THE Caribbean Community (CARICOM), tomorrow and Tuesday in Suriname, will continue a series of sensitisation seminars on the CARICOM Results-Based Management (RBM) System, which promotes a more results-focused approach to programme and project management.

The seminars, which began in Barbados 24-25 November last year, will continue throughout the year in other member states.
A press release from the CARICOM Secretariat stated that the seminars will target a wide cross-section of stakeholders including parliamentarians, permanent secretaries, international development partners, regional institutions, directors and corporate planners, the private sector, Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) and the media.

“The 2014 approval of the Strategic Plan for the Caribbean Community 2015-2019 by CARICOM Heads of Government, marked a cross-road for the Community. The document clearly articulated the need for a more results-focused approach to programme and project management, which would respond to the much-lamented implementation deficit,” the release stated.

The CARICOM Results-Based Management (RBM) System was therefore introduced by the CARICOM Secretariat, in its efforts to institute this results-focused approach. The initiative is funded by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

“The CARICOM RBM System will be instituted at the Secretariat from January 2018 and is expected to serve as a mechanism to engender a more results-oriented culture within its regional institutions and importantly, at member states level,” the release said.

According to the release, a CARICOM RBM Leadership Group was established, comprising representatives from all regional institutions and member states to serve as champions and coaches in their respective entities, by promoting the adoption and utilisation of RBM and Monitoring and Reporting (M&R).

In addition to improving implementation and achievement of desired results, the RBM System is expected to improve transparency and accountability at all levels among the three implementation partners, that is, member states, regional institutions and the CARICOM Secretariat.

This will be facilitated by the Performance Measurement Framework which has been developed for each pillar of the Strategic Plan, 2015-19. The seminar series will ensure that all stakeholders are duly sensitised about the CARICOM RBM System.