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All participants involved in the rebuilding of Grenada have been called upon to cooperate with the Agency for Reconstruction and Development Inc. (ARD), which was officially launched today (March 15) at the new ARD headquarters in the Botanical Gardens. Chief Executive Officer Mr. Richardson Andrews, in outlining the activities of the ARD since it was legally incorporated under the Companies Act in November 2004, noted that an important element of effective coordination is the continuous flow of accurate information in several directions. Accurate and reliable information is a foundation for good decisions; it eliminates guesswork, reduces errors and wastage. We are, therefore, creating a database that will track the progress of the reconstruction effort throughout the Country. All stakeholders will have access to the database, but all will need to contribute to the data base, Mr. Andrews said. The ARD CEO told the gathering of Parliamentarians, Public Officers, representatives of the Donor Community, the non-governmental organisations, the private sector and other stakeholders that the ARD is also seeking to harmonize donor reporting so as to reduce the number of reporting formats required by donors and the transaction costs of donor funded projects, The functions of the ARD, as defined by Cabinet, have guided the Agency, as follows:
Coordinate the activities among Government Ministries; Coordinate and integrate private sector and civil society inputs and contributions; Coordinate international efforts and financial contributions; Ensure the optimal implementation of project activities; Track the impact on affected people, villages and communities; Evaluate and adjust response strategies and tactics; and Account and report to the national and international communities. It is important to note that our role is not to have prime responsibility for the implementation of physical projects. This is the responsibility of the various Ministries, public sector bodies and donor agencies, Mr. St. Rose said. Prime Minister Dr. the Rt. Hon. Keith Mitchell referred to the enormous task that the ARD faces. I want to assure Mr. Andrews and his ARD team that the Grenadian people are counting on the ARD, as I am, my Cabinet colleagues and, I trust, all conscientious Parliamentarians, Prime Minister Mitchell said. The Prime Minister also called on the ARD to maintain the sense of urgency that initiated the creation of the Agency in the first place, following the devastation caused by the passage of Hurricane Ivan in September, 2004. All of us assembled here in this room must continue to remind ourselves that we are in the business of rebuilding peoples lives. That is the key objective that we must never forget, Prime Minister Mitchell said. The ARD operations are funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the official launch was addressed by the Hon. Jean Augustine, Special Advisor for Grenada to the Prime Minister of Canada. We believe that only through a thorough, well coordinated effort by this central Agency will Grenada be rebuilt even better than it was before those dark days in September, Ms. Augustine said. Photo information: Hon. Jean Augustine (r), and ARD Chairman Marius St. Rose (l) watch as Prime Minister Dr. the Rt. Hon. Keith Mitchell (c) cuts the ribbon to officially launch the ARD
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