Jamaica

COUNTRY OVERVIEW

Getting lenders to extend loans or provide interest forgiveness would free up money for climate-resilient development

By Sophie Hares

GRAND ANSE, Grenada, May 31 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Caribbean nations weighed down by debts must find ways to restructure what they owe to free up money for investment in climate-change resilience and disaster protection, country leaders said on Thursday.

The goal of this evaluation is to improve the understanding of the Urban Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) programming carried out in Latin America and The Caribbean, and supported by the United States Agency for International Development's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA). The study focused on eight DRR projects awarded by USAID in Colombia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, and Peru, between FY2012 and FY2016.

by Anastasia Moloney | @anastasiabogota | Thomson Reuters Foundation

In Guyana, young women were found selling sex next to remote gold mines from which they could not escape

By Anastasia Moloney

BOGOTA, April 30 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Hundreds of suspected victims of modern slavery were rescued in a major crackdown on human traffickers in 13 countries in the Caribbean, Central and South America, Interpol said on Monday.

1. Background

Ante el inicio de la temporada de mayor circulación de influenza en el hemisferio sur, la Organización Panamericana de la Salud / Organización Mundial de la Salud (OPS/OMS) recomienda a los Estados Miembros que adopten las medidas necesarias para asegurar el manejo clínico apropiado, el estricto cumplimiento de las medidas de control de infecciones en los servicios de atención de salud y la provisión adecuada de antivirales.

Many Latin American countries, states and cities are facing a chronic public security crisis. In spite of more than a decade of modest economic growth, crime and victimization rates are rising, not dropping. Nevertheless, recent information of 2017 show some signs of improvement. Criminal violence is routinely singled out as one of the top concerns of citizens from across Mexico, Central America and South America. And there are warning signs that the region ́s high rates of criminal violence and victimization will continue rising if nothing is done.

AT A GLANCE

Region East Asia and Pacific
Risks Reversal of development gains post-disaster; long term economic and fiscal impacts
Area of Engagement Deepening financial protection

Following a successful pilot program, Pacific Island Countries established a sovereign catastrophe risk insurance company for the region, increasing resilience and access to short-term funds needed to respond to disasters.

HIGH VULNERABILITY, LIMITED BUDGETS

Following one of the most devastating hurricane seasons in recent history, a four-year initiative launched to help Caribbean islands prioritize and invest in natural ecosystems that reduce their risks from climate related disasters.

Summary

Santo Domingo – La creciente intensidad y frecuencia con que se experimentan los desastres en el Caribe y, por lo tanto, un flujo migratorio regional intenso, demuestran la necesidad crítica de mejorar la gestión del riesgo de desastres.

Latin America and the Caribbean - Disaster Risk Reduction Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year (FY) 2017

OVERVIEW

• Countries in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region experience a range of natural hazards, including droughts, earthquakes, floods, forest fires, hurricanes, landslides, tsunamis, and volcanoes. El Niño and La Niña phenomena occur periodically, exacerbating the impacts of hydrometeorological events in the LAC region. Unplanned urban expansion, environmental and natural resource degradation, and land-use management challenges also increase populations’ vulnerability and exposure to natural hazards.

The ICRC in Venezuela carries out activities with the Venezuelan Red Cross, communities, the academic sector, authorities and other organizations, and also develops and maintains constructive humanitarian dialogue with different authorities. Additionally, it works with the armed and security forces to reinforce the integration and observance of international humanitarian law (IHL) and international standards on the use of force. It also provides workshops for health care personnel on how to treat patients injured by firearms and explosive devices.

In 2015 - and for several years prior - drought was on the lips of every Jamaican as water shortages grew progressively worse. When the Japan-Caribbean Climate Change Partnership (J-CCCP) Project Team visited Jamaica a few weeks ago, Jamaicans were concerned about the heavy rainfall they were experiencing in a period which is usually dry. Such is the nature of climate change – unpredictable weather patterns.

In brief

Several countries have disaster risk management plans, which need to be taken into consideration in the process to formulate and implement NAPs.

• Many Caribbean countries have already mainstreamed adaptation into national development plans and climate change policies

• Robust institutional arrangements provide an enabling environment for advancing adaptation planning.