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From left to right: Ganga Persaud, (Chair, Public Service Commission of Guyana), Dr Cecile La Grenade (Chair, Public Service Commission of Grenada) and Avril Gollop (Cabinet Secretary, Barbados), at the 2010 conference.

Strengthening public services in Caribbean is focus of Commonwealth conference

18 June 2010

Senior officials share experiences of coping with the challenges resulting from the global economic crisis and climate change

Cabinet Secretaries and Heads of Public Service from across the Caribbean are meeting in Belize City to discuss the impact of both the global economic crisis and climate change on public services.

In addition, these senior officials will examine the role of public service commission’s in enhancing the delivery, competitiveness and efficiency of public sectors.

“Public services throughout the Caribbean are under an enormous amount of strain,” said John Wilkins, Acting Director of Governance and Institutional Development at the Commonwealth Secretariat. “There has never been a more important time for them to strengthen their operational tactics, so they are in a good position to help their respective countries cope with current and future challenges as the 21st century unfolds.”

Mr Wilkins explained that the global economic crisis was chosen as one of the major themes of the conference because of the effect it has had on commodity prices, manufacturing, tourism and financial sectors throughout the Caribbean. The meeting is focusing on potential strategies for promoting sustainable economic recovery in the region.

Testimony from a participant

‘This meeting has expanded my horizons. When I was appointed Chairman of the Public Service Commission [in Guyana], I met the status quo and I let it remain. Now I have a deeper understanding of how things can be done differently.’

The second topic of discussion – climate change – will focus on the opportunities of available funding for Caribbean countries. Participants will look at the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which emerged from the Kyoto Protocol and allows industrialised countries to offset their emissions by funding projects to reduce emissions and promote sustainable development in countries that do not have emission targets. Officials at the conference will be told of the benefits of the CDM to their countries.

Delegates at the 2010 Caribbean Cabinet Secretaries and Heads of Public Service Consultative Meeting

Throughout the three day conference, taking place between 10 and 12 June and organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat, officials will also share experiences of coping with the challenges resulting from climate change and the economic crisis. They will also hear examples of best practice.

‘The Caribbean is faced with unique obstacles such as our small size, porous borders, limited resources, brain-drain, the effects of climate change and the dismantling of preferential trade agreements – these are challenging realities we cannot ignore,’said John Saldivar, Minister of Public Service in Belize.

‘This meeting offers a unique opportunity to share experiences, network and build partnerships’.

Speakers include Norman Munroe, Professor and Research Director at the Applied Research Center, Florida State University; Wendell Mottley a senior adviser at Crédit Suisse in New York (and former Trinidad and Tobago Minister of Finance); and Dr Richard Jarvis, Head of Independent Office in the UK’s Cabinet Office.