News

Bill Clinton Is Spearheading a Big Caribbean Recovery Effort

By: Caribbean Journal Staff - April 4, 2018

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Former United States President Bill Clinton’s Clinton Global Initiative has launched a major initiative aimed at spearheading recovery efforts in islands affected by Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria last fall.

The new Clinton Global Initiative Action Network on Post-Disaster Recovery has announced a series of eight unified programs that seek to help islands that were hit particularly hard, including Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and Dominica.

“In the wake of the terrible hurricanes, the people of these islands have shown a remarkable resilience and a resolve to do long-term work and build back better,” Clinton said at the launch event held at the University of Miami.

The network of hundreds of regional and global leaders has launched a series of programs include a drive to replant more than 750,000 trees and restore Puerto Rico’s natural habitat; restoring school infrastructure and housing in Dominica; improving mental health in Puerto Rico; a move to improve children’s health in the US Virgin Islands; a $600 million climate resilience agency in Dominica; primary healthcare for school-aged children; solar power for primary health clinics in Puerto Rico and medical supplies for Puerto Rico’s elderly.

Clinton speaks at the launch in Miami.

Dominica’s is easily the largest project in the group, a plan that is part of Dominica’s stated commitment to build the “first climate resilient nation in the world.”

But the work is not just about previous storms — it’s about working to improve readiness for the next ones.

The announcement comes in the wake of a high-profile visit by Clinton to the region to examine recovery efforts.

“When I went to Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Dominica, I was struck by both the determination and the positive attitude of the people there,” Clinton said. “We are here to do what we can to help these people build communities that are stronger, safer, more prosperous, and more resilient.”

Accordingly, Clinton also announced a “Commitment to Action” in development, urging members of the new Action Network to preposition relief supplies for this upcoming hurricane season, which will begin in June.

According to estimates, every $1 spent on storm preparedness saves $4 in response and recovery spending.

“If we do not address the fundamental issues contributing to climate change, we’re going to see a greater intensity of disasters like Hurricane Maria and Irma,” said Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica, who was on hand for the launch. “If the world continues to fail to address climate change, we must not only build back better, but we must improve the national resiliency of our islands. This meeting of the Clinton Foundation is helping to ensure that our efforts to become the first climate resilient nation in the world are system-wide, integrated and coordinated.”

Particularly in recent years, Clinton has become one of the Caribbean’s most outside advocates.

That was highlighted by an initiative launched in 2015 aiming to help the Caribbean in its push to develop green energy regionally.

Popular Posts ian fleming villa with beach and green trees

American Airlines Begins New Ocho Rios, Jamaica Flights, With a Nod to James Bond 

Ian Fleming began writing the book that would become Casino Royale at his seaside villa in the town of Oracabessa, Jamaica in February 1952.  It was here on the outskirts of Ocho Rios that Fleming would forge the story of […]


A New All-Inclusive W Hotel Is Opening This Year in Punta Cana 

w punta cana

The first-ever all-inclusive W Hotel in the Caribbean is opening this year in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Caribbean Journal has learned.  The hotel, part of a broad expansion for parent company Marriott International, is on the list of expected 2024 […]


Why Grenada Is a New Caribbean Luxury Hotspot

beach house silversands

From its world-renowned chocolate to its pristine beaches to a region-leading focus on sustainability, Grenada is as fascinating and unique as destination as you’ll find in the Caribbean.  But in the last few years, the lush Eastern Caribberan island has […]


Related Posts bonaire

WestJet Is Planning a Big Summer in the Caribbean

Canadian leisure carrier WestJet says it is significantly ramping up its flight network in the Caribbean for the summer season.  WestJet’s Latin American and Caribbean routes are growing by 57 percent this summer compared to the summer of 2023, according […]


5 Adults-Only Resorts to Visit Right Now in the Caribbean 

galley bay

Sometimes you just want that extra degree of serenity, of privacy, of seclusion. There is a reason, after all, that adults-only resorts are booming in popularity, particularly in the Caribbean: travelers want to know that when they arrive, they know […]


Caribbean Moment: Magazine Beach, Grenada

magazine beach grenada

Grenada is known for many things: its chocolate, its rum, its lush rainforest, its world-class cuisine. What you may not realize is just how beautiful the island’s beaches are, from its signature Grand Anse Beach to lesser-known coastlines like Magazine […]


SUBSCRIBE!

Sign up for Caribbean Journal's free newsletter for a daily dose of beaches, hotels, rum and the best Caribbean travel information on the net.


No. Thank You