Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, has announced a Vulnerability Risk Fund, will be introduced by the Dominican government, to provide backup financing in the face of natural disasters.
The fund, for ‘rainy days’ will be financed by the island’s Economic Citizenship Program.
Skerrit made the announcement at the launching of a three-day follow-up workshop on Dominica’s Sustainable Energy and Climate Resilience at the State House on Monday morning.
“We, the government, very soon, we will conclude on the setting up of a Vulnerability Risk Fund and that fund will be set aside to deal with external shocks and the occurrence of natural disasters,” he explained. “And, we intend to finance largely that fund with the proceeds from the Economic Citizenship Program because we recognize, as countries, we need to be able to set aside something for rainy days…”
He said that the introduction of this initiative, even in the face of the $1.2-billion cost of rebuilding after the passage of Tropical Storm Erika, last August, displays what he referred to as the “extraordinary prudence and responsibility” of the government.
The Prime Minister lamented the economic plight of small islands in the fight against climate change, urging officials present to create a system whereby funds for combatting climate change are made more accessible.
“Climate change is having a major negative impact on our economies, and on our way of life. And, if we, as leaders, and citizens of the world, do not recognize the impact it is having on us, then our world is in serious difficulty. The sheer cost of reconstruction, as a result of the impact of climate change on our economies is beyond the ability of our islands to finance,” he explained. “There are more environmentally associated diseases — whether it is from mosquitoes, or the pollution of water, and if we are to address it, then the financial commitments which have been pledged by our developed friends, we must create a better mechanism for those funds to be more easily accessible to our islands; because time waits for no man, and certainly, the impacts of climate change is not stopping.”
He noted that most Caribbean islands are in debt, and do not have the economic leverage to finance mitigation, resilience, and reconstruction.
Skerrit stated that due to the vulnerability of small islands to the effects of climate change, the procedures for obtaining resources to address such issues should be shortened, as the delay leaves islands to finance their own reconstruction, severely damaging their economy.
“The procedures need to be short-circuited in order for us to have immediate access the resources… And, you submit a project in 2016, and if the project is implemented in 2020/2021, you are very lucky,” he articulated. “And, we have events upon events adding to the already devastating situation. And, we find ourselves, as small island states, having to finance the bulk of our efforts to mitigate against climate change, recognizing that we are the least contributors to the phenomenon, but the brunt of the destruction, the brunt of the devastation rests with us.”
BIG man every time you come up with a get rich scheme for you and your boys it\’s always Sugar coated with some economic B—-S—; If you were true boss i\’d follow you but past projections by you have only yielded more hardship and poverty in this country. All you are proposing is ways and means to pass the money around so your Mouton Batallie fanatics can benefit. I\’m sure they are praying for more disasters so they can benefit from the spoils.
New name for Skerrit, Skerrit the failure
London did industrialization, India e business, china manufacturing, skerro passport sales, no wonder they make u a doctor in india, u will make Dominica the richest country in the OECS on passport money.
We do not want this kind oh excuse of a man in Europe
Can we assess Your traveling expenses to see if they are worth the while ? Could You please tell us the trips where You go on our business and those You go on Your business? I am hoping We do not have to pay for those that take You on Your business!
You all don’t know then that emergency fund has been there all the time. Except it is not to pay for natural disasters but to look after Skerrit when he has to run and flee the country. Did he not say that the will not be the one the l;eave office with nothing? I have not forgotten that.
Woman you remarkably stupid. I cannot believe that everything that man do or say you’re backing him up. If he jumps off a cliff you will say good move too? I don’t know why you doesn’t just leave where you are and go and live in Dominica for you to feel the heat instead of pulling up up there and bray from a far
While we have no choice but to rely on such a program at this point, just consider what this means for Dominica’s economy: While islands like St. Kitts and Antigua use their passport sales profits to invest in better tourism marketing, boosting their tourism products, and other factors that stimulate ECONOMIC growth, Dominica continues to use their funds for on-going expenses rather than growth-stimulating measures. The result: We will remain stagnant, always trying to find new ways to RAISE money rather than having a thriving private sector that can attract hard currency/new income that will translate into TAXES than can fund such programs.
It is impossible for a government to be THIS incompetent and ignorant about basic economic factors. This anti-growth strategy is clearly a cover for corrupt practices!
The idea of a vulnerability fund was raised in the Growth and Social Protection Strategy some years ago, 2006 thereabout.
