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The Hummingbird Volume 7 - Issue 8 August 2020 The Hummingbird COVID-19: Economic recovery DISCUSSIONS ON SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES (SIDS) AT VIRTUAL MEETING DISASTER TRAINING ECLAC STAFF PARTICIPATES IN TRAINING AT CHILEAN GOVERNMENT AGENCY ONEMI e-government CREATING AN ENABLING ENVIRONMENT IN THE CARIBBEAN ECLAC CARIBBEAN Contents About us 4 ECLAC staff participates in ONEMI disaster training Issued on a monthly basis, The Hummingbird offers strategic insights into the latest projects, 6 COVID-19: Economic publications, technical assistance missions and research carried out by ECLAC Caribbean. In recovery and resilience addition to these, sneak previews are provided for small island developing of the most salient upcoming events, alongside states (SIDS) discussed at enriching follow-ups to previously covered issues. With a view to featuring a variety of facets of virtual meeting Caribbean life and lifestyle, The Hummingbird also zooms in on cultural activities and landmark 10 Storm Season in the occurrences through an eye-opening regional Caribbean round-up. 12 Saint Lucia to retire common EDITORIAL TEAM entrance Editor: Alexander Voccia Copy Editor: Denise Balgobin 14 Creating an enabling Publication Design: Blaine Marcano environment for e-government in the Please see our contact details on the back cover of Caribbean this magazine 2|The Hummingbird International Days 9 August International Day of the World's Posted Aug 13 Indigenous Peoples The collapse of tourism (projected in -50% for 2020) will drag down service exports, especially from the #Caribbean, according to #ECLAC’s latest Special report. More here: https://bit.ly/2PwTDVg 12 August International Youth Day 19 August World Humanitarian Day 23 August International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition Posted Aug 13 #ECLAC has investigated the potential economic impacts of recurrent flood events and compared with a potential cost saving benefit of specific flood control interventions: See more: https://bit.ly/2PJEMqj Upcoming Meetings 4 - 7 August Committee on the Elimination of Posted Aug 5 #ECLAC launch its #COVID19 special report N⁰ 6, which analyzes the Racial Discrimination, 101st session - effects of the pandemic on international #trade and #logistics. Details: Geneva https://bit.ly/30s2OMG 17 August - 4 September Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Twenty-third session - Geneva The Hummingbird |3 ECLAC staff participates in ONEMI disaster training The National Office of Emergency a multisectoral approach for elements in the evaluation: of the Interior Ministry (Spanish: estimating the effects and environment and gender Oficina Nacional de Emergencia impacts of a disaster. The global considerations. del Ministerio del Interior), widely description of the impact and the known as ONEMI, recently quantification and valuation of the ECLAC’s methodology considers benefitted from a training session damages, losses and additional three sectors: social, infrastructure on ECLAC’s "Damage and Loss costs caused by disasters make and productive. In turn, these Assessmeny (DaLA) Methodology it possible to determine the are analyzed through specific for Disaster Assessment". ONEMI resources required to restore the subsectors. Each presentation is a Chilean government agency functionality of economic and is followed by exercises that dedicated to the prevention, social activities and make the are designed to consolidate organization, coordination and necessary investments for the concepts such as damages, losses, information relative to natural resilience of physical, economic additional costs, reconstruction, disasters. and social infrastructures in the baselines, among others. face of the threat of new events. Attending the training during 15 Over the five days of the training, to 19 June 2020 from ECLAC To formulate and estimate the ONEMI representatives were given Caribbean was Public Information financial requirements of the information in the following areas: Assistant, Blaine Marcano, who recovery and reconstruction affected population, education, shared his experience of disaster strategy, it is essential to have housing, health, electricity, and assessment. quantitative information about the water and sanitation. effects and impacts of the disaster. ECLAC’s methodology for the In addition, the methodology Each area was conveyed to the evaluation of disasters follows incorporates two cross-cutting training participants through 4|The Hummingbird standardized concepts, which allow for sectoral analyses that inform a comprehensive estimate of the effect and impact on society. For example, in the area of population, the correct evaluation of the affected population is essential for the general analysis of the event