[13 June 2025] – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Multi Country Office in Jamaica is ready to partner with Jamaica and The Bahamas on securing scaled up disaster resilience and recovery financing, including provision of technical assistance on loss and damage, Resident Representative, Dr Kishan Khoday disclosed this week.

He was addressing UNDP’s Hurricane-Ready and Resilient Forum on Loss and Damage for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises, at UNDP’s Multi-Country Office in Kingston on Tuesday – 10 days into Hurricane Season 2025.

Considering the increasing frequency and intensity of climate induced disasters and the scale of impact, Dr Khoday said he is declaring the Multi Country Office in Jamaica ‘open for business’ on capacity development for averting and minimizing loss and damage and for addressing loss and damage following disaster events.

UNDP recently became a member of the global UNFCCC Santiago Network on Loss and Damage, focused on providing technical assistance to vulnerable countries to avert, minimize and address loss and damage from climate induced disasters. This is coupled with the new global Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, which is expected to commence provision of funding in 2025 to vulnerable developing countries, and for which UNDP stands ready to partner with Jamaica and The Bahamas as needs arise.

Underscoring the region’s need for disaster recovery and loss and damage financing, Dr Khoday said loss and damage in Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) averaged 2.5 percent of GDP – higher than for the Pacific SIDS, Africa and Latin America, from 1980-2020, according to some estimates. He said GDP impact could increase from five percent in 2025, to 20 percent by 2100, and is likely to severely impact climate vulnerable sectors like tourism and agriculture, both central to livelihoods across the Caribbean.

Dr Khoday said UNDP prioritizes the disproportionate risks an accelerating climate emergency holds for vulnerable communities, including the risks faced by MSMEs, and those led by women and persons with disabilities who require special consideration and attention. He said MSMEs which make up 97% of all enterprises in Jamaica, and 98 percent in The Bahamas, are especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate induced disasters due to their informality, limited resources, and inadequate access to financing, insurance and disaster preparedness tools. He said they also play a key role in generation and provision of goods and services at the community level and are the base of community livelihoods. Cumulatively, disaster impacts on MSMEs play a major role in overall national economic loss and damage following a disaster, while constraining the ability of communities to recover livelihoods and income, he explained.

“MSMEs are too significant to national economic wellbeing and local services and livelihoods to fail or to sustain lengthy closures after a disaster. We must redouble efforts to avert and minimize loss and damage to MSMEs and related community livelihoods and secure their role in early recovery”, the UNDP Resident Representative stated.

He said to move from dialogue to action, UNDP and UN agency partners will launch a new Caribbean regional programme on disaster risk reduction in 2025 to help communities avert and minimize the impact of disasters and access scaled up finance for recovery. “Through the support of the EU, UNDP will provide grant assistance of US$500,000 in Jamaica for example aimed at enhancing systems and capacities for financing resilience recovery goals and for expanding the use of digital solutions”, he explained.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, Marsha Henry Martin acknowledged the importance of understanding the individual realities of MSMEs, including their unique characteristics, locations and vulnerabilities, ensuring no one is left behind.  She called on her team for a review of relevant policies to ensure the inclusion of MSMEs. She said if there is insufficient consideration of small businesses, “we must step back a bit and ensure that MSMEs are sufficiently covered, and if there are other areas that we can examine to ensure that we meet the people where they are”.

Director-General (Acting), Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, Richard Thompson called for MSMEs to make every effort to prepare Business Continuity plans to ensure their operations can continue in the event of a disaster.

He explained that business continuity, which includes planning business recovery in case of impact, allows for the minimization of downtime and the ability to restore normal function in the shortest possible time. As an example, he called on MSME to store vital records off-site to avoid delays in restarting operations.

The forum is the third installation of UNDP’s Resilient Series, a vehicle for knowledge exchange on Disaster Risk Reduction, Resilience and Recovery, centred on best practices, lessons and challenges within territories served by the Multi Country Office – Jamaica, The Bahamas, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

PHOTO CAPTIONS: 

Header: Roundtable of MSME and experts at UNDP’s Hurricane-Ready and Resilient Forum on Loss and Damage for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises. Panelists at head of table are (Left) Richard Thompson, Director-General (Actg) Office for Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) and (right) Marina Young, Principal Director, Technical Services, Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) with moderator, Gillian Scott, UNDP Communications Analyst (centre).

