Salutations 
•    Honourable Floyd Green, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining,
•    Dr. Gavin Bellamy, Chief Executive Officer of the National Fisheries Authority
•    Distinguished representatives of Government,
•    Community leaders, fishers, partners,
•    Colleagues from UNDP,
•    Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning. It is a pleasure to join you today in Parottee/ Galleon Beach exactly three months and nine days after Hurricane Melissa made its destructive landfall - to mark an important milestone in the recovery of fisher livelihoods. Today, UNDP hands over a solar-powered community energy centre to refuel the business dreams of fishers in this community and to help modernize their operations. 

Today is about more than infrastructure. It is about recovery, resilience, and people.

When Hurricane Melissa struck, its impact was deeply felt across coastal fishing communities like this one. Beyond the physical damage, livelihoods were disrupted and access to reliable electricity became a critical challenge. For fishers, electricity is essential — without it, cold storage fails, post-harvest losses increase, and income is put at risk.

This is why today’s handover matters.

The solar-powered container systems we are handing over today are designed to provide reliable, clean energy for cold storage and other essential loads. They help fishers safely preserve their catch, reduce losses, and stabilize livelihoods, while lowering operating costs and reducing reliance on fossil fuels like diesel and gas. They support recovery today, while strengthening resilience for the future.

This initiative reflects UNDP’s approach to recovery: rebuilding in ways that reduce future risk while supporting long-term sustainable development. These installations form part of UNDP’s Jamaica Resilient Recovery Initiative (JARRI), which integrates climate resilience, clean energy, and livelihood support in vulnerable communities.

We are proud to implement this work in close partnership with the Government of Jamaica. I would like to recognize the leadership of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, and the strong collaboration with the National Fisheries Authority. Your guidance has been essential in ensuring these systems respond to real needs on the ground.

This partnership demonstrates the power of national leadership working hand in hand with development partners to deliver practical solutions.

At the heart of this initiative are the communities themselves. The success of these systems will depend on the people who use, manage, and sustain them. Fishers and community representatives have been closely engaged throughout the process, reinforcing the importance of ownership and local capacity.

Resilience is built not only through technology, but through people. Ladies and Gentlemen, as climate change continues to intensify risks for Small Island Developing States like Jamaica, solutions such as these show what climate-smart recovery can look like in practice. Though modest in scale, these systems send a strong message: clean energy can support livelihoods, strengthen food security, and help communities recover stronger than before.

UNDP remains committed to continuing this collaboration with the Government of Jamaica and its partners, and to exploring opportunities to replicate and scale similar solutions across other vulnerable communities in pursuit of Sustainable Development Goals 13 (climate action) and 7 (affordable and clean energy).

It is now my honour to formally mark the handover of these solar-powered container systems, and to reaffirm UNDP’s commitment to supporting resilient, sustainable livelihoods across Jamaica.

Thank you very much.