency (NLA), and the $1,900 that was sought by the Landlord. The fact is that the NLA reviewed the entire lease proposal, and thereafter issued a written opinion. In that letter, the NLA stated that while it was proposing the lower figure, the Ministry could proceed with the higher price, once the rental was not increased at any time during the term of the lease. This was ultimately accepted by the Landlord. I also wish to point out that all these matters were officially submitted to the Auditor-General’s Department prior to Tuesday’s sitting of the PAC. In the end, we came to an agreement that was fair to the taxpayer and to the Landlord. I want to assure the people of Jamaica that their hard-earned money was not given away or otherwise abused.”

“I must also respond to some objectionable remarks that emerged during the sitting, which implied that I imposed pressure on the civil servants of the Ministry in the execution of this project. It is simply not true. Apart from the fact that the relocation exercise reflects the collaborative work not only of the Ministry but of external Agencies, I have never, and would never, ask or coerce anyone to engage in any wrongdoing. It is most unfortunate, and grossly unfair to me that such comments were made at all, and from within the privileged space that is the Parliament, and repeated outside of it.”

Minister McKenzie however, noted that important lessons have been learnt as a result of the relocation exercise. “There is no doubt that there could have been tighter execution of the project. We have reviewed the entire experience and have implemented some changes, while there are others still to come. Despite some technical issues, the project was worth implementing, as the Ministry is much better equipped to deliver the services, and provide the leadership that is expected of Local Government.”

The Government has received a donation of heavy-duty equipment from the United States (US) Embassy in Kingston, and the Department of Defence, US Southern Command, to boost local disaster relief capacity.

The presentation was made at the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development in Kingston on Monday (February 24), with portfolio Minister, Hon. Desmond McKenzie and other Ministry officials accepting the equipment.

In his address, Mr. McKenzie noted that the gift resulted from discussions he had more than a year ago with then Chargé d’Affaires, Eric Khant.

“We discussed a number of issues, including the United States assisting us in terms of our disaster mitigation programme and we did indicate the need for heavy-duty equipment of this sort. These added equipment could not have come at a better time, considering that we are approaching the new hurricane season,” the Minister said.

He expressed appreciation for the support on behalf of the Government and people of Jamaica.

The 195 Horse Power CASE 712F Series Front-End Scoop Loader and Bobcat Skid Loader were handed over by Defence Attaché at the US Embassy, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Ramsay. Both pieces of equipment are valued at over US$250,000.

“Both the CASE and Bobcat can be used for debris removal, clearing roads and just about anything. You can also load humanitarian assistance commodities on an aircraft with them. The Bobcat is very versatile and deployable to other parts of the island,” Lieutenant Colonel Ramsay said.

“This is really for humanitarian assistance in disaster relief and to show a strong partnership in continuously improving the capacity of the Jamaican Government to respond to disasters. This is the second donation we have made following discussions (between the Ministry and US Embassy),” he added.

This handover comes on the heels of the US Embassy’s donation of first responder equipment valued at over $30 million to the Jamaica Fire Brigade last July.

Lieutenant Colonel Ramsay said that through the Department of Defence and other US agencies, such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United States remains ready to assist Jamaica in exercises, training, planning and the donation of equipment where needed.

Local Government and Community Development Minister, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, has described the recently concluded stakeholders meeting in Panama to discuss, among other things, the upcoming Youth Forum on Disaster Risk Reduction in Jamaica as a success.

The Minister headed a local delegation attending the precursory meeting for the seventh Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas and the Caribbean from February 3 to 6, during which the Forum was discussed.

The symposium is among the programmed engagements for the Regional Platform, which is slated for July 7 to 10 in Montego Bay, St. James, under the theme ‘Building Resilient Economies in the Americas and the Caribbean’.

The youth forum is set for July 7 at the S Hotel in Montego Bay, and will see local and regional youth discussing several topics, including education, economic growth, and climate action.

The topics were inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A statement from the youth will be submitted for inclusion in the Declaration to come out of the Regional Platform.

Jamaica’s delegation along with a team from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean, met with representatives from several partner entities.

