Japan Donates Emergency Relief Items
By: , July 20, 2024
Photo: Michael Sloley
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith (seated, left) and Resident Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Mitsuyoshi Kawasaki (seated, centre), sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) during the handover of emergency relief items from the Government of Japan, at Jamaica House on July 15. Looking on are Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie (standing, left); Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister with Oversight for Skills, Digital Transformation and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris-Dixon (standing left); and Japanese Ambassador, His Excellency Yasuhiro Atsumi. The donation comes after the Category 4 Hurricane Beryl impacted Jamaica on July 3.
Photo: Michael Sloley
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith (left), and Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie (centre), receive emergency relief goods from the Government of Japan, to assist with Hurricane Beryl relief efforts. At right is Japanese Ambassador, His Excellency Yasuhiro Atsumi. The goods were handed over at Jamaica House on Monday (July 15) and include tents, plastic sheets, sleeping pads and water tanks.
Photo: Michael Sloley
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith (centre); Resident Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Mitsuyoshi Kawasaki; and Japan’s Ambassador to Jamaica, His Excellency Yasuhiro Atsumi, display a signed memorandum of understanding (MOU), during the handover of emergency relief items from the Government of Japan, at Jamaica House on July 15. Also in attendance are Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie; and Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister with Oversight for Skills, Digital Transformation and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris-Dixon. The items include tents, plastic sheets, sleeping pads and water tanks.The Full Story
Japan has donated emergency relief supplies to assist in Jamaica’s Hurricane Beryl response.
The items, which include 220 large tents, 100 plastic sheets (tarpaulins), 1,000 sleeping pads, and 2,200 polyester tanks, were provided through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Ambassador of Japan to Jamaica, His Excellency Yasuhiro Atsumi, made a symbolic presentation to Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith and Minister of Local Government and Community Development Hon. Desmond McKenzie on Monday (July 15) at Jamaica House.
Senator Kamina Johnson Smith expressed appreciation on behalf of the Government for Japan’s ongoing assistance to Jamaica.
In his remarks, Ambassador Atsumi said that as a bilateral partner, Japan attaches great importance to Jamaica’s development initiatives.
“We have been working together with our Jamaican counterparts to tackle every environmental and climate change issue as well as mitigate natural disasters,” he noted.
Ambassador Atsumi said Japan looks forward to ongoing collaboration with the people and government of Jamaica to further the partnership between the countries, which is marking 60 years of diplomatic relations this year.
JICA collaborated with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) to distribute hazard manuals and conduct training in disaster risk management.
Additionally, the organisation has supported the implementation of an emergency communication system, which provides a single platform for disaster management entities to communicate and allows emergency responders access to a single space to receive updates on incidents islandwide.
Minister McKenzie highlighted the system’s effectiveness.
“We rolled out the JICA communication system during the current hurricane season, and I must tell you that we are pleased with the result of the system,” he noted.