Excellent incentive PM. It is not too late. Nothing happens before its time. The time is right.
God bless you and your Cabinet for this initiative!
Woman you remarkably stupid. I cannot believe that everything that man do or say you’re backing him up. If he jumps off a cliff you will say good move too? I don’t know why you doesn’t just leave where you are and go and live in Dominica for you to feel the heat instead of pulling up up there and bray from a far
She is stupid because she does not even know the difference between incentive and initiative.
the word nothing happen before its time gos a long way its not only for when you all DOM-IN-CANS hear money from the gov why don’t you all ask the gov to put work for you all to do that way your bills can be paid I don’t want to feel sorry for you all take what you get that’s the new set of people dominica have now no work and getting money and then you all see the new god
You are nuts! Please go and post your foolishness on GIS. Your warped and red tinted opinion is wearing a bit thin now. As much as the government is to blame for Dominica’s misery it’s you and your fellow comrades that are even more to blame for supporting them even though it is clear for everybody to see that we are on a road to NOWHERE.
skeritt,where is the money you taking from our poor vehicle owners,you say for road maintenance ,and is now all roads are bad in dominica, ,you continue to fool people but we the vehicle owners will be dealing with you and this rouge government soon,and this time ,there will be nothing to stop us
Those hypocrites KONKEY HOLES are wearing their ignorance as a badge of honour and they are proud to be the last in every thing
Look at the state of the town of Portsmouth and they are voting the same party for 50 long years and they are proud to announce that too.
since how many decades a road re-instatement program for the Capital Roseau were implemented and it can not take effect up, to now what kind of a people are Dominicans Ma Dominique’s children
Imagine the PM talking of “extraordinary prudence”. A cabinet with 18 plus members for a country with so few people. Come on man! Get real
Dominica has received Millions in grants from the EU,soft loans IE They will never be repaid.,Donations and support from local islands,what do we see some patching of roads But most of all plenty of Verbal DIo!!!!!!!!
This man has to go we will never see any progress until he goes.
This follows the recommendation of the IMF, following their recent visit. My question is, how will this fund be ring-fenced to stop government from possible temptation to use it in desperation to finance debt or current expenses? In other words, how do we ensure that money is really there and immediately available in times of disaster?
You hear lie?
Boy dat is lie!!!!!!!
Skerrit doesn’t have a clue as to how to finance our $1.2 billion debt!
No boasting of how much money coming from China and Venezuela to finance our recovery!
We are effectively $2.5 billion in debt!
A whole lot of us have become immune to these political epidemics and plagues!
Seriously, this joker doesn’t make for a strong hand in this card game!
did someone send a text or an email to the prime minister just to tell him that he is ONLY the prime minister and not the KING OF DOMINICA !!!!
i think it will be useful for him as he believe that he will be there for life !!!!
that will give him sometime to pack, book the helicopter and call Caiman island . Tortola, England , Switzerland, to let them know that he is coming to pick the cash…..
I’m I reading correctly? Vulnerability Risk Fund for wet days? I’m convinced that the Prime Minister does not know two hooks about the subject matter and some consultant/adviser came up with this so-called brilliant idea and he like a Malaprop take it and run with it.
In Disaster Risk Reduction there is a process, part of which is vulnerability assessment. At this stage the entire island is supposed to be involved in vulnerability assessments, professionals are supposed to be working with community people documenting and mapping out all the risk areas that are exposed before the vegetation covers them in the next few months.
DNO does not allow much space, so I cannot explain the process but it appears that the blind is leading the blind and if we do not get our acts together this Prime Minister and his cohorts will bury all of us with that level of ignorance. A fund is needed NOW to mitigate against the next disaster that is staring in our faces.
Anna,…many thanks… I am reading with great interest,. Please write more and put in segments. Another words, as your number of words expire on the one above you can start a new page etc……
Or, please do an article as DNO will present it with a topic headline and will be presented on DNO just like this one and we read and comment.
Please processed, I am waiting, this is educational. I am fed up listening to and reading nonsense from Skerrit and his corrupt team. Who is King Corrupt.?
Dear Anna, I am reading your comments in awe and interest. Please do an article that DNO will publish hat we read. I want to read more as to what yo have to say and to be informed and educated. It is great that you have more to share. If not an article, you can do multiple comments.
