Norway pledges continued support for Ja in climate change fight
Published:Wednesday | November 20, 2024 | 12:10 AMSashana Small/Staff Reporter
Jamaica can expect continued support from the Norwegian government in its effort to mitigate the impact of climate change, state secretary from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, Bjorg Sandkjaer, has affirmed.
“We work very closely with the UN (United Nations). We work with research institutions and others to work with Jamaica, with the regional authorities, to better predict weather, better adapt to climate change, and that relationship is evolving,” she said.
Sandkjaer, who accompanied Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) goodwill ambassador, on a tour of Victoria Town in Clarendon on Monday, stated that the European country’s support for the island is often channelled via the UNDP.
In 2016, the UNDP rehabilitated the community’s water-harvesting system to provide residents with a steady supply of the commodity during the dry periods.
The project was funded by the Human Security Trust Fund and implemented by UN agencies, in partnership with the Government of Jamaica.
For Donna Caridice, a 29-year-old resident of Victoria Town, the impact has been profound.
“The drought was really bad until the water system. We did haffi guh a wah part weh dem call Peace River with donkey fi water, ... but now, wi don’t have to do dat,” she said.
The fact that the water is treated gives Kerine Rattray, a mother of two, peace of mind.
“Not all of us have tanks at home. Some of us only have drums and that only last for a week or so because we have children … . [Now,] we don’t have to worry about getting any running belly or so,” she said.
Stating that she is “very impressed” with Jamaica’s climate action, Sandkjaer said the country is on track to be a leader in the Caribbean, which is “particularly vulnerable to climate change”.
“On the part of Norway, cutting gas emissions is important, but we are also scaling up support for climate adaptation, and that’s a message we’ve heard very clearly from this visit as well – that it’s important for countries like Norway to step up our efforts in that area,” she said.