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R3I CONSULTANT CONDUCTS PROGRESS REPORT MISSION IN VI

R3I CONSULTANT CONDUCTS PROGRESS REPORT MISSION IN VI

March 3, 20111012Views

Thursday, March 3 Yesterday the Virgin Islands (VI) was part of a regional Result Oriented Monitoring (ROM) Mission being carried out by the European Union (EU).


Mr. Hugh Graham, an independent consultant, has been contracted by the EU to assess the current status of the R3i Project in the VI. The ROM Mission was designed to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of project implementation, impact prospects, potential sustainability, and to make recommendations for any needed improvements regarding the project.


The R3i project is an initiative funded by the European Commission to achieve an increased and coordinated level of risk reduction in the English and Dutch Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT), as well as to enhance capacity in order to gain accurate modeling and assessing of the cost to these small islands from a hazard impact. The main aim of this initiative is to address the risks and exposures of these OCTs by providing a network of regional infrastructure, programmes, policies and protocols aimed at reducing loss of human life and lessening the economic impact from disasters.


Mr. Graham’s visit provided a snapshot of progress up to this point. This will supplement a concise report containing status and assessment of the project which will outline the standard parameters of relevance/quality of design, efficiency, effectiveness, and the prospects of impact and the projected level of sustainability.


During his deliberations, Mr. Graham said, “One of the benefits of this visit is that it brings an independent perspective to the management of the project and to see if there are any actions that needs to be taken. If we need to change directions a bit, we can but we cannot make too much change because the project is governed by a financial agreement that is signed by the EU and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to ensure that certain benefits are delivered within the specified time frame of the project”. He later added, “The British Virgin Islands has been very instrumental in the overall design and the implementation of the priorities for the region and the benefits from this project will be great.”


The R3i project, a 4.9 million Euro project funded by the European Union, is designed to be implemented over a 3-year period.