Jamaica will host the Caribbean Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS), beginning Tuesday, July 2, at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston. The Caribbean preparatory meeting is one of three regional meetings which will be held this year as groundwork for the SIDS conference in Samoa next year and will last from...

A rural farming community is to benefit from a project that will aid in strengthening its resilience to the impact of weather-related issues. The project, which is to be rolled out in July, follows the successful completion of a pilot of a micro insurance facility, aimed at small farmers in Portland and St. Thomas. The pilot was facilitated by the...

The city of Hagen in Germany will be partnering with the municipality of Portmore in St. Catherine, to formulate and implement climate change projects at the local Government level. Making the disclosure during his contribution to the 2013/14 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday (June 26), Minister of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Robert Pickersgill,...

Legislation is being prepared to govern the maintenance and management of gated communities, town house complexes, and commercial developments. “This legislation will be similar to the recently enacted amendments to the Strata Titles Act, which governs the management of strata properties,” said Minister of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Robert Pickersgill. He was speaking on Wednesday, June 26,...

Work is advanced in the preparation of development orders, which will zone communities and state-permitted commercial activities. Four development orders are being promulgated for the Negril/Green Island Area in Westmoreland, and the parishes of Portland, Trelawny and Manchester. Work is well underway in the preparation of the new Kingston and St. Andrew Development Order, which is expected to be promulgated...

The Government is developing a Climate Change Risk Assessment Tool that will enable better planning of community and national projects, particularly those that could be affected by climate change issues. “Once completed, any Ministry agency, or Parish Council will be able to use this tool to assess the risk of community and national projects against specific climate change scenarios,” said...

The Ministry of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change, is receiving assistance from the United States (US) Government in developing a climate finance strategy. “This will help us in identifying options for the financing of vital mitigation and adaptation projects,” Portfolio Minister, Hon. Robert Pickersgill said on Wednesday, June 26, during his contribution to the 2013/14 Sectoral Debate in the...

Some 26 water projects are slated for implementation by Rural Water Supply Limited (RWSL) over the next three years, at a cost of approximately $4 billion. The works will be carried out in rural communities across the island under the Major Rural Water Supply Upgrading Programme. Water, Land, Environment, and Climate Change Minister, Hon. Robert Pickersgill, who made the announcement...

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed  today (June 20) between   Jamaica and the United States of America, that will see greater co-operation between both countries, on matters related to climate change and environmental best practices. The agreement will see the Ministries of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change and Science, Technology, Energy and Mining collaborating with the United States...