The Honourable Camille Robinson-Regis, Minister of Planning and Development is announcing that the official signing of the Inter-American Development Bank’s (IDB) Technical Assistance for Disaster Emergencies Grant took place today, Tuesday November 27th, 2018 in the Arnold Thomasos Room East at the Office of the Parliament in Port of Spain. The signatories to this agreement included Minister Robinson-Regis; Ms. Rocio Medina-Bolivar, the IDB’s Country Representative and Ms. Jill De Bourg, President of the Trinidad and Tobago Red Cross.
The Technical Assistance for Disaster Emergencies grant, amounting to US $200,000.00 (approx. TT $1.3 million) is to support the Government’s continued efforts to address the immediate disaster relief needs which have arisen as a result of flooding in October. The Trinidad and Tobago Red Cross Society is the designated executing agency whose role it is to ensure that resources from the grant reach the affected communities bringing relief to citizens still experiencing the impacts of the flooding.
Minister Robinson-Regis, serves as a Governor of the IDB of which the Ministry of Planning and Development is the focal point in Trinidad and Tobago, and worked closely with the IDB on behalf of the Government and people of Trinidad and Tobago to ensure that this grant was secured. The IDB’s Country Representative in T&T Ms. Rocio Bolivar emphasized the IDB’s solidarity and willingness to help those in need through this Grant.
On October 24th, 2018, Minister Robinson-Regis, who is also a Governor on the Board of Governors of the Caribbean Development Bank confirmed the offer of another US $200,000.00 from the CDB for assistance to flood victims to be implemented by the United Nations Development Programme in T&T. The Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) also provided a grant of US $200,000.00 towards flood assistance. The total provided by the three agencies amounts to approximately TT $4 million.
Minister Robinson-Regis re-emphasises this Government’s commitment to ensuring that all affected citizens continue to have access to relief and praises the efforts of all citizens, Non-Governmental Organisations and Government agencies who have come to the support of those in need.