Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 28, 2018 (SKNIS): Her Excellency, Ambassador Dr. Manorma Soeknandan, Deputy Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), has underscored the importance of the Results-Based Management (RMB) System to the region, noting that all stakeholders should get on board with the new system if the region is to progress.
The RBM System promotes a more results-focused approach to programme and project management, in keeping with the decisions made by the Conference of Heads of Government. It refers to a management philosophy and set of tools designed to improve project/programme design; management; effectiveness and monitoring, along with reporting transparency and accountability of desired results.
Dr. Soeknandan, who is conducting, along with her delegation, two half-day sensitization RBM seminars at the Royal St. Kitts Hotel today, November 28, explained the purpose of the sessions.
“The purpose of the seminar is to make all stakeholders, member states, regional institutions aware, sensitize them, inform them, communicate to them that the CARICOM Secretariat, with funding from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), has embarked on the road to develop a Results-Based Management System, which is a tool towards achieving results, how you measure it, how do you monitor it, how do you evaluate it,” she said.
Dr. Soeknandan noted that all member states, regional institutions and stakeholders should get involved with the implementation of the new system.
“That is why we are in St. Kitts and Nevis,” she said. “We do have a CARICOM Leadership group for RBM and St. Kitts and Nevis also has a representative in this regional group who is then the champion of RBM in St. Kitts and Nevis. So, in St. Kitts then, the representative has to, together with his colleagues, organize the session for us here.”
In attendance are senior government officials (from Parliamentarians to Permanent Secretaries/Directors and Heads of Department), and private sector stakeholders (Chamber of Industry and Commerce, and civil society representatives). Her Excellency said that it is important for these individuals to be present at the seminars.
“What we want is that, all the people who are a part of the seminars, they take away what they are supposed to do in their respective ministries or department or unit [concerning] how to upgrade themselves when dealing with this Results-Based Management System, how they can use it in their own benefit,” she said.
Dr. Soeknandan stated that the seminar is important to not only St. Kitts and Nevis, but to the entire region.
“[It is important] if we want to make progress in the region and in the member states and if we want to get more funding for our projects, but also if we really want to integrate and help each other in achieving results in a more effective and efficient way,” she said.