March 2021 Volume 4, Issue 1 HOR ZON FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S DESK W e are living in unprecedented times. We are traveling through unchartered waters. The times in which we are living are uncertain, complex, insecure and anxiety-inducing. The COVID-19 crisis has greatly intensified the uncertainty, complexity and anxiety. The crisis has now gone past a year in duration and there is as yet no certainty regarding its end. We at the CARICAD Secretariat have responded to these challenging times with creativity and determination. This is some of what we did: Placed a premium on the safety of our staff and ancillary personnel. We have followed all directives from the Government of Barbados and all relevant protocols Identified the priority areas of work in the COVID-19 environment Upgraded technology to underpin remote work among all staff and personnel engaged on assignments Revamped and revised our Operational Plan Defined ways in which CARICAD could deliver value to member states in the Devon Rowe Executive Director of CARICAD prevailing, protracted circumstances and moved systematically to deliver value through assignments for and interaction with member states Focused on re-developing our Website and Social Media pages to facilitate improved and expanded contact and engagement with stakeholders Continues on Page 2 1
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in March last year, graduates of the Mid-Level Leadership Development Programme who were based in Barbados were fortunate to have received their awards at the physical offices of the Caribbean Centre for Development Administration. The setting for the award of certificates for the current cohort will be determined by the status of the pandemic. Continued from previous page Reviewed and revised the operational priorities of existing Strategic Partnerships to coordinate actions to deliver joint initiatives in the COVID-19 setting Pursued every reasonable opportunity to obtain fee-paid assignments to supplement income in light of likely short-falls in member states’ contributions to CARICAD’s budget We continuously reached out to members of the Board seeking information regarding possible desired assistance from the Secretariat We kept abreast of the COVID-19 situation and other major developments such as elections in member states We systematically developed our skills in crisis leadership and management We continue to learn lessons from the COVID-19 crisis. We are convinced that by continuing to catalogue lessons learnt in channels such as this, our Horizon newsletter, that we will be serving future generations well. I continue to be grateful as Executive Director of CARICAD for the support I receive from the team of professionals at the Secretariat. They are among the most competent, committed, creative and adaptable of public officers in our CARICOM region. They are also highly qualified, capable and caring. I commend this edition of our newsletter to you. I am sure that it provides evidence of the adaptability and innovative thinking to which I referred earlier. We at the CARICAD Secretariat wish all our member states and other stakeholders continued safety as we face the persistent fall-out of the COVID-19 crisis. 2
C ARICAD collaborated extensively with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat to organise and deliver a workshop entitled, Innovation, Digital Government and Public Service Delivery for Sustainable Development in the Caribbean Region Facilitated Online Capacity Development Training Workshop. The following are excerpts from the Concept Note produced by UNDESA for the workshop. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), through its Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG) and the SIDS Unit of the Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG), the Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD), and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) are co-organising an Online Training Workshop on, “Innovation, Digital Government and Public Service Delivery for Sustainable Development in the Caribbean Region”. The Online Training Workshop will be delivered between 23 February and 24 March, 2021 in 5 sessions of 2 hours each. The course will be delivered twice to two different country groupings in the Caribbean (i.e., a total of 10 webinars). This event has as a backdrop the COVID-19 pandemic, which has become an all-consuming international crisis, presenting challenges to humankind not seen since World War II. The crisis has highlighted more than ever the critical role that governments play in ensuring people’s access to public services that are affordable, responsive to their needs, accessible and people-oriented. In responding to the crisis, the Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG) of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) is developing a Curriculum on Governance for the Sustainable Development Goals composed of training of trainers toolkits that are being converted into Facilitated Online Training Courses. This The availability of new, digital technologies can help public organisations achieve significant improvement in the delivery of public services as well as to solve “wicked” problems and deliver new services. initiative aims at complementing and supporting the UN Secretary-General's initiatives in response to COVID-19 and equipping public servants with the capacities to promote innovation and digital government for effective public service delivery. The availability of new, digital technologies can help public organisations achieve significant improvement in the delivery of public services as well as to solve “wicked” problems and deliver new services. The benefits are vast and wide-ranging, bringing political, social, intrinsic and economic value to all stakeholders in different ways. The workshop will underscore how transforming new knowledge into value (innovation) and ensuring its assimilation as digital government calls for a multi-dimensional or holistic approach that involves change in local and regional levels of government, organisation, processes, institutions and individuals. There will be emphasis on “how” digital government can realise such new value, by enhancing the digital capabilities of public organisations and people, and by embarking Continues on next page 3
