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JAMAICA: Construction Industry Members Urged to Ensure Quality of Buildings

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#Jamaica, December 12, 2017 – Kingston – Managing Director of the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), Omar Sweeney, is encouraging members of the construction industry to continue to ensure that quality buildings are constructed across the island.

Speaking at a Construction Conference hosted by JSIF at Mona Visitors’ Lodge in St. Andrew on December 5, he noted that the quality of construction projects being executed, especially those done in partnership with JSIF, have been of good quality, and if members of the construction industry continue on this path, the country will be able to achieve its national goals regarding improvements in infrastructure.

“I want to underscore the fact that you are important to JSIF.   That’s why we are here.   You form such a great part of our success in completing more than 1,500 projects over the last 20 years.   Let us make the industry one where we can be considered the best,” Mr. Sweeney told the major construction-industry players who were present at the conference.

“The delivery of quality infrastructure requires a seamless coordinated participation of a number of building professionals, each playing an important role to ensure that the infrastructure meets the requisite standards and that it can come in on time and below budget,” he added.

The Managing Director pointed out that the JSIF invests close to 70 per cent of its money in infrastructure, including roads, water supply systems and schools.

Mr. Sweeney said one of the objectives of hosting the conference is to discuss the issues that members of the construction industry face, in an effort to improve the quality of buildings they will be constructing in the future for underserved communities across Jamaica.

“The conference will explore understanding building contracts and overruns; the building code, which is so important in our dialogue; health and safety in construction, and ethics,” he noted.

Mr. Sweeney thanked the Construction Industry Council (CIC) and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) for partnering with JSIF to host the conference.

“The Caribbean Development Bank has been one of our greatest supporters in terms of financing support to the construction industry in general.   We’ve put on workshops for contractors, consultants [and] quantity surveyors; we’ve introduced new costing tools, all financed through the Caribbean Development Bank, so I certainly recognise their contribution to the industry,” he said.

The CIC is the umbrella organisation for the building and construction sector.   It represents the views of architects, quantity surveyors, engineers, master builders and land surveyors.

JSIF has been entrusted with the mandate of improving the social and economic infrastructure of the nation’s most underserved communities.   Some projects that have been undertaken by JSIF include the Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI), Integrated Community Development Project (ICDP), Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project (DVRP) and the Poverty Reduction Programme (PRP).

Release: JIS

 

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CARPHA Progresses to Eligibility for the First Disbursement of Pandemic Funding

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Following a landmark Public Signing Ceremony for the Pandemic Fund (PF) Technical Cooperation Agreement (“Reducing the Public Health Impact of Pandemics in the Caribbean through Prevention, Preparedness, and Response” [RG-T4387] Project) on December 14, 2023, in Trinidad, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) continues to progress towards the start of implementation.

 CARPHA fulfilled the IDB’s nine conditions prior to first disbursement, achieving full eligibility on March 15, 2024, and is now eligible for the first disbursement. This milestone achievement in just 3 months after the signing speaks to the commitment of both CARPHA, the Executing Agency, and IDB, the Implementing Entity, toward the regional PF project with the objective of supporting the reduction of the public health impact of pandemics in the Caribbean by building pandemic prevention, preparedness and response (PPR) surveillance & early-warning systems (EWS), laboratory systems and workforce capacity, regionally at CARPHA and in countries.

Since the signing of the Technical Cooperation Agreement and as part of the conditions prior to first disbursement, CARPHA has achieved the following key outputs (i) the development of the PF Project Operations Manual, Multi-annual Execution Plan, Procurement Plan, Financial Plan, Procedure for CARPHA’s Financial Reporting System; (ii) vacancy announcements for two tranches of consultants with the subsequent hiring of five (Technical Coordinator, Financial Specialist, Procurement Specialist, Operations Officer and Project Operations Coordinator) and (iii) the establishment of the Project Execution Unit (PEU) and Project Execution Steering Committee (PESC). The dedicated PEU will be responsible for execution according to its planned timelines, which will be led by the Dr. Lisa Indar, the Project Director (CARPHA’s Director of Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control Division).

 CARPHA, as the lead regional public health agency and an expression of Caribbean Cooperation in Health is mandated by its Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) to support its 26 CARPHA Member States (CMS) in bolstering national systems and coordinating regional response to public health threats. The Agency works closely with regional and international agencies and uses regional mechanisms, surveillance systems, and networks for coordinating its public health response work.

In July 2023, the PF Governing Board announced that CARPHA’s regional entity proposal, entitled ‘Reducing the Public Health Impact of Pandemics in the Caribbean through Strengthened Integrated Early Warning Surveillance, Laboratory Systems and Workforce Development’ was successfully selected for the first round of financing. It was one of only 19 proposals selected from over 300 submissions and the only regional project. The three priority areas in the proposal are: (i) Comprehensive disease surveillance and EWS, (ii) Laboratory systems and (iii) Human resources and public health and community workforce capacity.

This project is expected to begin implementation in March 2024, starting off with a blended onboarding session. A Stakeholder Meeting with countries is tentatively planned for July 2024.

CARPHA remains dedicated to working together with the IDB, CARPHA Member States and the Pandemic Fund to successfully implement the regional proposal geared toward reducing the public health impact of pandemics in the Caribbean.

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Men who had Murdered Man, Marley Higgs’ cell phone face Court

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Wilkie Arthur

Freelance Court Correspondent

The prosecution intends to try two young North Caicos men, both age 21 for the offense of possession of property of a murdered man, property that was stolen and landed in their possession.

The phone belonged to Peureton ‘Marley’ Higgs, who is believed to have been an innocent gunned down at his apartment complex in the Glass Shack area in a spray of bullets on February 2 that killed another man and wounded two others, including a ten-year-old little girl.

The cell phone was described as white in colour, an iPhone, in a hard black case. 

On Monday, March 18th, JEFFVANO HANDFIELD of North Caicos pleaded not guilty to the offense, and the matter was adjourned to April 2024. He was granted bail in the matter.

A second North Caicos man was charged similarly.  

SARENO CAPELLAN aka, Kino Williams is the second individual brought before the court pertaining to the said cellphone. He appeared in court a week after JEFFVANO HANDFIELD, the date being Monday March 25th 2024.

The case for the Crown is that both men sometime in February of this year possessed the cellphone knowing or suspecting it to be stolen property.

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Supreme Court Closed for Easter

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NOTICE is hereby given that the Easter Recess shall commence on Friday 29th April, 2024 and end on Friday 5th April, 2024. During the Easter Recess Judge Selochan will be available to deal only with matters that are urgent or require prompt attention.

Court Business During the Easter Recess

A person who wishes to have a matter heard during the recess must file a certificate of urgency along with an affidavit, which must set out the reasons why the matter is urgent or requires prompt attention. The matter will not be listed during the recess unless the Judge deems it fit for urgent hearing.

Opening Hours During the Easter Holiday

The Supreme Court’s last sitting day for the first term is Thursday 28th March, 2024. The Court will officially resume sittings on Monday 8th April, 2024. The Supreme Court Offices in both Grand Turk and Providenciales will continue to operate while the Court is not sitting during the recess.

The Court Office will be closed on the following public holidays:

  • Friday 29th March, 2024 (Good Friday) CLOSED
  • Monday 1st April, 2024 (Easter Monday) CLOSED

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