1. SUPPORTING ACTIONS FOR BUILDING DISASTER RESILENT COMMUNITIES THROUGH STRONG AND SUSTIANBLE PARTNERSHIPS Nicole A. Brown, ODPEM, Jamaica 5 th Caribbean Conference on Comprehensive Disaster Management CDM: Strengthening Partnerships for Resilience Montego Bay, Jamaica, 6 – 10 December 2010

2. The Building Disaster Resilient Communities (BDRC) Project The BDRC Partnership Building and Strengthening Strategy Emerging Trends and Issues

3. Overview of the Building Disaster Resilient Communities Project Three-year project, supported by CIDA Objective: to strengthen community capacity to respond to and mitigate against disasters, while identifying measures to improve disaster and risk management at community, parish and national levels

4. Project Outputs Sustainable partnerships in disaster mitigation and emergency response built and/or strengthened. Selected men and women in vulnerable communities trained in disaster mitigation and emergency response, with a community- developed response plan and community disaster/emergency response team (CDRT/CERT)

5. Project Outputs (continued) Selected vulnerable communities in each parish have developed mitigation plans in operation.

6. Selected Communities St. ThomasTrintyville & Llandewey KSA Gordon Town & New Haven St. CatherineOld Harbour Bay & Bog Walk PortmoreGregory Park & Waterford Clarendon Kellits & Rocky Point Manchester Alligator Pond & Porus St. ElizabethNew River (Santa Cruz) & Pisgah/Ginger Hill

7. Selected Communities Westmoreland McNeil Lands & New Roads Hanover Chigwell & Sandy Bay Trelawny Zion (Martha Brae) & Clarke’s Town St. James Tangle River & Dumfries St. Ann Moneague & Lime Hall St. Mary Annotto Bay & Port Maria Portland Swift River & Berridale

8. ‘Partnership’ within the BDRC Concept of multi-stakeholder partnerships – central to the BDRC. Partnership outcome and partnership approach to implementation.

9. ‘Partnership’ within the BDRC

10. Partnership as a means to an end not an end. – Effectiveness of implementation and sustainability of intervention – Strengthening governance for DRRM. Project Management and Evaluation Framework – pulse taking mechanism.

11. The BDRC Partnership Strengthening Strategy A Framework for: Building commitment to, and ownership of DRRM; Developing clarity of purpose within the membership within the National and Parish Disaster Committees;

12. The BDRC Partnership Strengthening Strategy A Framework for: Fostering and improving trust among members of the committees; Increasing roles and responsibilities; and Exploring models community integration into the national disaster management structure.

13. The Process Partnership Facilitator (March – Dec 2009) Surveys and interviews (April – July 2009) Consultations (July – November) – National Disaster Committee – Mayors and Secretary Managers – Parish Disaster Committees x 4 regions

14. The Findings - General DRR poorly operationalised in the National Disaster Management. Policy and legislative frameworks need strengthening.

15. The Findings - National Uneven functioning of National Disaster Committee (NDC) sub-committees Agency participation in the NDC dependent on individuals Lack of integration between the NDC and other processes Lack of direct linkage with Parish Disaster Committees (PDCs)

16. The Findings - Parish Lack of political commitment to DRRM Incomplete understanding of roles on and responsibility to the PDCs Inadequate leadership

17. The Findings - Parish Political interference Division between technical agencies and local authorities

18. The Findings - Parish Lack of accountability mechanisms Lack of commitment to local authority processes Perception that disaster management is the job of the Parish Disaster Coordinator

19. The Findings - Community Zonal committee structure uneven Limited outreach capacity by coordinators in larger/mountainous parishes Some parishes have direct community representation on PDCs, others not

20. The Strategy Working at national, parish and community level to: Build commitment ownership of DRRM Develop clarity of purpose – national and parish Foster and improve trust among committee members

21. The Strategy Increase understanding of roles and responsibilities Explore models for effective community engagement in the parish structure

22. Goal To improve working relationships among the key stakeholders in Jamaica’s national disaster management structure, in order to support more effective, integrated and better resourced DRRM.

23. Areas of intervention Legislative framework and accountability Conceptual framework for DRRM Management and coordination of partnership-based committees Community representation on PDCs

24. Outputs Recommendations for legislative, policy and regulatory improvements documented for ODPEM Operational management and monitoring mechanisms for Parish Development Committees developed

25. Outputs Modalities for community representation and active participation within institutional arrangements of the national disaster management structure developed Capacity and skills of key disaster management personnel at parish and community levels strengthened. Good practice and lessons learnt DRRM case studies produced.

26. Outputs Good practice and lessons learnt DRRM case studies produced.

27. Implementation Lack of dedicated personnel (situation about to change) Aspects integrated in to ODPEM

28. Emerging Trends and Issues Process of developing partnership strategy provided a forum for sharing beyond traditional boundaries Implementation partnerships can have positive spill-over effect on working relations within PDCs

29. Emerging Trends and Issues Partnerships for project implementation under the BDRC can serve as a model for other initiatives at parish level and BDRC methodologies can be applied beyond the scope of the project

30. Emerging Trends and Issues The BDRC model has helped expanded partnerships and strategic alliances at the parish level Improving the working relationships at the PDC level can serve as a platform for: helping refine the DRRM programme at the parish level

31. Emerging Trends and Issues Partnerships for project implementation under the BDRC can serve as a model for other initiatives at parish level and BDRC methodologies can be applied beyond the scope of the project

32. Emerging Trends and Issues The current context requires a paradigm shift away from traditional ways of thinking about disasters and about who has a role to play in DRRM Structural constraints continue to work against improved partnerships for DRRM

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34. Goal To improve working relationships among the key stakeholders in Jamaica’s national disaster management structure, in order to support more effective, integrated and better resourced DRRM.