BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — The Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) says it is providing a US$1.4-million grant to the Jamaica Government for an initiative aimed at enhancing climate resilience and infrastructure along the Kingston Harbour Walk (KHW).

The region’s premier financial institution said that more than 600,000 people in Kingston, St Andrew and Port Royal are to benefit from the initiative at the harbour, which it described as the seventh-largest natural harbour in the world and is crucial to Jamaica’s economy and environment.

The CDB said that the protection of the Kingston Harbour is vital due to the increasing threats posed by climate change and that the Kingston Harbour Walk project focuses on safeguarding this essential asset, which supports both the local economy and the natural ecosystem.

It said that the project is being financed through CDB’s Special Development Fund, the Government of Italy and the European Union’s Caribbean Action for Resilience Enhancement (CARE) programme.

The bank said that this initiative will assist with the provision of a range of services leading to the long-term development of the Kingston Harbour Walk and environs.

“Our support for the Kingston Harbour Walk project reflects CDB’s ongoing commitment to climate resilience and sustainable development throughout our region. Through this grant, we are providing Jamaica with the tools to address critical environmental challenges and lay the foundation for a stronger, more resilient future,” said Therese Turner-Jones, acting vice-president of operations at CDB.

In line with this commitment, the KHW project will provide recommendations and designs that cover both structural and non-structural solutions.

“With this approach, this project aligns with the Government of Jamaica Vision 2030 and the SDGs by providing recommendations and designs that are climate-resilient, socially inclusive, technically sound, economically feasible and energy-efficient,” said L O’Reilly Lewis, acting director of projects at CDB.

The Urban Development Corporation, a key player in the sustainable development of urban areas across Jamaica, will implement the project.