#KINGSTON, February 4, 2020 — Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, Senator Robert Morgan, says the Government is being strategic and deliberate in the design and implementation of eco-friendly and sustainable projects that will benefit all Jamaicans.
“We were the ones who said no port at Goat
Island; we were the ones who said we are going to ban single-use plastics and styrofoam,
and announced the proposed Cockpit Country Protected area,” he said.
Speaking
at the Houses of Parliament update meeting and tree-planting exercise at the
National Heroes Park in Kingston on January 30, Senator Morgan added that the
National Tree Planting Programme also forms part of environmentally sustainable
projects and aims to rebuild Jamaica’s contiguous forest, while building climate
resilience islandwide.
“It’s
not just because we are environmentalists at heart why we have made these
decisions, why the Prime Minister has led these decisions, it is because if we
do not make these decisions, then Jamaica as it exists now, the beauty of it,
the sustainability of it, will not exist for a future generation,” he said.
Senator Morgan argued
that the greatest threat to human existence is climate change, adding that
small island developing states, such as Jamaica, are even more vulnerable than other countries to
challenges ranging from the impacts of climate change to rising sea levels.
“So planting mangroves helps to protect the coast, it
also helps to build more land to create a kind of buffer between population
centres and people, but it also creates habitats for fish,” he noted.
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Meanwhile, Senator Morgan said construction of the new
Parliament is necessary to improve the governance of the country, while
ensuring that it is accessible to all.
“I think twinning the
tree-planting exercise with the Parliament are two symbols of our development
as a mature country recognising the importance of doing the things that may not
necessarily, on the face of it, seem to be important… but recognising that
creating symbols of your maturity, symbols of your evolving nature as a country
are very important to young people and to old people, so that they can have
confidence in your society – that it is moving in the right direction,” he
said.
More than 1,000 trees
are expected to be planted as part of the National
Heroes Park Redevelopment and Government Campus Project.
For
his part, Senior Project Manager, Urban Development Corporation, Leighton White,
told JIS News that construction
drawings for the new Parliament
building should be completed by June of this year.
“We will take that to
tender and once we get a contractor that is prepared to undertake the project,
then we will have that person, that team start in January of next year,” he said.
The
construction is slated to last for 24 months.
During
the meeting, winner of the Government’s Houses of Parliament Design
competition, Evan Williams and his team, Design Collaborative, outlined the
concept for the structure,
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Construction
of a new Parliament building forms part of the National Heroes Park
Redevelopment and Government Campus Project, which is a component of a master
plan to redevelop downtown Kingston.
It features an interconnected building with space to accommodate a football field and an area for outdoor movie watching.
PRESS RELEASE by Chris Patterson, JIS – Jan 30, 2020
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KINGSTON, Jamaica– President of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), Nicola Madden-Greig, has praised the strength of local and regional public-private sector partnerships, while congratulating tourism stakeholders across Jamaica for their strong level of preparedness in weathering the dangerous Category 4 Hurricane Beryl, which impacted the island this week.
“Jamaica was spared the worst of the hurricane and we have now returned to regular business operations,” said Madden-Greig, who rode out the storm at her office in Kingston. She reported that Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay and Ian Fleming International Airport in Ocho Rios opened today, while Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston will open on Friday, July 5, after minor repairs are completed.
“We have no reports of any guests being injured during the passage of the storm, and the majority of the hotels and the tourism industry in general have emerged unscathed,” Madden-Greig added.
However, she expressed concerns for the south coast of the island, where many local communities were impacted, along with several independent hotels and villa operations.
“We will be including these operators in our disaster relief efforts, particularly in the Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth area,” she noted, explaining however that she had little doubt that this resilient community will rebound in the shortest possible time.
The trade association leader was encouraged with the reports emanating from the Cayman Islands, which confirmed no major impact on the sector there. “We are thankful to God for sparing us for the most part, and we are now resolved to getting our industry back on track, while serving communities (especially those in the Grenadines) who are in dire need at this time,” said Madden-Greig.
