UN Joins with Partners to Support Shipment of Relief items to Jamaica in the wake of Hurricane Melissa

The United Nations, through the World Food Programme (WFP) and in coordination with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), has facilitated the shipment of critical relief items to Jamaica in support of the Hurricane Melissa response.

Two coordinated shipments have so far been dispatched from the Bridgetown Port, representing a vital step in ensuring timely assistance reaches the communities most in need. The supplies, some of which were provided by WFP, IOM, UNICEF and other UN agencies,  were prepositioned at the Caribbean Regional Logistics Hub in Barbados.

The operations, made possible through the generous support of the European Union and the Government of Canada, with transportation support provided by the French, Dutch and Barbados governments, underscores the power of collective action and regional solidarity in delivering essential aid during times of crisis.

UN Resident Coordinator, Simon Springett, who was on hand at the port for both shipments, underscored the importance of the coordination effort to assist Jamaica.

“We're here at the Bridgetown Port in Barbados, filling up a vessel of relief supplies that are coming out of the WFP Regional Logistics warehouse. This warehouse is only five months old, and it was designed to really restore support responses across the Caribbean.  So, this is an excellent example of partnerships between CDEMA, the Barbados Government, the Port of Bridgetown, the French, the EU, Canada all coming together under one umbrella to give solidarity to the people and the governments of Jamaica.”