December 2018 Volume 1, Issue 3 THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS From left are Devon Rowe, Executive Director, CARICAD; Arlene McComie, Consultant; the Honourable Sharlene Cartwright -Robinson, the Turks and Caicos Islands Premier and Minister of Finance; Lois Parkes, CLP Regional Project Manager, and the Honourable Sean Astwood, Deputy Premier of TCI. A JOINT delegation from the Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD) and the Caribbean Leadership Project (CLP) recently visited some of CARICAD’s member states. The Turks and Caicos Islands’ (TCI) Deputy Governor and Head of the Public Service, who was at the time Acting Governor, Her Excellency Anya Williams hosted the delegation to discuss the launch of what will now be known as the “Caribbean Leadership Programme” in that territory. The CLP was developed to assist member states across the region to build current and future leadership capabilities in the public sector and elsewhere. Continues on Pages 2&3 BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS Governor of the BVI, His Excellency Augustus Jaspert with CARICAD’s Devon Rowe. CARICAD, CLP Moving Across the Region ……………....………..…… Pages 1-3 PSTAT—Transforming Public Sector Organisations .……………….. Page 4 Regional Top Level Retreats…………...………………………………...… Pages 5-6 12th Biennial CAPAM Conference ….……………………..…………...… Pages 7-10 CARICAD Collaborates with IDB ……………..…...……………………… Page 11 1
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS From left are David Archer, Deputy Governor, BVI, Arlene McComie, Consultant; Governor of the BVI, His Excellency Augustus Jaspert; Devon Rowe, Executive Director, CARICAD and CLP Regional Project Manager, Lois Parkes. TCI TALKS: From left are Arlene McComie, Consultant; Devon Rowe, Executive Director, CARICAD; Acting Governor, Her Excellency Anya Williams; CLP Regional Project Manager, Lois Parkes, and HR Director TCI, Mark Greenway. INSET: The team engaging in discussion. Mr. Devon Rowe, Executive Director of CARICAD, accompanied by Dr. Lois Parkes, Regional Project Manager for the CLP and Mrs. Arlene McComie, Lead Consultant on the Capacity Assessment for Training Institutes Assignment across the Caribbean. The team met with the TCI’s Acting Governor Anya Williams and HR Director Mark Greenway. During the meeting, they discussed how the programmes can be incorporated into the TCI Government’s training programmes for 2019/2020. Mr. Rowe and Dr. Parkes also met with Premier the Honourable Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson and President of the Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Kyle Smith. Commenting on the visit, Mr. Rowe advised that the Caribbean Leadership Project would be absorbed into CARICAD as of July 2019 when the project ends. Mr. Rowe was pleased that the materials developed during the execution of the project would be available to the Turks and Caicos Islands. He stated that, “The aim of the programme is to strategically strengthen the next generation of Caribbean leaders to more effectively contribute and support gender-sensitive public sector reform, regional integration and economic growth. The programme will therefore seek to foster regional approaches for the sustainability of leadership development.” 2
ANGUILLA MEETING: From left are Anguilla’s Kenneth Hodge; CLP Consultant, Arlene McComie; Assistant Director, CARICAD, Rosemund Warrington; Deputy Governor the Honourable Perin Bradley, CLP Regional Project Manager, Lois Parkes. AT RIGHT: From left are Consultant Arlene McComie, CARICAD’s Rosemund Warrington; Anguilla Leader of the Opposition, the Honourable Palmavon Webster and the CLP’s Lois Parkes. TCI Deputy Governor Williams, also commenting on the success of the visit said, “Training and development is a major part of our focus in the public service of the Turks and Caicos Islands. In addition to in-house training offered by our Training Unit, we continue to partner with key agencies to bring vital training programmes to the TCI. We are excited about the launch of the CLP in the Turks and Caicos in 2020 and look forward to working with CARICAD which is no stranger to the TCI, having recently assisted in the drafting of the Irma/Maria Recovery Plan. “As a member of the Board of Directors of CARICAD I intend to work closely with the Executive Director and my colleagues and other member states to continue to develop programmes that will greatly assist in helping to transform our public sectors across the region.” Mr. Rowe also advised that the project will be executed within the context of realities related to the needs and culture of the Caribbean. Mr. Rowe expressed his thanks to the officials for the ideas and contributions received for the future focus of the programme. Mr. Rowe and his team also visited the British Virgin Islands and met with the Governor His Excellency Augustus Jaspert and Deputy Governor, David Archer. The team had also journeyed to Anguilla where they met with Deputy Governor the Honourable Perin Bradley and Leader of the Opposition, in Anguilla the Honourable Palmavon Webster. 3
