The OECS director general has urged political parties in Grenada to put aside partisan interests and focus on the rebuilding the country. Dr Len Ishmael, who recently led a five-member team to Grenada to assess damages after Hurricane Ivan, told BBC Caribbean Radio that unity is needed at this crucial time in Grenada. "I think underscoring everything in terms of the efforts that are being made both regionally and internationally is the need for a lack of a political approach to the management of the recovery process," she said. "If there ever was a cause that should supersede any partisan interest, this certainly is it." Dr Ishmael's mission produced a comprehensive report which outlined a long recovery and rehabilitation process for Grenada. The report, a macro assessment of the social and economic direct and indirect losses and secondary effects of Hurricane Ivan on the economy of Grenada, put overall damages at just over than $815 million which represents the gross domestic product for two years. This report will form the basis on which regional officials will appeal to the international donor community for funding to rebuild Grenada at an aid donor conference in Washington on October 4. The OECS Director General said the conference will be told the three main priorities are reinvigorating the economy, creating employment and reducing the social vulnerability that currently exists. Dr Ishmael said the donor community will need to be assured that there is a proper structure in place for the management of aid in Grenada. Aid management "One of the priority projects we identified is the need urgently for the government to establish some sort of statutory body or some sort of mechanism to be able to coordinate the inflows of aid as well as to coordinate the rebuilding efforts which will be at a magnitude never seen before." There have been complaints by some Grenadians that aid was not being distributed fairly, but Dr Ishmael said the situation has improved significantly. "We have to step back and give some sober reflection to the reality to the situation on the ground," she said. "It is enormously difficult to deploy your security systems and your emergency response mechanisms when those people themselves have lost everything. "There is a national interest but there is an immediate personal and intimate interest that has to be serviced at the same time. I think there was a little bit of that," she said. The report said that 90% of Grenada's housing stock was destroyed while the tourism industry lost 90% of hotel rooms. It was estimated that 60% of people in the tourism sector have lost their jobs. Hurricane Ivan destroyed Grenada's agriculture sector, and the traditional crops of cocoa and nutmeg are not expected to contribute to the economy for some time because of their long gestation periods. SOURCE: BBCCARIBBEAN.COM