Continued from previous page SDGs, for innovative, inclusive and effective public service delivery. on serious transformation of structures and cultures. New thinking and new institutions, such as design thinking and innovation labs, will be discussed and participants will be invited to consider how these might work in their specific country context. The Facilitated Online Training Workshop aims to raise awareness and develop capacities to promote innovation and digital government in public service delivery. It will guide participants to relate the Sustainable Development Goals to their own National Development Plans and public service delivery and then to relate these to innovation and digital transformation in their own countries. The objectives of the Facilitated Online Training Workshop are to: Conduct a brief assessment of participating countries’ Digital Transformation Capability and relate it to their National Development Plans. Learn and apply new concepts, tools and approaches in the areas of innovation and digital government, to support participating countries’ strategies, capabilities and action planning. Explore strategies to strengthen participating countries’ capabilities, as they relate to the 2030 Agenda and the The Facilitated Online Training Workshop will feature presentations by experts, interactive activities, group discussions and innovative practices for peer-to-peer learning. The activities and group discussions will enable participants to transform in-depth learning into practice. Participants will be from the CARICAD and CARICOM member states. The Online Training Workshop will promote critical understanding of the role of innovation and digital transformation in improving public service delivery and attaining key Sustainable Development Goals. Participants will explore the institutional, organisational, structural, cultural and personal change needed to promote innovation and digital government transformation in support of the Sustainable Development Goals. They will also have the opportunity to devise strategies, roadmaps and action plans to be implemented in their own country upon completion of the course. Remarks made by the Devon Rowe, Executive Director of CARICAD at the launch of the workshop, are shown on Page 5 of this publication. CARICAD AND UNDESA RE-SIGN MOU THE Executive Director of CARICAD, Mr. Devon Rowe, has reported that following the Annual Meeting of UNPAN members held in July 2020 and the revamping of the UNPAN website, they embarked on the renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with each UNPAN member. CARICAD’s continuous engagement and fruitful contribution to UNPAN over the years has made this Network a unique platform to exchange knowledge and innovative practices on issues related to governance and public institutions. To continue the productive cooperation, the updated MOU, was reviewed by the UN Office of Legal Affairs and internally at CARICAD. The text of the MOU was revised to align it more closely with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This MOU offers a further opportunity to strengthen the partnership in support of Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals. 4
REMARKS BY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CARICAD – DEVON ROWE AT THE LAUNCH OF THE TOOLKIT ON INNOVATION AND DIGITAL GOVERNMENT FOR PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY WORKSHOP — February 23 & 24, 2021 I greet you in my capacity as Executive Director of CARICAD. Welcome to this example of innovation in innovative times. Let me say a heartfelt thank you to UNDESA for reconfirming our strategic partnership through this programme. I thank Director Juwang Zhu and the team with whom we have interacted, including Adriana Alberti, Jonas Rabinovitch, Anya Thomas, Dimis Michaelides, Huiwen Tan and others. The CARICAD and UNDESA partnership is one of CARICAD’s oldest and most enduring. We treasure this partnership. In a similar vein, I wish to express heartfelt gratitude to Ms. Jennifer Britton of the CARICOM Secretariat for her deep interest, support, and advocacy for the programme. I wish to also thank our colleagues from the Caribbean Telecommunications Union for their suggestions which have served to improve this intervention. The planning, organising and delivery of this programme has reflected not only our common interests and intentions but our common commitment to delivering improved service for the people of our region and the world. This programme falls squarely within the boundaries of the priorities of all our institutions. Colleagues and participants, you may have grown tired of hearing this, but it bears repeating, the Coronavirus Pandemic and the subsequent COVID-19 crisis have created a different world. The sense of certainty and predictability of systems, procedures, and processes with which we all lived with previously, has been replaced by uncertainty and anxiety. The uncertainties and anxieties exist at all levels of our human experience, including