#Providenciales, June 29, 2019 – Turks and Caicos – Jamaica is among five countries chosen by the World Food Programme (WFP) to serve as a model for the Caribbean in disaster response coordination. The others are Belize, Dominica, Guyana, and St. Lucia.
WFP
Head of Office for Barbados, Regis Chapman, made the disclosure while
addressing the Shock-Responsive Social Protection in the Caribbean Regional
Symposium in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, on June 27. He said that
the WFP, along with international development consulting firm Oxford Policy
Management “is developing five case studies in the Caribbean region… as part of
our efforts to build evidence of shock-responsive social protection in the
Caribbean.”
Speaking
in an interview with JIS News, Mr.
Chapman explained that the countries were selected “based on their level of
linking social protection with disaster management”. He said that Jamaica “is one of the more
unique cases because of the history of linking social protection with
humanitarian assistance. We actually chose Jamaica to serve as a model,
particularly in the areas around coordination.”
Field
work for the case studies has been conducted and entailed interviews with
government counterparts along with other stakeholders in the areas of social
protection and disaster management; visits to communities; and meetings with
beneficiaries of key social protection programmes.
“We
are working with the ministry that oversees social protection and the ministry
that oversees disaster management,” Mr. Chapman said.
“The
idea is to share this evidence and look to see how we can link some of the
experiences across the Caribbean, so that we can learn from each other and so
that Caribbean countries can provide Caribbean solutions to Caribbean
problems,” he noted.
Researchers
are now analyzing the data to submit, within a month, the findings and key
recommendations to the governments of the respective countries for review. The
final case studies should be ready to be shared within the next three months. Mr. Chapman said that Jamaica’s case study is
also viewed “as a tool that the Government can use to look for gaps (and) how to
go about addressing (them”.”
The
Shock-Responsive Social Protection in the Caribbean Regional Symposium provides
a platform for countries across the region to share their experiences and learn
from each other.
It
was hosted by WFP and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency
(CDEMA) in collaboration with the government of the Turks and Caicos Islands. The event brought together regional Ministers
for social protection, disaster management and tourism, and Permanent
Secretaries and Heads of disaster management agencies, to share information on
how to protect and assist the poor and vulnerable locally and regionally, in
order to build disaster resilience.
Contact: Charnele Henry
Release: JIS
Photographer: Charnele Henry
Photo: World Food Programme Head of Office for Barbados, Regis Chapman, addresses the
Shock-Responsive Social Protection in the Caribbean Regional Symposium in
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos on June 27.