1st insert: Dr Kishan Khoday UNDP Resident Representative, Multi Country Office in Jamaica addressing UNDP’s Hurricane-Ready and Resilient Forum on Loss and Damage for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises

2nd insert: Marsha Henry Martin, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government and Community Development addressing UNDP’s Hurricane-Ready and Resilient Forum on Loss and Damage for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises

Story by Deandrea Hamilton | Editor

Published: June 12, 2025

AHMEDABAD, INDIA – A London-bound Air India flight carrying 242 people crashed moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport in western India early Wednesday morning. The crash killed 241 people and left behind a single, severely injured survivor — a British national. The aircraft reportedly experienced a catastrophic failure less than a minute into its ascent, plunging into a populated area just outside the city.

The scale of the devastation has been described by BBC reporters on the scene as “apocalyptic,” with both passengers and residents on the ground among the dead. The cause of the crash is under investigation, but Indian aviation officials confirmed that rescue operations have concluded, and one of two flight data recorders had been recovered.

As the world reels from the scale of the disaster, governments across the globe are responding with condolences and offers of support. Among them, The Bahamas has joined the international chorus of grief and solidarity.

Fred Mitchell, The Bahamas’ Minister of Foreign Affairs, issued a statement Wednesday afternoon:                                                                                                                                                                                                           “The Government and people of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas extend deepest condolences to the Government of the Republic of India, the families of those aboard the Air India flight that crashed near Ahmedabad on 12th June, and all affected communities.                                                                                                                                                                                        We are saddened by the tragic loss of life, including both passengers and residents on the ground, as rescue and recovery efforts continue.

We stand in solidarity with India and join voices worldwide in offering support during this time of grief.”

He added:

“The Bahamas commends the swift and coordinated efforts of Indian emergency services and international responders. May those who perished rest in peace, and may those who survive recover fully.”

The lone survivor of the crash has been identified by BBC News as Vishwashkumar Ramesh, a British national of Indian descent. He is currently being treated in hospital after being pulled from the wreckage.

Speaking with BBC reporters from his hospital bed, Ramesh shared a chilling description of the moment disaster struck:

“Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise… it all happened so quickly,” he said.

“I don’t know how I survived. Everything went dark.”

Ramesh has since been visited by India’s Minister of Home Affairs. His family in Leicester, UK, is being supported by British consular staff.

Air India has confirmed that it is cooperating fully with the investigation. In a statement, the airline said:

“Our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of all those affected, their families and loved ones.”

The passengers included 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese citizens, and one Canadian. Dozens of victims have been identified, and grief-stricken relatives have begun arriving in Ahmedabad.

The Bahamas’ expression of sympathy marks the Caribbean nation’s formal recognition of the tragedy and its global significance. As the lone survivor begins to recover, the world looks to investigators for answers on what went so horribly wrong just seconds after takeoff.

FAO presents a technical report that, for the first time, documents the regional impact of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) in Latin America and the Caribbean following its introduction in 2022.

Since 1997, the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus strain H5N1 has caused significant outbreaks in domestic and wild birds across Asia, Europe, and Africa, with serious consequences for public health, biodiversity, and local economies.

In October 2022, this strain entered Latin America for the first time, marking a turning point for the region. The rapid spread of the virus and the emergence of new outbreaks in multiple countries revealed an unprecedented scenario, with cases not only in birds but also in marine mammals, domestic animals, and even in humans who had direct contact with infected animals.

Poultry production is a key pillar in Latin America and the Caribbean, both for food security and as a source of livelihood for millions of

small- and medium-scale producers. The expansion of HPAI has posed risks not only to the regional economy but also to the availability of animal-source protein and the biodiversity of ecosystems. Against this backdrop, reinforcing regional cooperation and strengthening technical capacities to prevent and control the virus have become urgent priorities.

The report Emergency and response to highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean: Regional technical report for the period October 2022 to September 2024, published by FAO, documents the health emergency triggered by the emergence and spread of HPAI H5N1 in countries across Central America, the Caribbean, and South America.

Detection and spread of the virus in Latin America and the Caribbean

Low pathogenicity:

The first records of avian influenza virus in South America date back to 2001, when a low pathogenicity strain was detected in wild waterfowl in Bolivia. In Colombia, the virus was first identified in broiler chickens in 2005. Between 2009 and 2012, Peru reported seven different subtypes, five of which had never been recorded elsewhere in Latin America.

In Central America, the first isolations of low pathogenicity virus in domestic poultry were reported in Guatemala and El Salvador in 2000 and 2001. In addition, several virus subtypes were identified in ducks in Guatemala between 2007 and 2013.

