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8.
ACTION ON RECOMMENDATIONS OF ECLAC
15.44.
Sustainable development is urgently required in addressing the
problems in the low-income urban areas. There is a pressing need to attend to
the social requirements of the residents, who have limited access to
employment, income, housing, health and education. The physical, economic and
social challenges in these communities should be attacked aggressively.
Programmes directed towards positive changes in the lives of members of each
community should be spearheaded by the Government.
15.45.
At the request of the GoJ, ECLAC, carried out a study on the impact
of the events of May 2010 in Jamaica. Its report made a number of specific
recommendations, which we do not set forth herein since they are readily
available to GoJ. We are content
to endorse those specific
recommendations for urgent action by GoJ
.
15.46.
At a macro level, we also endorse the main conclusion of
the report that a medium to long-term programme of rehabilitation and
revitalisation of the affected communities should be developed in order
to integrate those communities into Jamaican society
. Such a
programme must have, at its centre, the creation of mechanisms to train,
educate and assist the people in generating wealth from productive activities.
15.47.
As part of a programme for inner city renewal and development
we recommend
that the Government should vigorously pursue the private
sector’s assistance by inviting them to embrace the Urban Renewal (Tax Relief)
Act. Under section 3 (1) of the Act, the Minister is empowered to declare an area
“a special development area.” The section reads:
“S. 3 (1) The Minister may, by order, declare any area
suffering from blight or urban decay to be a special
development area for the purposes of the Act.”