PSTAT – INTEGRATING ASSESSMENT AND IMPROVEMENT IN PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANISATIONS by Rosemund R. Warrington The Public Sector Transformation Assessment Tool (PSTAT) was recently developed by the Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD) as a starting point in the process of establishing a set of criteria specifically for the public sector. The process of developing a public sector assessment methodology began as a result of the Charter Conceptual Framework for Caribbean Public Services which was introduced by CARICAD in 2015. The Charter Framework and Charter Articles of the Agreement were endorsed in 2017 by the Ministers responsible for Public Administration in CARICAD Member Countries. Simply put, PSTAT is a questionnaire to be completed by a team of public sector officials in which they rate the current status of the public service in relation to the six pillars of the Charter. Comparisons of the same issues every few years will provide a sense of progress or otherwise. The idea for a diagnostic tool, grounded in the six pillars of the Charter namely Governance, Standards, Capacity, Accountability, Openness and Legislation, originated during national consultations held in CARICAD member countries during the period 2016-2017. The main objective of these consultations was to introduce the concepts and principles of the Charter and to solicit suggestions for improvement from stakeholders. Participants, including Public Sector officials and key stakeholders such as the Private Sector and unions, questioned whether there could be an instrument that could be developed using Quality Management concepts relevant to the work of Government. The PSTAT was thus designed following extensive research of international performance excellence diagnostic tools. PSTAT is expected to serve a number of purposes: Provide a method and common language for talking about the public sector and how it can be improved Provide a way to involve stakeholders from all areas at all levels in improving the public sector Help to focus the attention of public sector leaders, managers and employees on the opportunities for improvement Provide a “compass” for public officers to use in navigating the implementation and evaluation of public sector transformation initiatives Provide an integrated systems approach to thinking about the public sector so that public officers view and understand how their work operations impact the operations of the public sector as a whole. The public sector is always changing and is being called upon to be more resilient and outcome-focused. In this environment of constant change, PSTAT will provide a way to examine critical functions and determine best ways to engage public sector employees to identify and implement opportunities for improvement. The ultimate goal of PSTAT is not merely to improve efficiency and effectiveness but also to inculcate a culture of assessment, where continuous improvement is a part of the day-to-day modus operandi of conducting the work of government throughout the public sector. PSTAT is expected to be launched in CARICAD Member Countries early in 2019 and will be accompanied by targeted training in the use of the Tool. Rosemund Warrington is the Assistant Director and Human Resource and Organisation Development and Effectiveness Specialist at CARICAD. 4
Programme Specialist Franklyn Michael as he delivered his presentation. CARICAD was invited by the Secretary to the Cabinet in Grenada, Mrs. Beryl Isaac to conduct a retreat for the Senior Managers Board (SMB) of the public service. The retreat took place in Grenada on Thursday, November 15th this year. The goal of the retreat was to engender a commitment to mutual support among the Senior Management Board of Grenada, encouraging commitment to the cohesive implementation of Government Policy. The members of the SMB had been asked to familiarise themselves with the CARICAD template for the functioning of Committees of Permanent Secretaries as well as the CARICAD Charter and Implementation Guide, prior to the retreat. Electronic versions of those documents can be obtained from CARICAD. More than 20 members of the SMB participated in the highly participatory and interactive sessions. The CARICAD team was led by Executive Director Devon Rowe who facilitated what was styled as “a conversation with the SMB”. Mr. Rowe focused on the Jamaican experience in economic recovery between 2012 and 2016, which was during his time at the Ministry of Finance, culminating in his appointment as Financial Secretary, a role in which he distinguished himself for values-based leadership. Assistant Director Rosemund Warrington and Programme Specialist Franklyn Michael facilitated sessions that dealt with: The Leadership/ Management Interface The Ideal Public Sector Managers Scenarios – Mini Case Studies Self-assessment Questionnaires in Leadership and Teamwork Participants at the SMB retreat. 5 Continues on Page 6
