KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Government of Jamaica has sought assistance from the United Nations in managing the large amounts of donations being sent to the island, to ensure aid is distributed effectively.

“In relation to relief efforts and coordination, a key update is the the UNOPS [United Nations Office for Project Services] based on the request of the Government of Jamaica, is here and is going to be assisting us in coordinating the relief efforts,” said Minister of Information Dana Morris Dixon during a press briefing on Thursday.

Some residents have taken to social media to express frustration at the pace of deliveries and alleged unequal distribution chain. In addition, many people and groups have flooded the western parishes to distribute aid, contributing to traffic jams.

Speaking of the UNOPS assistance, Morris Dixon said: “They have a lot of experience in terms of coordination, and as you would see, Minister Vaz has facilitated a lot of flights. There is a lot of goods and equipment coming into the country and going to many different donor agencies.

“There are so many donor agencies that are operating in Jamaica, and we want to have everything joined up and coordinated so that’s why we are using international experts through UNOPS,” she said.

Morris Dixon pointed out that donor agencies were sometimes overlapping in their efforts, which better coordination should fix.

The UNOPS says its mandate is to provide practical solutions in infrastructure, procurement and project management.

—  Dana Malcolm