and for the estimation of damages and losses in various sectors. The analysis also provides an independent benchmark to assess the consistency of all estimates. Cuba to manufacture Given its linkage with all lung ventilators other productive, social and infrastructure sectors, the electricity sector is also key. Its impact can translate into The Cuban Neuroscience Center (CNEURO) recently an impact on the rest of announced that it will have the first nationally produced the economy. For the same lung ventilators for patients affected by COVID-19. reason, power replenishment is an important element of The devices will be built to also measure oxygen levels the recovery and rebuilding with a high support range without electricity that works process. This sector includes on batteries. the generation of electrical energy in bulk, its transmission from the generation facilities to “The national health system will receive 250 invasive and the distribution centers, and its 250 non-invasive ventilators next October,” the CNEURO distribution to end users. director Mitchell Valdes Sosa stated. “This will strengthen the country’s response capacity to COVID-19 and any Marcano explained that type of disease.” following the presentations on each sector, exercises The Lung fans are being built with funds provided by the were conducted as part of the European Union (EU) the NGO MediCuba-Switzerland, training, to enhance the benefit and different campaigns undertaken by epidemiology to participant’s knowledge of and bio-engineering societies. disaster assessment. “To check their operation under close-to-real-life conditions, the devices will be tested on pigs over 50 kilograms. If tests are satisfactory, ventilators would receive certification from Cuban authorities,” Sosa said. The Hummingbird |5 The COVID-19: Economic recovery Hummingbird and resilience for small island developing states (SIDS) discussed at virtual meeting 6|The Hummingbird For many small island developing states (SIDS), the economic impact of COVID-19 has been extremely painful, given the disruption on tourism and even the supply chain for some, adding to a F decline in commodity prices for others, and constraints in health infrastructure on a broad scale. This was one of several key takeaways from a recent virtual meeting of representatives from ECLAC Caribbean, the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, the State of Hawai’i in the United States (US) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Read More The Hummingbird |7 COVID-19: Economic recovery and resilience for small island developing states (SIDS) discussed at virtual meeting Discussions centred on how context of limited fiscal space. for new potential cases, even the COVID-19 pandemic was as they work to open their depressing economic growth, Attending for ECLAC Caribbean economies and grapple with the job creation, increasing citizen was Deputy Director, Dr. immediate impacts on falling insecurity, and challenging Dillon Alleyne, who reported tourism revenue, loss of jobs, islanders’ capacity to provide that participants took note of and negative growth. health and education services the immediate challenges in particularly for the most deciding how far or how soon The representatives agreed that vulnerable. For many, it is a “locked down” islands could best practices for reopening major additional disruption to be reopened to visitors, given include establishing clear already stressed economies that there is no vaccine at the priorities and goals for each facing climate change and moment. They also discussed stage of the recovery. These natural disasters, and increasing how to manage the economic include engaging stakeholders, public debt. impact of travel restrictions ensuring transparency, projected to be in place for the increasing monitoring and Now, as the hurricane season is foreseeable future. testing, basing decision upon us, SIDS face additional making on facts, using national challenges and must take action Islands are balancing efforts to and global best practices, to mitigate against further social contain the virus and prepare considering a wide range of and economic disruption, in the their community health facilities funding sources and focusing 8|The Hummingbird Climate change poses both an existential challenge and an opportunity to invest in local renewable energy and resilience infrastructure, and in nature-based solutions. on a need for speed. However, Speakers highlighted the Small island states are also since tourism is mostly externally necessity and opportunity large ocean economies and driven for many, their success to diversify economies over enhancing strategies to promote depends also on rapid recovery time, and to manage their sustainable use of ocean elsewhere. tourism in
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