The Deputy Governor of Montserrat, Her Excellency Lyndell Simpson, sought CARICAD’s assistance in staging a high-level retreat in Montserrat for Ministers of Government and senior managers in the public service. The senior managers are collectively referred to as the Core Management Team (CMT). The retreat took place from October 17-18 this year at the Governor’s Official residence in Montserrat. His Excellency, Governor Andrew Pearce attended all sessions of the retreat. The Honourable Premier, Donaldson Romeo and Ministers Paul Lewis and David Osborne were also in attendance. The Deputy Premier Delmaude Ryan was on mission travel at the time and could not attend. There was almost full attendance from the senior public officers. The goal of the retreat was to: Engender a commitment to mutual support among Ministers of Government and the CMT of Montserrat for successful implementation of national development priorities. The specific objectives were to: Clarify the respective roles of Ministers and the CMT members Provide an opportunity for Ministers and Top Managers to openly discuss and explain their expectations of each other Deputy Governor The Honourable Lyndell Simpson of Montserrat Identify practical steps that can be taken to enhance the working relationship between Ministers and the CMT Agree to short-term deliverables or outputs than can be used to demonstrate the effectiveness an enhanced partnership between Ministers and the CMT In summing up the outcome of the retreat, Deputy Governor Simpson indicated that much was accomplished. She specifically outlined the following: Improved our understanding of our leadership and management roles and better clarity of the role of ministers and senior managers, through a review of the legal and theoretical framework B E L I Z E Established a blueprint for convening an action-focused quarterly meeting between ministers and the CMT. Reviewed the current Public Service Recruitment process and developed a draft Framework and Action Plan to clear bottlenecks and improve the process. Completed individual leadership self-assessments and worked through a number of good team-building exercises between ministers and senior managers Created a draft declaration of mutual support between ministers and senior managers The Deputy Governor has expressed her intention to discuss ways in which CARICAD can continue to assist Montserrat in achieving real and positive changes in the overall management framework and governance of the public service. CARICAD’s Programme Specialist Franklyn Michael was commended for the expert way in which he facilitated the retreat. Declaration of Mutual Support proposed following Grenada SMB Retreat Attentive participants at the SMB retreat. The CARICAD team also shared short videos on leadership. The SMB agreed to promulgate a Declaration of Mutual Support by January 2019. The text of the declaration was developed from a template provided by CARICAD. The Secretary to the Cabinet confirmed that the retreat was planned as the first in a series of technical support initiatives upon which CARICAD’s expertise in Organisational development will be relied. Members of the SMB were fulsome in their praise for the efforts and skills of the CARICAD team. 6
Delegation for the CAPAM 2018 Conference. Guyana was alight with activities from 19th to 24th October, 2018 as it hosted both the 12TH Biennial Conference of Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) and the 7th Biennial Commonwealth Public Service Ministers Forum. These conferences were characterised by many simultaneous activities that kept organisers busy conference including members of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) headed by Mr. Reginald Brotherson – Coordinator International Conferences and Meetings Department Public Service – Ministry of the Presidency (Director CARICAD) and the officials from the CAPAM/Commonwealth Secretariat especially Mr. Dunstan Maina, Public Administration Advisor, Public Sector Governance Unit, Commonwealth Secretariat and Ms. Gay Hamilton, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) CAPAM who collaborated extensively with the LOC from the genesis of the planning works for these conferences. CARICAD was represented by