High pathogenicity:

One of the first major outbreaks of HPAI in South America occurred in Chile in 2002, caused by the H7N3 virus.

Since October 2022, Brazil, Chile, and Peru have reported the highest number of HPAI H5N1 cases in wild birds and animals in the Southern Cone. Among domestic birds, Argentina and Peru led in the number of outbreaks detected. In contrast, Central American and Caribbean countries reported fewer cases, which were sporadic and short-lived, both in wild and domestic birds.

These continental experiences confirmed the circulation of different virus lineages among wild birds in South America, suggesting a divergent evolution of these viruses in the hemisphere.

How to respond to an avian influenza emergency?

In response to the regional health challenge, in 2023, FAO approved a Technical Cooperation Programme and activated the Special Fund for Emergency and Rehabilitation Activities to support HPAI response efforts in 11 countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Honduras, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela. In parallel, national projects with similar objectives were implemented in the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and El Salvador.

These programmes aimed to enhance countries’ capacity to manage and respond to the emergency by strengthening veterinary services, providing essential supplies, and supporting resource mobilization.

To achieve this, FAO supported actions focused on early detection, sanitary culling of animals, strengthening biosecurity, zonification, and provided technical advice on vaccination as a complementary tool to traditional control measures. Before the emergency, most countries in the region had not implemented vaccination against avian influenza—except for countries like the Dominican Republic and Guatemala. However, in 2023, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, and Uruguay decided to include vaccination in their outbreak control strategies, complementing it with surveillance and biosecurity measures.

FAO recommends establishing an interdisciplinary group under the One Health approach, bringing together multiple public and private stakeholders to guide vaccination decisions. In addition, it is advised to define risk scenarios and make vaccination decisions during “peace times,” rather than in the midst of an outbreak, when risk perceptions can be altered.

The report highlights the importance of public–private collaboration in addressing the health crisis. In each country, poultry and egg producer associations (members of the Latin American Poultry Association) provided technical and operational support during the emergency. At the same time, specialized academic groups from various universities contributed to training activities, supported the design of sanitary strategies, and participated in applied research.

Lessons learned from the avian influenza crisis

The avian influenza crisis exposed the fact that some countries in the region lacked experience, appropriate protocols, and trained personnel to address a health emergency of this scale. This was reflected in the lack of harmonization or standardization of epidemiological records across the region, resulting in varying country responses, which could hinder future planning of prevention and control strategies.

Moreover, the impact on the general population was evident, as the high mortality of wild birds and mammals along coasts and wetlands caused alarm among residents and tourists, who reported these findings to authorities. In such situations, it is essential to collect samples, identify species, conduct epidemiological characterization, and manage health risks—remembering that sick or dead birds should not be handled, and any sightings must be reported immediately to the official veterinary services.

This health emergency illustrated the complex epidemiology of HPAI, characterized by its significant economic impact and threats to biodiversity and domestic animals. It also highlighted the need for greater preparedness to respond to large-scale and complex health emergencies—especially in critical areas such as the culling of caged laying hens, wildlife management, and control zone administration.

Finally, the report emphasizes the importance of public–private coordination, inter-institutional cooperation, and international collaboration. It recommends designing emergency vaccination plans, defining responsibilities in response to findings in wildlife, establishing protocols for exposed persons, and developing compensation mechanisms—especially for small-scale producers.

These experiences reaffirm the need for strong animal health systems, effective regional cooperation, and sustained strategies under the One Health approach as key pillars for addressing future zoonotic threats.

Read the publication here: https://doi.org/10.4060/cd4707es

 More info:

FAO alert on avian influenza – Risk of upsurge and regional spread through wild birds in Latin America and the Caribbean

Recommendations for the surveillance of influenza A(H5N1) in cattle – With broader application to other farmed mammals

HEADER: Grenada – A government official inspects a chicken during a visit to a beneficiary of FAO’s poultry project. © FAO/Giuseppe Bizzarri

1. Mexico – Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, Mexico. A brown pelican flies over the mangroves of this biodiversity refuge on the Yucatán coast. © FAO/Luis Antonio Rojas
2. Guatemala – Poultry and egg producer supplying public schools that receive state funding for school feeding. © Pep Bonet/NOOR for FAO
3. Bolivia – Chickens being weighed in the shed at Maleriada farm. © FAO/Sue Price
4. Nicaragua – A hen and her chicks rest on a rock. © FAO/Saul Palma