Reading Time: 3 minutes

The University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC), with the support of National Commercial Bank Jamaica Limited (NCB), hosted its 6th Annual Rickert Allen Memorial Lecture on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, under the theme “Strength of the Caribbean: Readiness, Recovery and Resilience (3Rs).”

Held at UCC’s Main Campus in Kingston, the annual lecture honoured the legacy of the late Dr. Rickert Allen, former Chairman of the UCC Board and former Senior General Manager for Group Human Resources and Facilities at NCB. The event brought together environmental, municipal and disaster-risk experts for a timely discussion on how Jamaica and the wider Caribbean can better prepare for, respond to and recover from natural events intensified by climate change.

The event featured a panel discussion with Robert H.P. Hill JP, Chief Executive Officer of the Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC); Professor Carol Archer, Professor of Urban Planning and Public Policy at the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTECH); and Eleanor Jones, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Environmental Solutions Limited.

Readiness

Mr. Hill highlighted the importance of local government capacity and community-level systems, noting that readiness requires clear coordination, practical response mechanisms and sustained public trust. He said municipal planning must rely more heavily on geographical and environmental risk data, including GIS mapping, settlement patterns and vulnerability assessments.

Recovery

Professor Archer urged Jamaica and the wider Caribbean to place greater emphasis on long-term recovery planning, stronger local governance and climate-responsive infrastructure. She argued that the region is not short on policies, but must improve implementation, enforcement and investment in the tools required to carry out those policies.

Resilience

Mrs. Jones reinforced the need to shift public understanding from “natural disasters” to natural events whose impacts are shaped by human decisions.

“There are natural events,” she said. “What we do makes them disasters”.

She called for stronger environmental accountability, better waste management, improved environmental impact assessment processes and restoration of protective ecosystems such as mangroves and coral reefs.

Dr. Andrea Sutherland, Dean of the College of Graduate Studies and Research, encouraged personal responsibility as the catalyst for regional and local resilience. “Let us carry with us the lesson that readiness is our responsibility, recovery is our process, and resilience is our inheritance as Caribbean people,” she expressed.

A highlight of the evening was the testimony of first-year Cybersecurity student Toni Shantae Bruce, recipient of the Rickert Allen Memorial Scholarship, who shared how the financial assistance has eased her burden and strengthened her commitment to service and advocacy.

Reflecting on the legacy and impact of Dr Allen, Hopelin Hines, Vice President – Group Human Resources Division at NCBJ expressed, “The late Dr Rickert Allen, our former head of Human Resources and Facilities, was a visionary who was unafraid to lead our team in bold, new directions. It is therefore fitting that for the last six years, we have sponsored the UCC Rickert Allen Memorial Lecture – an event that explores cutting-edge ideas that can have high impact on our socio-economic growth”.  

Professor Colin Gyles, President of UCC, described the lecture as a significant institutional tradition that continues Dr. Allen’s legacy of service and transformational thinking.

The Rickert Allen Memorial Lecture serves as a platform for thought leadership, scholarship and public engagement in honour of Dr. Allen’s enduring contribution to UCC, NCB, higher education, leadership and national development.