A year after Hurricane Melissa damaged parts of Jamaica, the UK and Jamaica have signed a four-year government-to-government partnership to accelerate national reconstruction, restore critical infrastructure and strengthen resilience to future disasters. The agreement was signed on Sunday, November 1, at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda, according to a UK government statement published on November 5.

The plan begins with a £10 million one-year programme, funded equally by the UK and Jamaican governments. UK funding is confirmed for the first year; funding for later years will be addressed as the programme develops. A central priority is support for Jamaica's National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority, including specialist technical expertise for project planning, coordination and oversight. The partnership is expected to help Jamaica unlock reconstruction and development financing and move priority projects from planning to implementation more quickly.

Under the arrangement, UK firms Arup, Mace and Gleeds will form the Jamaica UK Delivery Team, providing design, engineering, programme management and procurement support to the authority and working alongside Jamaican engineers and contractors. The statement says the programme also aims to strengthen monitoring, cost control and public reporting, and cites the firms' experience on Peru's reconstruction programme.