at the organisational and individual levels. This new reality should propel us into taking additional positive actions. Technology has emerged as one of the biggest positive forces in our current situation. Indeed, many people now regard technology as the operational essential of organisations. Colleagues we all serve as public officers, whether at the national, regional, or international level. The people whom we serve, who we work for, to whom we must report and account to, and also those people we work with, all have one thing in common, they expect us to deliver desired Results more efficiently. It is my hope that while we will promote technology-based systems, procedures and processes, we will also keep the focus on people. So, as we focus on a commitment to innovation with technology as the driving tool, we recognise that it is people who will provide the values-based competence for ethical decisions. It is people that we will be calling upon to deliver the Transformational Leadership and Implementation required to effect truly, enduring, resilient and responsive transformational change. I am grateful that several of our member states accepted the invitation to participate in this collaborative activity between UNDESA/ CARICOM and CARICAD. It is important to note that as a result of the significant contribution by UNDESA this intervention is being delivered at no cost to our governments. We are confident that your investments of time and effort will be well worth it. On the CARICAD side, I wish to thank the members of the team for their contribution to the total team effort. In closing, let me pledge CARICAD’S support for the programme and our continued partnership with UNDESA. Thank you. 5
T he Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) is an international court headquartered in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The CCJ has both a Community treaty jurisdiction (much like the European Court of Justice does for the European Union), in which it interprets and applies the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas establishing the Caribbean Community including the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (RTC), and a final appellate jurisdiction to which four Caribbean States – Barbados, Belize, Dominica and Guyana – currently subscribe. The Court’s personnel complement extends to approximately 80 staff members, including seven judges. The year 2020 has been irremovably etched into the annals of the history of the Court, not least because of the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the region and the world. On April 16, 2020, the CCJ marked 15 years of service to the people and States of CARICOM. This milestone came just over a month after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. infrastructure. More importantly, the Court has at all times sought to fulfil its published vision statement – “To be a model of judicial excellence”. For some years now, the CCJ's filing, case processing and case management systems have been electronic or automated. Technology has also been used as one of the ways in which the Court has promoted the principle of open justice. The onset of the pandemic therefore did not significantly impact the CCJ’s capacity to continue with its schedule of sittings and other work. However, the new situation posed by the pandemic required the CCJ to go one step further. Before the pandemic, the CCJ's judges, On April 16, 2020, the CCJ marked 15 years of service to the people and States of CARICOM The CCJ was well placed to respond to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic for several reasons. Since its inception, the Court has had to cater to the geography of its customers ranging from Belize in Central America, to Suriname and Guyana on the South American mainland and Barbados in the Eastern Caribbean. The CCJ has always, therefore, paid great attention to its information and communications technology registry and information systems staff typically assembled together at the court building during hearings, even if the litigants and the lawyers appeared by video conference. However, with the onset of the pandemic, the CCJ adopted a more expansive use of an online productivity tool, which had previously been used to support collaboration and communication among staff, by deploying it to facilitate fully virtual court sittings. With this transition, hearings are now being conducted completely using video conferencing technology with all judges, the lawyers and almost all registry and information technology-support staff participating from their respective homes or offices. The judges of the CCJ also conduct pre- and post- hearing deliberations online. Naturally, hearings have continued to be live-streamed. Continues on next page 6
Continued from previous page Quite apart from the full transition to remote hearings, the CCJ also adopted a number of special measures to protect the health and safety of staff and judges, while continuing to guarantee access. On April 6, 2020, the CCJ issued a Practice Direction to relax certain filing and court formalities that are more difficult for court users to comply with. This was done with a view to continue to ensure access to the CCJ and its services for customers given the need to interact with the Court remotely as well as the effects of the various restrictions on movement and gathering imposed in several CARICOM countries. At the headquarters, the mandatory observance of appropriate physical distancing, sanitisation and mask-wearing continues to be scrupulously followed by the CCJ and its staff members. In an effort to minimise the risk of contracting and possibly spreading