I look forward to reading .thanks
Setting up an excuse to beg. if people had disposable income and unemployment was low then there would be lots of people who could afford to pay at least into a government subsidised insurance so whenever disaster strike we are covered for the most part. The effects of the climate and natural events which I like to consider as God’s power of creation are magnified by ignoring the already know engineering controls that exist and a total disrespect for the awesome forces. Even the bible gives us a story of the man who built on solid rock and the one who built on sand. Build on dty river beds or ravines; exposure to flash floods, built of river flood plains without protective river banks high enough; floods, Atlantic coast without proper wave breakers erosion, build on slopes without controls; landslides, building not up to codes to withstand know energy in country; death. So here we have it. We cannot send the police commissioner do brain surgery at PMH.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, NOT MY PASSPORT MONEY! Say it ain’t so Doctor Skerrit.
The idea originated from the IMF after TS Ericka, they advised the regime to setup that Fund……good idea…but it’s not his brain child….
sadly it will be a source for corrupt practices…already the economy is dead..this regime lacks a comprehensive policy guideline…thus everything they try fails miserable creating the slowest economy, does the PM real have a heart to see what his reign has done..wow!
If you are a Christian and a practicing one at that you should not comment in this manner. It is a contradiction of Christian teaching, principle and virtues.
Christians are to have high hopes, pray for their country as they do for themselves and to leave everything in the hands of God. He does not appreciate negative and ungrateful people and looks with disdain on them, as you for debasing every good work which is planned and instituted.
It is time to cease this negativity which gets nobody anywhere. It depicts you are of no help to Dominica. Be positive and look to the future. When you do otherwise, you obstruct the good to be done.
Face the Facts, in Jesus` time the King was a religious man and wanted Jesus dead because he challenged their corrupt practices and the poor people were victims under him and suffered.
I wonder when you are going to wake up from your nonsense philosophy which is outdated, You are not interested in Dominica but only to defend Skerrit and his nonsense politics. Go ask Skerrit who stole and managed THE THEFT AND ABUSE OF state money referred to as Bobol?
If you have nothing to say….relax and read and be educated
The recent statement coming from the US Embassy in Barbados have Skerritt and his Cabal trembling more than before.
The US is saying, in a diplomatic way, that those involved in selling passports willy-nilly to any and everyone with money, plenty money, especially Diplomatic Passport, we know what is going on. Those links with people like NG Lap Seng and the others in the Macau meeting, the former Nigerian Minister arrested on fraud, Corallo and all those foreigners, in trouble with Law enforcement, those made Ambassador, just like that, the US on their trail.
Run but you all cannot hide. The world is fighting against corruption. Selling of our passports a SCAM Terrorists want our passports BAD. Criminals want our passports BAD and pay hefty sums to possess one.
But where have all the $$$$$$$$$$$ gone, nuh? Passports selling like peas, where the investments? A few getting filthy rich quickly.
So Skerritt comes up with another ploy to fool whom, not FBI, not…
Certainly can’t fool the patriots. Since when did Skerritt and his incompetent DLP Gov’t get to know that Dominica was vulnerable to disasters? How long they selling Passports. We hearing of millions, yet no investments by anyone buying our passports and they tell us is economic citizenship or Citizen-By-investment.. So for the past 15 years disaster mitigation, care for the environment was on the back-burner and all of a sudden funds for disaster from the sale of our passports?
Why should Dominicans believe Skerritt now, when we have been told so many untruths? No information re. No. of passports sold, total $$$$$ made, who are the beneficiaries, the no. of projects passport buyers invest in etc.
Whose FOOLS are we, Skerritt? The global threat from terrorism has made those Law enforcement agencies overseas more vigilant.
You are right on target. Skeritt is a great leader and it takes him sixteen years to know he has to put something aside for rainy days. That is elementary, that is a way of life. I believe the FBI has shook him up, he needs some kind of cow manure to get them off his back.
Put aside money for “rainy days ” my foot!!! Vulnerability risk my backside!!! Every day the government this, next day the government that. Something always starting then it leading to a dead end. Too much initiation and no action. This is just an alibi for Skeritt to say that this is what he did with our passport money. Let the rainy days take care of itself. Right the country needs immediate infrastructural improvement and development. So you going and put money on a side in anticipation of the upcoming hurricane season and in the mean time ignore what needs to get done? Nice try Skeritt. By now everybody can see right through you. But in a way I think that these guys are right to put money on a side for rainy days because they know to themselves that they haven’t done anything since Erika pass so they anticipating the destruction of a future storm that might come and pile up on the mess Erika left behind. Labor in action
They are incompetent…very incompetent. Hopeless leader, flashing leader, immature leader, visionless leader, and DLP government
I was listening to US news on television last night and they were still reporting on the earthquake in Japan with its horrendous impact on infrastructure and lives. Then came information about a massive one in Ecuador with major infrastructural damage and loss of life.
