PRESS RELEASE JULY 9, 2003

For immediate release

Institutional Strengthening To Support Environmental Management of Kingston Harbour Programme

Yesterday the Government of Jamaica signed a non-reimbursable technical cooperation with the Inter-American Development Bank to create the institutional setting needed to coordinate the diverse stakeholders and activities that impact upon the current state of the Kingston Harbour and to support pre-investment efforts to address major pollutant sources. The total cost of the project is US$620,000 of which US$500,000 is from the Bank’s Fund for Special Operations and the GOJ’s contribution is US$120,000. Charged with the responsibility to implement the project is the National Environment & Planning Agency (NEPA) working under the strategic direction of a National Steering Committee.

The purpose of the project is to kick-start activities that will contribute to a unified and sustainable effort towards a cleaner Kingston Harbor. The project will create the institutional framework to coordinate the actions of a diverse range of actors and develop the financial and legal mechanisms to sustain the institutional framework over time by spurring high level GOJ initiative to dedicate resources, assign responsibilities, and set objectives in concrete, measurable terms. The resources will be used to provide consulting services to improve the institutional capacity of the GOJ to address contamination of the Kingston Harbour; it will also finance the purchase of a water quality model, a preinvestment study and various teaching materials and seminars.

The project has five components: (i) Institutional Strengthening; (ii) Development of a Physical Plan for Kingston Harbour; (iii) Improving environment performance of industries discharge into Kingston Harbour; (iv) Development of documentation and tender documents for a ship-generated waste reception facility and (v) Public Outreach, Education and Training.

Mr. Franklin McDonald Chief Executive Officer of the National Environment & Planning Agency (NEPA) signed on behalf of the GOJ and Country Representative of the IDB Mr. Keith Evans signed on their behalf.