At least 28 civil society organizations have raised concern over what they say is the limited scope of engagement surrounding the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) Bill.

The organizations including Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) and the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) are the latest to join discussions about the Bill following parliamentary debate last week.

The Government argued that the proposed legislation is designed to establish a single central authority to lead, coordinate and speed up post-hurricane reconstruction efforts, following destruction caused by Hurricane Melissa, last October.

The Opposition, while acknowledging the urgency of reconstruction after the Category 5 hurricane, expressed concern about the bill, highlighting unchecked power and oversight issues.

Since the debate last week, and after one Government member called for the bill to be reworked, others in the Holness Administration have sought to defend the bill in its current form.

In a joint release this morning, the civil society organizations expressed concern that the tone of the debate so far, appears more focused on defending the Bill than on constructively addressing legitimate critique and alternative proposals.

The statement pointed to recommendations formally submitted by the JFJ and JET to the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) and the Leader of the Opposition on March 30, last year.

It noted that no response has been received from the OPM, leaving uncertainty as to whether these submissions are being considered meaningfully in the parliamentary process.

The release further stated that despite the varying perspectives, even in the public domain, there has been little indication within the parliamentary debate that these concerns are being engaged substantively .

It said in light of these shortcomings, civil organizations are calling for the immediate convening of a genuine multi-stakeholder dialogue.

It stated that written submissions from all relevant stakeholder groups should be accepted within the next two weeks, followed by structured discussions over one to two days to interrogate the issues raised fully.

The group noted that should the Government not facilitate such a process, it supports the establishment of a Joint Select Committee as recommended by the Leader of the Opposition.

This Committee, it said, must be strictly time-bound, with deliberations and recommendations completed within six weeks.

The joint submission by JET and JFJ highlighted several critical concerns with the Bill in its current form, including the highly centralised, CEO-driven structure with insufficient independent oversight; weak provisions for transparency, accountability, and public participation; the absence of a clearly defined governing board with delineated responsibilities; and inadequate safeguards to ensure long-term resilience, environmental protection, and public trust.