the virus, most staff work from home on some days of the week and work from the Court office on other days. The CCJ has also put in place transportation arrangements for staff members who, prior to the pandemic, utilised the public transportation system to commute to and from the court building, when they are required to work from the Court. The pervasiveness of the virus, the suffering it has brought, and the unsettled life that all of society now endures has created hardship and anxieties. The CCJ has recognised that its personnel are not unaffected. Therefore, particularly during the height of the crisis in 2020, staff were regularly contacted by court managers to ensure that they were well and to offer any support that may be needed. The CCJ’s crisis response team continues to monitor the environment and its impact on personnel with a view to promoting health and safety and ensure continued, reliable operations. Quite apart from the full transition to remote hearings, the CCJ also adopted a number of special measures to protect the health and safety of staff and judges, while continuing to guarantee access. It is true that an organisation’s most important resource is its people. The past year has demonstrated this several times over. Staff and judges alike have demonstrated a remarkable willingness to go beyond the call of duty in order to serve both the Court, as an institution, as well as its customers. Everyone has embraced learning new technological skills and sharpening existing ones. Everyone has remained committed to excellence and optimal service delivery, even while tackling disruptions in their daily lives as has been precipitated by shared work spaces, home-schooling and everything else that has been thrown at them over the past year. The Court truly lauds and is grateful for their unwavering dedication. The present crisis has required courts, including the CCJ, to demonstrate initiative and be both responsive and pro-active. It has fully epitomised Professor Susskind's prescient notion that a court is not a place; it is a service. This notion and the lessons learned over the past year have reiterated for the Court that in order to continue to be a model of judicial excellence, we must continue to re-imagine our approaches to service delivery to ensure that the CCJ remains responsive to all our stakeholders. 7
By Alison Gittens O n January 18, 2021, the Job Letter E-ticketing Application Process (JLEAP) was announced by the Ministry of the Public Service in Barbados (MPSB) as the first of what is expected to be a number of innovations emanating from its staff to improve the operations of its ministry. This pronouncement brought me a sense of pride, a feeling of excitement and immense satisfaction because, whilst it signaled the beginning of a new challenge and a fresh work ethos, it represented the recognition, affirmation and implementation of a life-changing experience. The JLEAP has transformed the processing of job letters in the MPSB – from application through to receipt – into a seamless, shortened, digital process. It was conceptualised during my participation in Cohort 15 of CARICAD’s Mid-Level Leadership Programme (MLP) as participants were required to identify and develop an improvement project for their organisation. As a consequence, the JLEAP was birthed and nurtured. The JLEAP was further developed, tested and piloted with the assistance of my work colleagues, championed by the Director General, Human Resources, and has now been implemented within the MPSB. When I was nominated by my supervisor for the MLP in 2020, my general expectations were that on completion I would have been equipped with some new knowledge and skills to help me to be a better leader, but I could not have imagined the extent to which it would transform my life, or that it would be the catalyst for the birth of an innovation for my organisation. My participation in the MLP was one of immense challenge and growth. Under the competent tutelage of Dr. Lois Parkes, I was not only equipped with the requisite tools, skills, techniques and knowledge to lead more effectively, but I was able to glean tremendous insights that empowered me – I developed a greater sense of self-awareness and compassion for others; became more open-minded; learnt to communicate more effectively; and was able to deepen my professional and personal relationships. The interaction with my fellow participants from many islands across the Caribbean, through their valuable contributions, different perspectives and robust discussions, also lent to an enriched learning experience. Alison Gittens The personal and professional growth which I have experienced through participation in the MLP, the latter demonstrated through the successful operationalisation of the JLEAP, is therefore a manifestation and testimony of the success of the MLP – a programme that has been a “game-changer” for me and through me. Ms. Alison R. Gittens is acting Deputy Director (Staffing), Ministry of the Public Service, Barbados. 8
