The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has expressed pleasure to be able to collaborate with the Dominica Association of Industry and Commerce (DAIC) to support increased resilience while recognizing the diversity of the private sector in Dominica.
IOM’s Maxine Alleyne-Esprit explains “IOM is pleased to have been able to facilitate collaboration between the DAIC and AHID, and to bring the Business Continuity Planning Workshop to Haitian business owners. One of the objectives of the Western Hemisphere Program, funded by the US State Department Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migrants (PRM), is to strengthen the capacity of private sector organizations to be more inclusive. Similar to the way that the Dominica-Houston Association, or the Dominica UK Association DUKA, or the group in Toronto, or the tri-state area might secure support from an organization to host business workshops for Dominicans in Houston, the UK, Toronto or the tri-state area respectively, this activity has been a collaboration with AHID on behalf of Haitian-owned businesses. If the AC repair man, the barber, restaurant owner or farmer and vendor are able to resume their services more quickly after a crisis, because they have some sort of plan, isn’t this to the benefit of the entire society? The availability of products and services in a timely manner, and, importantly, their contributions to the economy through consumption, the payment of taxes, utility payments, social security payments, school fees and rent, all contribute to Dominica’s economic growth. The activity thereby contributes to the global goals, specifically Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth.”
The Caribbean Chamber of Commerce (CARICHAM) recently launched a Business Resilience Toolkit for the benefit of the private sector across the region. The toolkit provides a simple guide to creating Business Continuity Plans for risk scenarios that have real potential to cause significant or extreme disruption to an individual business. The Business Resilience Toolkit is available on the CARICHAM website at www.caribbeanchambers.net/bcp and caters to the main languages of business in the Caribbean, being available in Creole, Dutch, English, French, and Spanish.
Since Hurricane Maria in 2017, DAIC has facilitated several resilience-building workshops and training fora, building the capacity of its members to be more resilient. Executive Director Lizra Fabien was CARICHAM’s focal point for this project and was integrally involved in developing the Toolkit. After launching the Toolkit to its members, the DAIC saw the benefit of reaching out to a wider section of business owners, to share the simple guide and template, and encourage all businesses in Dominica to use the resources to plan for contingencies. “As the focal point for CARICHAM in DRR, I have a passion to ensure that our businesses in Dominica benefit from these tools, leverage these tools and really maximize these tools for more resilient businesses. As we have a great Haitian population here in Dominica, it was really key for us to support the Haitian entrepreneurs (migrant entrepreneurs) to understand how to use this tool which is really valuable and available here in Dominica.” The DAIC Executive Director and CARICHAM DRR focal point noted that this would provide for Dominica’s private sector to be more resilient overall, recovering quickly to provide services and products to the public even in the face of extreme challenges.
Having supported the translation of the tools under the Western Hemisphere Program, IOM was pleased to give further support to the private sector organization, facilitating promotion of the tools among other language groups in Dominica, recognizing that resilience can only be achieved if no one is left behind. The Association of Haitians Integrated in Dominica (AHID) supported mobilization, logistics, and facilitation of the workshop, through PRO Gabriel Cesar, owner of CENAP Translation & Interpretation Services.
The business owners who participated in the Business Resilience Workshop on 4 May 2022 were very happy about the engagement and noted that they had never been invited to any such session before in Dominica. The workshop therefore contributed also to SDG 10 – by reducing inequalities in access to information and business resilience support.