Individuals, businesses and organizations that want to contribute to regional hurricane relief efforts may make a monetary donation atwww.chtaef.com.
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is committed to work with Member States and other stakeholders to implement a “forward-thinking regional migration policy,” according to its Assistant Secretary General, Alison Drayton.
Addressing the opening of a recent three-day workshop titled “Towards a Regional Approach to a Migration Policy in the Caribbean,” in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, she said it is evident that the Region has been facing, and will continue to face, various challenges that affect the lives and livelihoods of Caribbean citizens.
“Namely, due to Climate Change, which has amplified displacements and the need for persons to migrate from areas that threaten their livelihoods or limit their opportunities to prosper and provide for their families,” the ASG told the forum, adding that the Climate Change and natural disasters remain “key drivers of displacements in the Region.”
“With the frequency and magnitude of events likely to increase in the future, this has contributed to many regional States facing demographic decline, which has impacted their workforce, our younger population seeking job opportunities outside the Region, and many key sectors being negatively impacted,” she stated.
The CARICOM official underscored that tackling the challenges would be “a tall order,” hence the Regional body’s commitment that would help address various aspects of Regional migration and human mobility as determined by Member State priorities.
Lauding the Government of Trinidad and Tobago for hosting the workshop, and the and valuable technical contributions made by the United Nations (UN) Migration Group and financial contributions from the United States Department of State, the European Union, and the Inter-American Development Bank, she said the their efforts have been significant.
The contribution made by International Organization for Migration (IOM), has advanced the policy, with provision of consultancies to coordinate the Community’s work through the Regional Approach to Migration Policy (RAMP) Steering Committee and development of the framework, she highlighted.
For Trinidad and Tobago’s National Security Minister, the Hon. Fitzgerald Hinds, his country is also committed to contributing to the development of a regional migration policy framework that reflects the priorities of the people of the Caribbean Community.
“As we embark on this journey together, let us harness the expertise, the insights and the experiences that we already have among us as we gather here today to shape the policy framework that is in front of us,” the Minister said, adding that the current migration realities “should prepare us for future challenges.”
The technical workshop brought together National Focal Points from the CARICOM Member States, and representatives of relevant regional and international organisations, building on IOM’s Migration Governance Indicator (MGI) assessments, and other consultations held with national Governments of CARICOM Member States in 2023.
#Kingston, Jamaica, July 19, 2024 – The Government has earmarked $300 million to ramp up dengue mitigation activities, inclusive of fogging, treatment of mosquito breeding sites, removal of bulky waste and drain cleaning, in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl.
Addressing the House of Representatives on Tuesday (July 16), Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, said the funds have been allocated to the Ministry of Health and Wellness, which will spearhead vector-control activities over the next six weeks.
He further informed that the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) and National Works Agency (NWA), “are technically involved in this dengue mitigation [exercise] by trying to clear the environmental conditions that would create the growth in the vector”.
Mr. Holness highlighted the potential for a significant increase in the dengue vector, the Aedes aegpyti mosquito, which breeds primarily in containers, consequent on the hurricane’s passage.
“We know that many communities are being plagued by the increase in the mosquito population… and other vectors [such as] roaches, rats and flies. Therefore, the cleanup and removal and clearing of waterlogged areas is of critical importance,” he emphasised.
The Prime Minister noted that the hot summer conditions, along with rainfall, will further contribute to heightening the possibility of an increase in these vectors and the transmission of diseases.
As such, he appealed to Jamaicans to properly store water in covered containers and destroy mosquito breeding sites around their homes.
“I urge all homeowners who are storing water and… leaving the containers open, that an easy way to control the growth of the mosquito population in your households is to cover the containers,” Mr. Holness said.
He pointed out that the NSWMA will shortly announce a schedule for the removal of bulky waste from homes.
Prime Minister Holness further indicated that the NWA will be actively cleaning various gullies.
Dengue symptoms include fever, headache, and joint and muscle pains. These are often resolved through rest and adequate hydration along with the use of paracetamol to treat the accompanying fever.