Japan and Dominica sign agreement for resilience

The Governments of Japan and Dominica signed an agreement on Friday, January 22nd which will mean more than US $1m in disaster resilience equipment.According to Government, the Government of Japan has been a large contributor to disaster relief and aid to Dominica in recent times.

“Japan was one of the countries which came to the front very early after the disaster to assist us. Also, at the Donors Conference, Japan was there and made a commitment to support us following the storm,” said Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Careen Prevost.

The US $1.6m in grant aid will go towards the purchase of disaster reduction equipment manufactured by Japanese companies.

Deputy Head of Mission and Minister Counsellor at the Japanese Embassy in Trinidad, Masatoshi Sato told the nation that his Government is very involved and interested in climate change and disaster mitigation.

“It was well-known that counties in the Caribbean including the Commonwealth of Dominica are particularly vulnerable to natural disasters and climate change. The tremendous damage caused by Tropical Storm Erika in late August last year is a case in point. Building the capacity to withstand impact is therefore a major challenge in the region. It is our hope that this grant aid programme will not only significantly reduce disaster damage in Dominica in the future but will also supportr Dominica in climate change adaptation.”

He referenced the Japan/CARICOM Summit of July 2014 where Japan announced its policy pillars which includes providing support for CARICOM in disaster risk reduction.

Minister Counsellor Sato says this agreement is the realisation of that promise.

According to the Hon Foreign Affairs Minister, Senator Francine Baron, Japan has been a very committed development partner.

“For us in Dominica, we know all too well the importance of being properly equipped and prepared to respond to disasters particularly as we face this increased threat arising as a result of climate change. We established diplomatic relations with Japan in 1978 and over the 38 years we have realized increased cooperation and friendship between our two countries.

“Even before the incoming ambassador was officially accredited to Dominica, he led a mission to bring in supplies of water tanks, generators and other essential items. Japan was also one of the countries which attended the Donors Conference and made a firm commitment at that time to support Dominica in our reconstruction efforts.”

Rayburn Blackmoore is Hon. Minister for National Security. He acknowledged that Dominica holds Japan in high regard for its expertise in several fields including fisheries, physical planning and health information.

Now, he says, Japan has come through again in the area of disaster management.

At the COP 21 climate change summit in Paris last December, Japan committed US $8.4bn in support for developing countries.

Another agreement was signed in January 2014 with the Government of Japan—this time for US $1m in industrial aid.

According to Minister Baron, industrial equipment for the Ministry of Health and the Environment, Public Works, and Education and Human Resource Development will arrive in Dominica later this month.


Condividi questo articolo

Commenti (0)

Aggiungi un commento

Accedi dalla colonna di destra per aggiungere un commento.