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Grenada The coordinating role of the Agency for Reconstruction and Development Inc. (ARD) was very much in evidence today, as participants in a recent training exercise that marked the commencement of the remapping of Grenada were formally recognised. The ARD, with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), facilitated a three-day training workshop in January for Public Officers on the use of the Geographical Information System (GIS) through satellite technology. The GIS is a data base of all the essential attributes of the land and according to ARD Human Settlement Specialist Ivan Laughlin: "Land is a fundamental plank in any development process (and) mapping is one of the voices of the land."
Seven of the twelve Public Officers were in attendance to receive Certificates of Participation during a special ceremony today at the ARD Board Room, all of whom expressed appreciation for the training and pledged to apply and share the knowledge obtained. Members of the ARD Human Settlement Task Force (HSTF), along with members of the media, witnessed the presentations. UNDP Deputy Resident Representative for Barbados and the OECS Mrs. Rebeca Arias congratulated the ARD for initiating the training and said the UNDP has been pleased to work closely with ARD, which has a key role in coordinating all the reconstruction efforts in Grenada. Mrs. Arias noted the importance of sharing information among agencies, as well as and making the information obtained through satellite imagery open to the public domain. Mrs. Arias also took the opportunity to present four computers to the ARD for distribution among the agencies of the HSTF. Mr. Michael Mason, Acting Chief Land Use Officer in the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Forestry and Fisheries, was particularly pleased to be part of the training and looks forward to utilising the knowledge gained. "I am so happy today. I have been pushing this since 1994," Mr. Mason said, giving the assurance that the information will be shared through the HSTF. He said the application of the technology obtained from the training will secure data integrity and avoid duplication of data. The HSTF was established by the ARD in 2005 and brings together - on a weekly basis - representatives of the Lands and Surveys Department, Land Use Division and the Forestry Department in the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Forestry and Fisheries; the Valuation Division, Physical Planning Unit and Central Statistics Office in the Ministry of Finance and Planning; the Supreme Court Registry in the Ministry of Legal Affairs; the Housing Authority of Grenada and the National Disaster Management Agency (NadMA). The HSTF falls under the ARD Department of Social Recovery and Director Dr. Jennifer Holder Dolly explained why the ARD has incorporated Human Settlement into the overall development process. "Human Settlement is an all-embracing approach to the sustainable development of the living environment ... At its heart then is the shaping of people's lives. For us in the ARD therefore, it is a signature moment when we broaden the base of persons with the skills to make full use of the GIS technology and the institutional capacity to develop this planning tool and national resource," Dr. Dolly said. She congratulated members of the HSTF for modeling coordination and communication. "In my view you have modeled the significant gains to be made from collaboration and respectful communication; respecting the integrity of each Department and at the same time cooperating where overlaps exist and where efficiencies can be realised in operations. I am pleased to advise the UNDP that the Task Force is, in fact, operationalising the recommendations of the training consultants," Dr. Dolly said. Participants in the training course are listed below: Beryl-Ann Clarkson - Central Statistical Office |