Executive Director Devon Rowe and Assistant Director Rosemund Warrington. The planned programme of activities featured a mix educational and entertaining activities aimed at showcasing the Beauty, cultural diversity and hospitality of Guyana. The 7th Biennial Commonwealth Ministers forum was held at the Marriott Hotel on 21st October 2018. This event commenced following an opening Ceremony chaired by Mr. Reginald Brotherson and featured remarks by: Dr. the Honourable Rupert Roopnaraine MP, Minister of the Public Service, the Honourable Lt. Col. (retired) Joseph Harmon MP, Minister of State and Ms. Katalaina Sapolu Director Governance & Peace Directorate-Commonwealth Secretariat. The keynote address for the ceremony was given by Guyana’s Second Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs the Honourable Carl B. Greenidge. The conference plenary sessions immediately followed the opening ceremony and were chaired by Dr. the Honourable Rupert Roopnaraine MP, the Minister of Public Service Guyana. The ministers deliberated on the topic, Improving the Public Sector for Efficient and Effective Implementation. The forum featured a series of presentations, a breakout session and plenary discussions aimed at inspiring meaningful engagement on the forum’s theme. 7
7th Biennial Commonwealth Ministers Forum. The forum was deemed a success as ministers were able to benefit from information and experience sharing on adaption of approaches to aid with national development goals as was captured in the Communique presented at the end of the discussions by Mr. Dunstan Maina who served also as the lead rapporteur for the forum. The CAPAM 2018 conference, also commenced with a formal opening ceremony on 22nd October 2018 under the theme, Transforming the Public Sector for Climate Governance. The opening ceremony featured opening remarks by CEO Gay Hamilton, CAPAM welcome address by Tan Sri Dr. Ali Hamsa, President of CAPAM (Former Chief Secretary to the Government of Malaysia, Commonwealth address by Ms. Katalaina Sapolu, Director of Governance and Peace Directorate Commonwealth Secretariat and the keynote address by First Vice President and Prime Minister of Guyana Honourable Moses Nagamootoo who was the then acting President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. The session speakers comprised senior officials serving in the Public Sectors of the various The CAPAM 2018 conference featured a celebrated list of Plenary and Session Speakers and Moderators. The list of Plenary Speakers included; Mr. Mario Cutajar, Principal Permanent Secretary and Secretary to Cabinet, Malta; Ambassador Mercy Debrah-Karikari, Secretary to the Cabinet, Ghana, Professor Suresh Narine, Departments of Physics and Astronomy and Chemistry, Trent University, Canada; H.E. Satyendra Prasad, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of the Republic of FIJI to the United Nations and Douglas Wilbert Slater, Assistant Secretary General, Directorate Human and Social Development of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, who took the lead for each of the plenary sessions for the CAPAM conference. The session speakers comprised senior officials serving in the Public Sectors of the various Commonwealth member states including several speakers from host country Guyana. Moderators included officials from Malaysia, Barbados, Ghana, Malta and Guyana. There were also representatives from the United Nations, the CARICOM and Commonwealth Secretariats. The President of CAPAM also served as a moderator during the proceedings. 8 Commonwealth member states including several speakers from host country Guyana
International Innovations Awards (IIA) – winners, CAPAM 2018. The International Innovation Awards (IIA) was another key feature of the CAPAM 2018 Conference in Guyana. The IIAs featured several presentations from representatives of the member’s states of the Commonwealth of innovations designed to improve the Public Sector. India and Singapore dominated the International Innovation Awards, with Singapore copping the overall gold medal for Innovation Innovations submitted covered a broad spectrum of categories of Public Administration including; Incubation, Citizen Focus, Public Service Management and DNA. Finalists’ presentations of innovations were accommodated at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre and at the Marriott Hotel. Guyana with its first submission to the competition was listed as a semi-finalist in the category of Public Service Management for a project entitled; A Systematic Approach to Training. India and Singapore, however, dominated the IIA, each winning in two of the four categories of the competition. Singapore, however, won the Overall Gold medal for Innovation. The awards culminated with an official presentation of medals to the finalists and winners of the various categories of innovations on October 24th, 2018 as the CAPAM Banquet officially brought the curtain down on the CAPAM 2018 Conference. According to reports reaching the organizing committee, delegates were impressed with the seamless flow of coordinated conference activities. With the many moving parts associated with the organisation of these conferences, organisers were applauded for their efforts at keeping a handle on things. 9
