BRIEF ON THE REFORM PROCESS IN CARICOM
CARICOM SECRETARIAT, TURKEYEN
At the Twenty-Third Inter-Sessional Meeting of CARICOM Heads of Government (March 2012, Suriname) Heads of Government considered the Final Report on the Review of the CARICOM Secretariat, entitled Turning Around CARICOM: Proposals to Restructure the Secretariat. Having received the presentation of the Report, the Heads of Government agreed that since “form followed function” it was necessary to re-examine the future direction of the Community and the arrangements for carrying this forward which would include the role and function of the Secretariat. They also agreed that the Secretary-General should begin the process of addressing the restructuring of the Secretariat through, inter alia, the recruitment of a Change Facilitator who would provide him with the necessary support for change process.
The Reform Process will take place over three (3) years, and is seeking to bring about change within the Community. The change is essentially moving from the current state where the efficacy of regional integration in the Community is frequently questioned and its impact and value not readily apparent, to one where targeted results for the benefit of the people of the Region can be planned, monitored, measured and so seen and appreciated by the population. The Reform Process is designed to facilitate the structured, effective implementation of the transformation of the Community and its Secretariat, in alignment with an agreed Community strategic thrust for the benefit of the people.
Consultation on the Strategic Plan:
The purpose of the Consultations is to garner inputs from stakeholders across the Caribbean, the people of the Caribbean to develop the Strategic Plan. To that end the consultations will seek out the perspectives as it relates to:
• The Vision, Mission and Core Values of the Community;
• Priority areas for attention in the period 2014-2018;
• The requirements for effective implementation; and
• The means for monitoring and measuring the results on implementation
This questionnaire is intended to compliment the face to face consultations that are currently being undertaken throughout the region in an effort to capture as much as possible to the views and suggestions of the stakeholders for input into the Strategic Plan.
The Consultations started with a Pilot in Barbados in June 2013 and began in earnest in August. They will conclude in November of this year. It is intended that the Strategic Plan be submitted to the Twenty-Fifth Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference in 2014.