Kingston, Jamaica, July 1, 2026 — Jamaica’s international development partners and the Government of Jamaica met on Tuesday, June 30th at the Fourth Jamaica Development Partners Forum to chart a coordinated path for the country's recovery following Hurricane Melissa. Held at the UWI Regional Headquarters under the theme "After Melissa: Supporting Jamaica's Resilient Recovery," the forum brought together senior representatives of the Government, the United Nations, and bilateral and multilateral partners to align support behind a single national recovery effort.
The forum was co-chaired by the United Nations and the High Commission of Canada, who lead the development partners group for the 2026 to 2027 period. It opened with a grounding account from the Planning Institute of Jamaica and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management on the human, economic, and environmental toll of Hurricane Melissa, and the state of recovery to date. A central theme that emerged was the importance of building resilient systems across the length and breadth of Jamaica, strengthening building codes and infrastructure, and ensuring that the information needed for an effective response is fully integrated into operations.
The education sector offered one of the day's most striking lessons. With some 8,000 teachers and 152,000 students affected by the hurricane, it became clear that schools serve as the safest point in most communities, and that newer schools built to higher standards sustained the least damage. Partners agreed that rebuilding to higher standards must be a guiding principle of recovery, so that what is built today protects communities tomorrow.
A key focus of the forum was the emergence of Jamaica's National Recovery and Resilience Agency (NaRRA) and the coordination it can bring to a recovery of this scale. Participants underscored the value of a single, prioritised national master plan to sequence the recovery, align partners, and direct resources to where they are needed most, avoiding duplication and closing gaps.
Presenting on behalf of the United Nations system, United Nations Development Programme Country Resident Representative Dr. Kishan Khody set out how the UN in Jamaica is supporting recovery across its agencies, funds and programmes. The UN, through Khody, highlighted its alignment to Jamaica's recovery needs, the areas where the system can add value, and opportunities for joint programming with the Government and partners. These cover resilient infrastructure and shelter, social protection for the most vulnerable, education, health, disaster risk reduction, and the data and assessment work that informs sound decision-making.
"Recovery on this scale cannot be run project by project," said Dr. Dennis Zulu, UN resident coordinator. Dr. Zulu oversees all UN operations in the country – across all agencies. "It needs a plan to coordinate around, and a place for all of us to stand behind. The United Nations will rally behind NaRRA, behind a national master plan, and behind the Government's priorities, aligning what each of us brings and making sure our support reaches the communities that need it most."
The forum also drew on international experience. The Japan International Cooperation Agency shared lessons from Japan's post-disaster recovery, among them the principles for building back better and for strengthening institutional coordination between government and partners. Sessions through the day reviewed how development partners can best align to Jamaica's recovery and took an honest look at the partnership's technical working groups and how they must evolve to serve the recovery effort.
Partners closed the forum by reaffirming their shared commitment to a coordinated, country-led recovery, and agreed to carry forward the areas of alignment and readiness identified during the day.
About the Jamaica Development Partners Forum
The Jamaica Development Partners Forum brings together the resident international development partners in Kingston to coordinate support to the Government of Jamaica in line with Vision 2030 Jamaica and the Medium-Term Socio-Economic Policy Frameworks. Members include the United Nations in Jamaica, the High Commission of Canada / Global Affairs Canada, the European Union, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the High Commission of the United Kingdom / FCDO, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), and the Embassy of the United States / INL. The United Nations and Canada co-chair the group for the 2026 to 2027 period.
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