His Excellency, Vice Admiral Jerry Kyd CBE, is to become Jersey Overseas Aid’s (JOA) first ever Patron adding to the organisation’s status and growing reputation as a highly respected and effective international aid agency.
Since moving to Jersey in 2022, Vice Admiral Kyd (shown in the main picture, to the left) has engaged with JOA on numerous occasions and publicly praised its approach to international development and humanitarian relief.
During his 37-year career with the Royal Navy, His Excellency contributed to various humanitarian operations and saw first-hand the vital work humanitarian agencies do in addressing the needs of populations affected by conflict or natural disasters. Earlier this year the Lieutenant Governor met with members from the UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR, as part of JOA’s outreach initiative on the Rohingya refugee response and included a video call with a Jersey resident currently working for the agency in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, as part of JOA’s placement scheme with the UN.
His Excellency said, “I am both delighted and excited in becoming the Patron of Jersey Overseas Aid. Having served around the world in the Navy, often alongside aid agencies and other non-Government organizations, I have seen for myself the importance of overseas aid in supporting longer-term development in countries where help is most needed.
“We really can make a difference in improving lives, particularly through basic education, essential healthcare and food resilience, which helps lift communities out of poverty and enhances quality of life.
“Overseas aid also has more strategic impacts, not least in reducing the likelihood of conflict and wars by stabilizing regions and offering a better way of life. But this does take money and investment, and which is why I am so proud that Jersey plays its part in this vital global effort.”
As patron, His Excellency will help raise the profile and promote JOA’s work across its four main funding streams; international development grants (funding multi-year projects), humanitarian and emergency aid (responding to crises), Jersey Charities (supporting local charities working abroad) and volunteering and outreach (providing opportunities to islanders in international development).
Jersey’s Minister for International Development and Chair of JOA, Deputy Carolyn Labey (shown in the main picture, to the right), said “We are absolutely delighted and honoured that the Lieutenant-Governor has agreed to be our patron and champion the incredible amount of good work being done on behalf of our Island. Having met His Excellency on several occasions, I know him to be a passionate supporter of overseas aid, and I look forward to working together to showcase how our small island community is making a significant difference on the global stage.”
JOA focuses its development grants on three key thematic areas; Dairy for Development, Conservation Livelihoods and Financial Inclusion, selected for their effectiveness in bringing lasting change and because they are areas in which Jersey has skills and knowledge that can be shared.
JOA also concentrates these development grants on six countries (Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Zambia and Nepal) selected for their need, low levels of corruption and strength of relationship with Jersey. By following rigorous selection and monitoring processes, JOA ensures that all funding reaches the intended recipients and project goals are achieved, producing meaningful and sustainable change while delivering value for money.
Deputy Carolyn Labey added, ‘By playing to our strengths in Dairy, Conservation Livelihoods and Financial Inclusion, we don’t only enhance our own international identity but we also demonstrate that Jersey offers a diverse, outward looking set of skills which we utilise as a responsible global citizen.”
So far in 2024, JOA has responded to multiple humanitarian crises around the globe, including the Middle East, Ukraine, Bangladesh and Sudan, addressing the needs of those whose lives have been shattered through armed conflict and natural disasters. JOA’s emergency funding is simple and as light-touch as possible to ensure a swift and efficient response can be deployed, only making grants to organisations that adhere to the highest standards of quality and accountability. Most recently Jersey has been appointed to lead a key UN humanitarian working group. Over the next year, Jersey, alongside Italy and the UN’s Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) will co-chair the group and in doing so become the first non-UN member state to take up the role.
This important leadership role highlights JOA’s growing standing in the international development and humanitarian sectors as well as the role developed nations and jurisdictions have in contributing to global inequality, regardless of size. On the role JOA plays internationally, His Excellency said, “Overseas aid helps foster global solidarity, reminding nations of their interconnectedness and our shared responsibilities in making the world a better place. By investing in JOA, islanders are absolutely making a difference, contributing to a more stable and secure world, and offering hope to some of the poorest people on the planet. In short JOA helps to offer hope to people less fortunate than ourselves. And that is a wonderful and uplifting thing to do.”
