PIOJ on Track to Execute Remaining Climate Resilience Programme Deliverables

The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) is on track to execute the remaining deliverables under the Strategic Programme for Climate Resilience (SPCR).

This, following the successful staging of its three-day stakeholder consultation workshop.

The workshop, which was held at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St. Andrew from January 22 to 24, was aimed at reviewing the SPCR and its relevance, examining the extent to which the programme is contributing to the national response to climate change, and identifying gaps and synergies in order to successfully conclude the project in 2023.

Over the three days, stakeholders and implementers of the four SPCR projects shared best practices and lessons emerging; discussed challenges and how to overcome them; and identified solutions and methods to reap success in implementing the remaining deliverables.

The projects are: Improving Climate Data and Information Management; the Adaptation Programme and Financing Mechanism; Promoting Community-based Resilience in the Fisheries Sector; and Financing Water Adaptation in Jamaica’s New Urban Housing Sector.

Director for Sustainable Development and Regional Planning at PIOJ, Nadine Brown, noted that the workshop was designed to bring together key project implementers to explore how best to improve stakeholder engagement and identify synergies, develop ownership and empowerment to successfully conclude the programme.

“We wanted each set of stakeholders associated with each project to understand what the other project was doing and connect the dots in terms of how the projects are working together to achieve the goal of the SPCR. We looked at how the projects relate to each other and how they handle commonalities such as procurement challenges, communication, finance and monitoring,” she outlined.

Ms. Brown added that the sessions focused on building capacity relating to project management; and work on breakdown structures and gender mainstreaming considerations in terms of how males and females respond to the impacts of climate change.

“The stakeholders used best practices and lessons learnt from their experiences to help to assist the other project, and some of these recommendations will be taken into consideration, going forward,” Ms. Brown informed.

She indicated that the parties are set to execute the remaining deliverables, including full roll-out of the fisheries project which involves strengthening the fisheries policy and regulatory framework, diversification and alternative livelihood that enhance sustainable fisheries, and capacity building and heightening awareness among the fishing and fish farming communities.

“There is also the advancement of the water project initiatives being spearheaded by JN Foundation looking at integrating water adaptation measures into Jamaican housing, especially the new housing sector; building local capacity design; and installation of water adaptation measures and other initiatives,” she outlined.

Other deliverables: are vulnerability assessment of the health sector; development of a climate data platform; preparation of sector strategies and action plans; and implementation of adaptation initiatives under the adaptation programme and financing mechanism including the installation of check dams, rainwater harvesting systems, greenhouses and an agro-processing plant.

“All of these activities will take into consideration the agile project management activities and strategies that were taught at the three-day workshop. Stakeholders will look at how they can make their implementations tighter, how they can anticipate challenges related to procurement and other risks that may have been identified,” Ms. Brown noted.

Entities and groups participating in the workshop included: the Water Resources Authority, Rural Agricultural Development Authority, Climate Change Division, Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Green Island Fisher Folk Co-operative, Central Jamaica Social Development Initiative, and Windsor Castle Home Economics and Social Services Group.

The SPCR, which was approved in 2011, is geared towards mainstreaming climate change into development planning; providing information on novel approaches, including climate financing to overcome the challenges of climate change; and disseminating lessons learned from adaptation interventions.

Implemented by the PIOJ with Inter-American Development Bank and World Bank funding, the programme was designed to assist in climate-proofing Jamaica’s development with a focus on priority sectors: tourism, agriculture and food security, health, water, and human settlement and coastal resources.