Durrant Pate/Contributor

A climate scanner assessment by the Auditor General’s Department (AuGD) is confirming that Jamaica has made notable progress in advancing its climate agenda through strategic planning, institutional development, and increased ambition in climate policy. 

Across all three axes – governance, public policy, and climate finance, the audit declares that Jamaica demonstrated a clear commitment to aligning with international frameworks, including the Paris Agreement and UN sustainable development goals (SDGs). The audit cites Jamaica’s adoption of the Climate Change Policy Framework and the Long-Term Emissions Reduction and Climate-Resilience Strategy as important steps in formalising climate governance and long-term vision.

However, the 27-page AuGD report, tabled in Parliament on Tuesday (March 10) highlights the need for Jamaica to meet its commitment to develop climate legislation to create legally enforceable standards and oversight mechanisms. This is in addition to ensuring that efforts towards strengthening coordination between the national and parochial levels are achieved. 

Jamaica’s performance under the assessment reflects both meaningful strides and clear opportunities for improved coordination, transparency, and long-term sustainability in its climate response.

Details of Jamaica’s performance

In public policy, sectoral mitigation and adaptation strategies were developed, particularly in energy, forestry, waste, and water management. “Nonetheless, challenges were noted in implementing these strategies due to resource limitations, inter-agency coordination gaps, and insufficient monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, the AuGD report finds.

The assessment notes that Jamaica is in the process of developing its National Adaptation Plan with the goal of establishing an inclusive, systematic and participatory national adaptation planning and implementation framework by 2026. In the area of climate finance, the assessment commended Jamaica taking steps to integrate climate priorities into public budgets and secured funding from international sources such as the Green Climate Fund. 

However, the assessment finds, “financial tracking was fragmented with no comprehensive system in place to monitor public, private, and indirect climate finance across sectors. Finance tracking focused mainly on public-private projects, leaving purely private investments underreported. While foundational policies, plans, and partnerships were in place, implementation and accountability mechanisms needed to be strengthened.”

The AuGD report says enhanced data management, stakeholder inclusion, capacity building, and the development of sector-specific financing strategies will be critical in accelerating progress toward climate resilience. The assessment complements the AuGD’s ongoing environmental audits by identifying implementation gaps and highlighting good practices in the government’s climate response. 

For Jamaica, the assessment provided valuable insights into how effectively climate action has been institutionalised, the development and implementation of relevant policies, and the mobilisation and tracking of financial resources to meet both national and international climate commitments.

Given Jamaica’s exposure to climate-related risks, particularly as a small island developing state, this assessment served as a strategic opportunity to benchmark national efforts and identify key areas for improvement.

About climate scanner assessment 

The climate scanner assessment was conducted as part of a global initiative led by the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions, in collaboration with its Working Group on Environmental Auditing. The objective of this initiative was to conduct a rapid, high-level review of national government responses to climate change across three axes: governance, public policies and climate finance.