CARICOM moving to Institutionalise a Gender Sensitive Results-Oriented Culture across the Community

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM), in June 2016, will initiate the implementation of a “Gender Sensitive Results-Based Management (RBM) System” to build a results-oriented culture around the operationalization of the CARICOM Strategic Plan, 2015 – 2019.

Following extensive planning and project design which commenced in December 2014, in August 2015, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) approved funding for the Project entitled “PROMOTING THE PRINCIPLES OF MANAGING FOR DEVELOPMENT RESULTS – FURTHERING THE REGIONAL INTEGRATION PROCESS.”

As a first step, the CARICOM Secretariat, in collaboration with CDB, established a RBM Leadership Group comprising representatives of CARICOM Member States, Community Institutions and the Secretariat, to drive the project and serve as RBM implementation champions. The RBM Leadership Group will be chaired by the Deputy Secretary-General.

The Secretariat also engaged the services of an experienced Canadian consulting firm, Le Groupe-Conseil Baastel Itee (Baastel), to work with the Leadership Group. Baastel has worked in the past with a number of Regional Governments and Institutions to design and implement RBM systems and conduct monitoring and evaluation activities among other assignments. The scope of work of this Consultancy includes the conduct of a situation and needs analysis across the Community; the design and implementation of the RBM system at the Secretariat; training of key stakeholders across the Community; and preparation of an Action Plan for building the results-oriented culture within the Community.

The CARICOM Strategic Plan, approved by Heads of Government in 2014, accords focused attention to a narrow range of priority areas over the Plan’s five-year lifespan, which takes into consideration the Community’s human and financial resource limitations.  Following the execution of the Community Operational Plan 2015, a two-year Community Operational Plan 2016-2017 has been developed to drive the Strategic Plan’s implementation. It draws on the consolidated work of the CARICOM Secretariat and the Community Institutions. This process is supported by Member States through their national activities.

The collaboration among the Strategic Plan’s implementing partners is expected to bring focus and alignment to the execution of the Community’s programmes and projects while improving transparency and accountability. The RBM system will provide these partners with a common framework within which implementation, monitoring and evaluation functions and report on progress made in advancing the regional integration efforts will be fulfilled.

The Office of the Deputy Secretary-General, and specifically the Strategic Management Unit is the key driver of this process.