| TT/1358/04
SHIRLEY URGES JAMAICANS IN NEW YORK TO SUPPORT THE RELIEF EFFORT
WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept.17 (JIS):
Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States, Professor Gordon
Shirley, has urged Jamaicans in the Tri State Area to support the
country’s rebuilding and recovery effort in the aftermath of
Hurricane Ivan.
He was speaking at a public forum held at the Jamaican Consulate
in New York to update nationals in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut
about the reconstruction effort and how they could assist the process.
The function was hosted by Consul General, Basil K. Bryan.
Ambassador Shirley has been mobilizing support for the country
and has conducted a range of interviews in the media aimed at sensitizing
the public about the challenges the country faces in the aftermath
of the hurricane and drumming up support for the rebuilding process.
He commended the speed and enthusiasm with which Jamaicans across
the United States were responding to the call for support and assistance
in the wake of Hurricane Ivan, noting that the response underscored
the long-standing spirit of philanthropy, altruism, and commitment
to country, for which Jamaicans were widely known.
He urged those in attendance to respond to the plight of those
affected, particularly in the parishes of Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth,
Manchester and Clarendon, where the hurricane damage was most severe.
The Ambassador also assured the gathering, that while certain financial
goals would have to be reassessed in light of damage to key sectors
such as agriculture, the economic targets had not been derailed.
Professor Shirley urged the New York community to continue to actively
support the work of the Consulate General in New York, with respect
to specific needs on the ground, as well as channeling resources
to the most affected areas. “I know New York is mobilized and
that New York is ready to help in every way,” he stated.
“The community is clearly very energized and I am confident
that you will be working hand in hand with the entire staff of the
Consulate General, as well as Dr. Bryan, to ensure that relief is
made available to those in Jamaica who are desperately in need,”
he added.
Meanwhile, subsequent to the meeting, Ambassador Shirley and Grenadian
Ambassador to the United States, Dr. Denis Antoine, participated
in a news interview in Washington, where they spoke about the impact
of Hurricane Ivan on their respective countries.
The two ambassadors informed that CARICOM intended to work with
the international donor community, to put a regional fund or some
such mechanism in place, which will have the capacity to provide
emergency assistance in the wake of natural disasters.
They appealed to the Washington community to look at the economic
dislocation in the Caribbean caused by Ivan, not just on a country-to-country
basis but on a regional level, noting that it was only through a
unified approach that the region could succeed in mitigating the
impact of disasters and ensure that affected economies regained
their economic footing.
CONTACT: O’NEIL HAMILTON
JIS INFORMATION ATTACHE
JAMAICAN EMBASSY
WASHINGTON
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