February 2021 C ARICAD’s Leadership Development Programme (CLDP) kicked off 2021 with the delivery of its virtual Leading Change Workshop. With 24 participants from across member states’ public services as well as two regional organisations, the workshop was geared at developing change leadership competencies. The new competencies and tools were then applied to participants’ real-world change initiatives currently underway. On February 4, 2021, the second virtual delivery of our Transformational Leadership Development Programme was launched. This is the 16th intake of our premier Leadership Development Programmes, and this cohort has 18 participants from five member states and one regional institution. The programme is geared at equipping current and future executive leaders in transformational leadership skills. The programme is designed around five central themes – Leading Self, Leading Through Others, Leading in Context and Complexity, Leading the Policy Process and Leading Transformation. The programme is slated to end in July 2021. CARICAD continued its monthly webinars in 2021 with a focus on its mantra – Transforming Public Services of the Region for the People of the Region. January’s webinar focused on the Enabling Environment for Leadership Development and Practice, showcasing the research, assessment tool and toolkit available to clients, to improve leadership at the organisational level. In February, the webinar theme was Public Sector Transformation – Lessons from the Caribbean. In this In 2021, CARICAD continues its monthly webinars with a focus on its mantra of Transforming Public Services of the Region for the People of the Region, a prominent aspect of its new website. Continue to check our website, social media pages (Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter) for upcoming offerings. webinar, CARICAD’s Schema for Public Sector Transformation was showcased. In addition, Mrs. Marjorie Johnson, Chief Technical Director, Public Sector Transformation and Modernisation Division, Office of the Cabinet, Jamaica, shared on the lesson in Public Sector Transformation from the Jamaican experience. Both sessions were well attended and received. 9
CARICAD ASSISTING DOMINICA IN PREPARING A COMMUNICATIONS PLAN FOR THE ORGANISATIONAL REVIEW AND JOB CLASSIFICATION (ORR) FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE ASSIGNMENT C ARICAD has been engaged by the Government of Dominica to conduct an Organisational Review and Job Reclassification Exercise. The Exercise will focus on examining the structure and operation of Ministries and Departments, rethinking priorities, capabilities and processes to ensure that programmes and services are delivered in the most effective and efficient manner by the right people in the right positions. The Reclassification Exercise, on the other hand, will focus on providing a means of applying appropriate and equitable rates of remuneration to Public Officers. It will take into consideration the particular Ministry/ Department in which the work is performed and the Public Service as a whole. There will also be a focus on the rationalisation of allowances, the results of which will inform the reclassification of positions. The assignment began in November of 2020 and will end in December 2021. CARICAD’s Executive Director, Mr. Devon Rowe, readily agreed to a request that CARICAD provide technical assistance for the development of a Communications Plan for the ORR assignment as an adjunct to the major ORR consultancy. Such assistance had been provided by CARICAD for a similar initiative in the past. Assistant Director of CARICAD, Rosemund Warrington, and Programme Specialist Franklyn Michael worked with Charmaine Thomas and Vernella Orlé of the Ministry of Governance, Public Service Reform, Citizen Empowerment, Social Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs to develop the Plan. The Goal and specific Objectives are: Goal To engender a spirit of collaboration and support, for the ORR project by informing, educating and engaging stakeholders in the implementation of all phases of the project. Objectives 1. To provide relevant, accurate and timely information to specified stakeholders 2. To provide information that encourages open and effective dialogue 3. To stimulate awareness of and support for the project by constant engagement of key stakeholders 4. To disseminate regular updates throughout the implementation of the project The Plan treats with a range of issues in support of the CARICAD ORR assignment and its related effort at organisational change for the public service of Dominica: Target Audiences Situation Analysis Stakeholder Identification Implementation Strategies Monitoring and Evaluation Challenges and Risks Expenditure Implications The Plan emphasises the importance and engagement of the identified Stakeholders, the principles of effective Communication and the value of Feedback as a tool of Monitoring for improving implementation during the life of the Plan. The Communications Plan is supported by an Action Plan that attributes specific responsibilities, and identifies channels of communication and timeframes for action. 10
I n a special pictorial edition of the Horizon Newsletter in August 2019, the focus was on the 36th meeting of the Board of Directors of CARICAD. The meeting took place July 18th-19th at Maria’s by the Sea Hotel in Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands (BVI), under the theme, Re-shaping the Public Service in the Caribbean for the Future — The Role of CARICAD. Acting Governor of the BVI David Archer extended a warm welcome to everyone at the reception. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Board meeting is expected be a virtual event to be held in the near future. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to find out more details. THE TEAM Previous editions can be viewed at: 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, Dr. Lois Parkes, Trudy Waterman, Angela Eversley and Petra Emmanuel. October 2020 July-August 2020 Special Hurricane Edition June 2020 Special COVID-19 Edition May 2020 March 2020 December 2019 October 2019 Board Meeting 2019 Special Edition April 2019 December 2018 August 2018 December 2017 July 2017 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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