The United Kingdom (UK) committed to helping create 10,000 jobs across the Caribbean and protect dozens of communities from crime in Jamaica when it unveiled its 2011-2015 75M pound Caribbean regional programme.
According to a press release UK Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell made this announcement during a visit to the region last month. “In Jamaica, UK assistance will target 50 of the most volatile inner-city areas. An estimated 142,000 residents will be supported to get access to basic services, like reliable water supply and rubbish collection,” he said. Mitchell also said that 13,000 people will receive training and job opportunities and some of Jamaica’s most violent communities will be safer as the police are strengthened to tackle crime.
The UK will support law enforcement agencies to seize the assets of organised criminals across the Eastern Caribbean, aiming to seize $5 million worth of the proceeds of crime over the next four years, the release said. Mitchell’s announcement came on the heels of a review of the countries to which the UK gives aid. It found that while much of the Caribbean is now firmly “middle income” persistent pockets of poverty remain- for example in the heart of Kingston, Jamaica.
“The Caribbean matters to the UK…. We will continue to accelerate growth, reduce the risk of natural disasters and cut the blight of violent crime around the islands,” he said. The UK Department for International Development’s (DfID) regional programme will also help 160,000 people whose lives and livelihoods have become vulnerable to the worst impacts of climate change and natural disasters.
According to the release, DfID will provide safer buildings, improved water supply and early warning systems. The programme will ensure that 18 Caribbean countries have national strategies and the resources and skills to reduce the risks from natural disasters and hazards; for example, making sure new houses are hurricane-proof; help develop affordable micro-insurance to protect up to 68,000 of the region’s poorest when natural disasters strike; deliver business reforms designed to give more chances to women entrepreneurs and directly create 10,000 jobs. DfID will also create more export opportunities and help the Caribbean move towards a single market economy.
