Andrew Smith, Photography Editor
Ann-Marie Ali (left), deputy resident representative of the UN Systems in Jamaica discusses a point with Dr. Barbara Carby, director-general of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management before the start of a panel discussion on 'Disaster risk reduction: Invest to prevent disaster' at the Knutsford Court Hotel, New Kingston last Wednesday. The event was in observance of International Day for Disaster Reduction. - ANDREW SMITH /PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
FLOODING IN St. Catherine, landslides in Montego Bay and the cutting-off of roads in the Blue Mountains.
All of these have the most devastating effect on the poorest members of society, whether they are farmers, vendors or other self-employed persons.
Ann-Marie Ali, deputy resident representative of the United Nations Development Programme said Hurricane Ivan caused decades of development to be reversed in a matter of hours. In Grenada, the resulting damage was over 200 per cent of GDP while in the Cayman Islands it was 183 per cent of GDP.
She was participating in a panel discussion organised by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) in collaboration with the International Year for Microcredit 2005 planning committee in Kingston, last week.
REBUILDING CAYMAN
In Cayman, it would take six years building at the fastest rate the country has been able to achieve in the last decade to replace what was lost owing to Ivan, Ms. Ali said.
Ryland Campbell, patron of the International Year of Microcredit, said that micro credit and microfinance needs to be used as a means to "develop structures and strategies to improve the well-being of small people".
His views were supported by Philbert Brown, director of emergency services at the Ministry of Land and the Environment who said that there was a need for creative solutions to microfinancing issues.
Maureen Webber, chairman of the international year of micro-credit 2005 planning committee, said Jamaica needed to examine the effect that the environment had on the entrepreneur. She said farmers who got their yam sticks from the forest had to
go deeper into the woods for the product after the passage of hurricane Ivan.
Ms. Webber said the ability of entrepreneurs to finance and ensure micro-enterprises has to be examined, along with the effects of crime and violence on the sector.