These included the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Global Network of Civil Society Organizations for Disaster Risk Reduction (GNDR), and Plan International (for the Americas).

Representatives of the entities, which have a vested interest in Jamaica’s engagement, suggested the formation of a steering committee of all parties to expedite the organisation of a successful Youth Forum.

“I think that it (meeting) was a positive outcome. A lot more came out in the discussions than I had anticipated and I can see the willingness and commitment on their part to engage us in this new dispensation as it relates to the Youth Forum,” the Minister told JIS News.

He said based on the stakeholder interactions and proposals arising, including the committee’s establishment, “we are now seeking to find, as quickly as possible, someone who is going to be our eyes and our ears in relation to [that] committee”.

Meanwhile, the stakeholders lauded the Government of Jamaica for their decision to incorporate a youth forum in the Regional Platform, noting that this could set a precedent for other similar forums, while committing their support for this undertaking.

According to UNICEF’s regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Bernt Aasen, “one of the added value that we can bring is that we have the country offices that could also follow-up on the invitations”.

“I will certainly be happy to instruct the representatives we have in the countries to keep an eye on this, so we get the right people in the delegations and also some young people as well,” he said.

Meanwhile, IFRC Deputy Regional Director, Steve McAndrew, thanked the team from Jamaica for a “well-thought-out plan”.

“We from the Red Cross think this is a great idea, as we put a lot of work into developing our youth networks. I think it is an excellent idea and I know we are interested in supporting however we can and in participating. It is part of our responsibility to make sure that the youth are included and that their voices are heard,” he added.

Echoing his sentiment was Coordinator at the Red Cross Caribbean Disaster Risk Management Reference Centre, Reynette Royer, who was elated about the youth forum.

“There are a lot of good youth champions, of course, in Jamaica, but also throughout the Americas, whom we could tap into to see how they could be on some of the panels and to support and inject creativity into some of the sessions. So you can count on us for that,” she said.

Registration has commenced for the seventh Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas and the Caribbean.

The event is slated for July 7 to 10 in Montego Bay, St. James, under the theme ‘Building Resilient Economies in the Americas and the Caribbean’.

Registration is scheduled to close a month ahead of the meeting, and interested parties are encouraged to do so early at www.eird.org/americas/pr2020/.

The Platform, one of several facilitated globally, represents a core multi-stakeholder mechanism to assess the progress, identify gaps and monitor implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, at the regional level.

The Framework, which is the first major agreement of the United Nations (UN) post-2015 development agenda, details seven targets and four priorities for action.

Since registration commenced in late January, applications have been received from interests in Latin and Central America, and the Caribbean

Chief for the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean, Raul Salazar, told JIS News that there has been steady interest from a number of persons and organisations.

Noting that regional platforms usually cater for approximately 1,000 attendees, Mr. Salazar said if this number is reached early, “then we will need to close the registration process earlier”.

“So we would like to invite people who are interested and engaged in the process, to register [early] so that they can secure their places,” he added.

Mr. Salazar indicated that once registration closes, it will only be reopened on a case-by-case basis, while pointing out that the registrants are expected to be drawn from a wide cross section of stakeholder groups.

“What we are expecting is what the Sendai Framework is asking for, which is a diverse group of representatives from governments and stakeholder sectors,” he further pointed out.

Mr. Salazar noted that there are various groups that have been pivotal in disaster risk reduction over the last 50 years.

These, he added, are groups that have been very active in their communities in either advocating for disaster risk reduction or providing training and knowledge.

Among them are community-based organisations, science and technology groups, the private sector, people living with disabilities, and women groups.

A significant number of young people are also expected to attend the four-day meeting, which will feature, for the first time, a Youth Forum, the outcome of which will be included in the Ministerial Meeting of the Platform.

“The regional forum of youth is expected to bring young and dynamic representatives to carry on the flag for disaster risk reduction expectations or dreams that we have for the region,” Mr. Salazar indicated.

He noted that the region is affected by various fallouts, particularly economic losses resulting from disasters.

“Consequently, we need to address these from the point of view of the youth and consider what are they going to do and what they want to do,” Mr. Salazar added.