Members of Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the 7th Biennial Commonwealth Public Service Ministers Forum and the 12th Biennial CAPAM conference. The packed programme included a well-received Cocktail Welcome Reception hosted by the Head of State on October, 22nd, 2018 at the Presidents official Residence; State House, a Culture Night that featured a cultural presentation entitled, “The People who Came” displaying Guyana’s rich cultural diversity and an accompanying Cocktail Reception hosted by the Minister of Public Service, Dr. The Honourable Rupert Roopnaraine MP, at the Theatre Guild on October 23rd, 2018. According to reports, delegates and other foreign visitors were enthused by the beauty of Guyana’s Arts and Craft as was displayed at the Craft Village Umana Yana. In addition Delegates were further treated to a preview of Guyana’s Green State Development Strategy by way of the Green Guyana International Small Business Summit and were also given a tour of the Smart Classroom facility. According to local officials, Guyana has reportedly delivered, “An (A) grade performance hosting of the 12TH Biennial Conference of Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) and 7th Biennial Commonwealth Public Service Ministers Forum. “Delegates and other such officials were enthralled with the beauty, cultural diversity and foreign hospitality of Guyana. Guyana wishes to thank the CAPAM committee and the Commonwealth Secretariat for allowing us the opportunity to host this prestigious event and showcase our beautiful country to other member states of the commonwealth and the rest of the world.” (Presentations can be downloaded at the CAPAM official website www.capam.org.) 10
CARICAD recently collaborated with the Inter-American Development Bank on the series, Building State Capacity in the Caribbean: A Baseline Report of the Civil Service. To access more information on this series, click on the links below: Building State Capacity in the Caribbean: A Baseline Report of the Civil Service Building State Capacity in the Caribbean: The State of the Civil Service in Suriname Building State Capacity in the Caribbean: The State of the Civil Service in The Bahamas Building State Capacity in the Caribbean: The State of the Civil Service in Jamaica Building State Capacity in the Caribbean: The State of the Civil Service in Barbados Building State Capacity in the Caribbean: The State of the Civil Service in Guyana 11
H appy olidays! This is the time of year when traditionally, those who embrace the Christian faith think of the Christmas story and what it means even today. In that regard, CARICAD is pleased to extend traditional Christmas greetings of Peace, Joy, Love and Sharing to all with whom we interact. We are particularly pleased to extend these greetings at a time when CARICAD continues to demonstrate its value, not only to member states but to our strategic partners as well. It has been a challenging year, but it has also been a productive and fulfilling one. We accomplished almost everything we set out to do during the year. We have expanded our formal partnerships and we have also significantly enhanced our communications outputs. These efforts are the new baseline for CARICAD. We will endeavour to achieve even more significant results in the New Year. However, we will only be able to do so if our stakeholders continue to engage with us and support us in the manner in which they did in 2018. On the behalf of the Board of Directors, staff and Operational Focal Points of CARICAD, we extend warmest wishes for a peaceful and enjoyable Christmas, Holiday Season and a New Year that delivers as much promise as it always portends! The CARICAD Horizon is a regular publication of the Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD). The Horizon has superseded the “Chronicle”. The Editor-in-Chief is CARICAD’s Executive Director, Devon Rowe. The Production Team comprises: Franklyn Michael, Rosemund Warrington, Angela Eversley and Petra Emmanuel The Caribbean Centre for Development Administration, 1st Floor Weymouth Corporate Centre, Roebuck Street, Bridgetown, Barbados Tel: 246-427-8535 Fax: 246-436-1709 Email: caricad@caricad.net Website: www.caricad.net 12
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