As if that wasn’t enough, then came breaking news that Houston Texas was pounded by about thirteen inches of rain in 6 hours (sounds familiar? TS Erika) with the result that every part of Houston was flooded. I was just in time to see the rescuers coaxing a driver to get out of his vehicle which was slowly being submerged and he kept hesitating, perhaps wondering what would happen to his car. They finally got him to swim out of the car, just in the nick of time. He and the rescuers then saw it go completely under water. That was in the mighty USA, Japan and less mighty Ecuador. Absolutely no control over natural disasters and the attendant dilemma to find resources to rebuild. Just a reality check!
Dear Ms. Saunders I’m not quite sure where you are going with this but you want to imply that our natural disaster Erica had anything to do with the delay in developing our geothermal project you are mistaken. The well headand it surroundings were not damaged. The well was capped before Erica, however the truth is that the necessary financing for the next phase has not been forthcoming, especially not from the banks.
“We, the government, very soon, we will conclude on the setting up of a Vulnerability Risk Fund and that fund will be set aside to deal with external shocks and the occurrence of natural disasters,” he explained. “And, we intend to finance largely that fund with the proceeds from the Economic Citizenship Program
Honorable PM, What happened to the $$$$$Millions that were donated from the foreign countries from the wake of TS Erika?
PAPA BONDIER!!!!
This man keep selling the Fu$(ing passports and I cant get one for my legitimate children.
Had that fund been established from the inception of the CIP, Dominica would’ve been in a MUCH better position (in terms of disaster relief funding) than it is today. This is like KNOWING that you live in a flood zone but waiting until your house floods to get flood insurance.
Generally speaking not a bad idea, Skerrit. BUT and this is a big but… imagine your house got damaged by Erika and imagine you have money sitting in the bank from sale of passports. Do you keep this money in the bank as a ‘Vulnerability Risk Fund’ for the future or do you use the money to repair and make good your house immediately rather than waiting for the next disaster to happen?? The answer is very clear, isn’t it? So why don’t you apply this simple example to Dominica. Get the country repaired now. This set up of a fund is just another one of your famous smoke screens or in other words every time somebody asks the question about passport sales you will answer the money is sitting in you Vulnerability Risk Fund. Now I ask you to show the country the bank statement for this special passport account. Your answer: none of your damn business, go to hell! So I conclude, nice try Doctor but there are people in Dominica that you can not fool.
Hallelujah!!!
very well said AAgabriel. we put mister where he is today, we can not forget that all theses politicians are actually the people of dominica employees so when they do something they should report to their Boss, who is US !!!!!! we also forget this !! so we must ask them what is going on and they MUST answer fully !!
if not sorry but you will get FIRED !!! this non sense must stop !! how many more days , weeks, years do we need to wake up . I really feel that I get ABUSE !!!! I did vote for a young energetic man today I feel abuse !!! sorry but my life was better 10 years ago !! this is not what i was expecting when i vote for him …PM you lie to us you lie to me and you knoiw what……..you will always pay for your lie
Tony Astaphan sought to ridicule the pertinent questions asked by the leader of the opposition last week, saying that monies from CIP were being used only for hotel development and capital projects. How about that Tony? The umpire just raised his index finger,you are out and wrong.This proposed initiative to help the people of Petit Savanne is to be commended and should have been thought of and done long ago
I really don’t know but its about time dominica get itself together, its being a while now this economic citizen thing being going on yet we see nothing regarding development of the country, our kids have no where to play netball, volley ball, basket ball football and track and field. lots of kids are doing well in all those sports under those bad conditions. why cant some of these funds collected be directed to building facilities for those sports?. on another note there is an Olympic movement and we are seeing no development in sporting facilities what really is their use?.. no track for track and field, no basketball, volleyball, basketball, swimming, nothing. lets get something going for our kids and those to come. Dominica seems to be very happy to be LAST in everything in the Caribbean, the last place in the Caribbean to have night landing and they were happy. now one of the last places which will ever have an international airport….what are we looking for really?…