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
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