Japan Funded UNDP Program to Build Capacity was re-launched on Nov 11th 2019
The Government of Japan funded “Strengthening Disaster Management Capacity of Women in the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and the Commonwealth of Dominica” was re-launched on 11th November 2019 at the Fort Young Hotel.
The project implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Barbados & OECS Office will benefit small farmers, women’s groups and other vulnerable persons in agriculture located in three parishes across Dominica specifically, St. David, St. Paul and St. Patrick.
Dominica’s vulnerability to the shocks of climate change post-Hurricane Maria is more greatly understood by international counterparts. In his address, Mr. Kanaya Toshihide, second Secretary in the Japanese Embassy in Trinidad and Tobago noted that Japan’s commitment to support Dominica is based on the appreciation of the impact of natural hazards; as an island themselves, they are annually affected by typhoons, earthquakes and other natural phenomena. Japan has a long history of extending developing support to the Commonwealth of Dominica across the various sectors to include fisheries and agriculture. He expressed his enthusiasm for the project and expects a successful implementation through the UNDP.
This project supports small farmers and women’s groups. It connects with other work of UNDP in Dominica on Early Warning Systems, Community Emergency Response Teams, as well as post-disaster needs and building damage assessments. The initiative will also support the recovery to resilience program on the island in which the UNDP Dominica Office is implementing.
Mr. Magdy Martinez-Soliman: Head of UNDP Barbados and the OECS.
Additionally, Mr. Martinez-Soliman further outlined the project contributes to the advancement of four (4) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) namely:
- SDG2 (Zero Hunger),
- SDG 5 (Gender Equality),
- SDG11(Sustainable Cities)
- SDG 13(Climate Action).
In his brief remarks, Minister Isaac, pledged the commitment of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Resilience, Disaster Management and Urban Renewal to support the implementation of the project initiative given that one of the main components of the project focuses on Early Warning Systems. The Minster in his speech acknowledged the importance of role of the Office of Disaster Management and the MET Office and expressed enthusiasm for the opportunity to develop capacities in these areas to better serve and support initiative that will further strengthen national resilience.
The Permanent Secretary Dr. Reginald Thomas, representing the Minister expressed gratitude to both the Government of Japan and the UNDP for the initiative which, “fits into the Ministry’s plans and programs to build resilience, in keeping with the Government’s desire to be the first Climate Resilient Country in the World”. He further emphasized that the impact of climate change on the agriculture sector cannot be underestimated particularly given the far-reaching consequence to food security and livelihood for the island; noted that “rural communities are, therefore, in the forefront to battle the impacts and contribute to food security”.
During the ceremony, the Second Secretary of the Embassy of Japan and the Resident Representative of the UNDP Barbados and the OECS presented tablets to the Government of Dominica to support the work of the Agriculture Extension staff,
The project launch coincides with the commencement of a Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) scoping missing to conclude on 15th November 2019. The PICSA initiative spearheaded by the University of Reading and supported by the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology.
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