JAMAICA has suffered more than US$136 billion in economic losses from climate-related disasters over the past two decades, with poorer households, farmers, fishers and small tourism operators often facing the slowest and most uneven recovery, according to a new United Nations-backed discussion paper released on Thursday.

The discussion, published by the Jamaican Economy Panel (JEP), found that the island experienced 19 major hydrometeorological events between 2000 and 2023, including hurricanes, storms and droughts that disrupted livelihoods, damaged infrastructure and strained essential services.

Recent disasters, including Hurricane Beryl in 2024 and Hurricane Melissa in 2025, further highlight the importance of strengthening recovery systems that support long-term resilience.

While Jamaica has strengthened its emergency response capacity over the years, recovery outcomes remain uneven, particularly for economically vulnerable households, rural communities, informal workers, farmers, fishers and small tourism operators.

According to the panel, these groups are often left behind because of limited savings, inadequate insurance coverage, insecure land tenure and restricted access to financing.

The report also noted that women, older persons and people with disabilities can face additional barriers during recovery because of social and economic vulnerabilities.

JEP panellists said preparedness remains one of the biggest factors shaping recovery outcomes, but efforts are often constrained by limited financing, coordination gaps and weaknesses in early data collection and damage assessments.

The panel said strengthening early warning systems, scalable social protection programmes, housing readiness, livelihood protection and resilient infrastructure could improve recovery outcomes and reduce long-term economic damage.

Dr Nadine McCloud, a member of the Jamaican Economy Panel, said the country must strengthen its disaster risk management framework as climate-related hazards become more frequent and severe.

She said sustained investment in early warning systems, data and risk assessments, resilient infrastructure and stronger coordination between communities and national agencies would help reduce vulnerability and improve resilience.

Dr Stuart Davies, United Nations senior economist, said preparedness must be more deliberately embedded into recovery systems to ensure faster and more equitable outcomes.

“Strengthening partnerships, improving data-driven decision-making and aligning preparedness and recovery planning are critical to ensuring that the most vulnerable communities are not left behind,” Davies said.

United Nations Resident Coordinator in Jamaica Dennis Zulu said strengthening preparedness for inclusive recovery is essential to protecting Jamaica’s development gains as climate-related disasters become more frequent and severe.

“Ensuring that recovery systems are designed to reach the most vulnerable will be critical to building resilience and leaving no one behind,” Zulu said.

The JEP is a partnership between the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office and the Department of Economics at The University of the West Indies, Mona and examines monthly socio-economic issues affecting Jamaica.