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About the Project:
Implemented by UN DESA and ECLAC Caribbean Headquarters, with the collaboration of the Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD), this project aims to strengthen public sector national capacities for Innovation, Digital Government Transformation and Changing Mindsets in three Caribbean SIDS by: (i )strengthening public servants’ skills, knowledge, and understanding of the importance of public sector transformation by promoting changing mindsets strategies and approaches in support of innovation and digital transformation to support the implementation of the SDGs; and (ii) strengthening institutional arrangements, structures, mechanisms and approaches to promote innovation and digital governance transformation to improve public service delivery, leaving no one behind and reaching the furthest behind first. In this regard, multi-island jurisdictions are likely to especially benefit from improved governance and institutional service delivery modalities.
Promoting innovation and digital transformation in the Caribbean can help countries to ‘build back better’ by delivering services in a more effective and inclusive way, particularly to underserved, rural, physically disconnected, and otherwise marginalized segments of society.
Through workshops and focus groups, the project has contributed so far to an enhanced understanding by government officials of the importance of changing mindsets to support an environment conducive to innovation and digital transformation in the public sector, thus contributing to improved service delivery.
Objective:
To enhance the capacities of government officials to promote new mindsets needed in support of digital transformation and innovation and changing mindsets for stronger public institutions, to ensure the benefits of improved service delivery and leave no one behind, in particular vulnerable groups, thus substantially contributing to support the implementation of the SDGs.
Beneficiaries:
Direct beneficiaries include high – and mid-level government officials from ministries and government institutions at the national, regional, and local level. Indirect beneficiaries include the citizens and communities at large, including vulnerable groups.
The Bahamas
Conversations and meetings with over 40 government officials, union leaders, and academics in 2024 allowed for open and frank conversations on the gaps, challenges, as well as opportunities to advance an environment supportive of innovation and digital transformation in the Bahamian public service. The meetings fostered extensive discussion on key issues, challenges, priorities, and opportunities for changing mindsets in support of innovation and digital transformation in The Bahamas, providing sound and innovative advice to government officials and other relevant stakeholders, on the importance of changing mindsets for innovation and digital transformation for long-term institutional development and services provision.
Based on the UN Quintet of Change, in-person workshops on Changing Mindsets for Innovation and Public Sector Transformation for Permanent Secretaries and for Director Generals, senior government officials, and Heads of Agencies were organized in March 2025. Through in-person and online presentations, and interactive sessions and exercises, the workshop examined strategies to promote a change on mindsets conducive to supporting innovation and public sector transformation through changes in various sectors at the individual, organizational, and institutional levels. The role of strategic foresight, data governance, digital transformation, including AI and Smart Cities, as well as the importance of transformational leadership was also presented and discussed by CARICAD, ECLAC, and DESA experts.
Through these workshops, participants have learned about the changes that are required at different levels (individual, organizational, and institutional) to successfully change mindsets; learned how new mindsets, such as innovation and foresight mindsets, can be directly applied at the individual, organization, and institutional level; gained insights to address the challenges of promoting innovation in the public sector and of implementing digital public services in their contexts.
LINK TO EVENT PAGE: Changing Mindsets for Innovation and Public Sector Transformation | Public Institutions
Barbados
In November 2024, the Government of Barbados officially requested to be included as a beneficiary of the project. The Prime Minister has highlighted the importance of changing mindsets in the public sector to support innovation and public sector transformation, including the potential offered by digital technologies. The Prime Minister of Barbados, Hon. Mia Amor Mottley, is the Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and it is expected that having support at the highest level will help make the project more visible, encouraging peer-to-peer learning and intra-regional best practices sharing.
Based on the UN Quintet of Change, a regional Capacity Development Workshop on “The Future of Governance: Changing Mindsets for Innovation and Public Sector Transformation" (May 2025). The workshop was attended by over 64 senior government officials (Permanent Secretaries, Directors, Management Specialists, Assistant Permanent Secretaries, Heads of Civil Service, Senior Advisors, Legal Experts, Project Coordinators, ITC specialists, and Directors of Public Service Training institutions) representing 16 Caribbean Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) providing an opportunity for participants to work on defining what type of future governance might be possible for the Caribbean region. During the workshop, participants discussed and validated some of the critical drivers of change as well as the needs and aspirations of today's Caribbean society, provided different scenarios for the future of governance, and agreed on a Vision statement of the future of governance in the Caribbean region. The workshop also explored practices and approaches to support changing mindsets for innovation and digital transformation of public services, as well as capacity building strategies to support a whole-of-society and public sector transformation.
Participants learned about mindsets needed for public sector transformation, such as innovation, data, digital governance, and foresight mindsets, prioritized needs and formulated actionable improvements to successfully change mindsets at the individual, organizational, and institutional level; developed a short-term and long-term implementation plan for their respective institutions; learned about drivers of change for the future of governance and ways to apply strategic foresight and futures thinking to public sector decision-making; gained insights to inspire and guide their actions to address the challenges of promoting innovation in the public sector and of implementing digital public services in their contexts; strengthened collaboration with other public sector leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders across the Caribbean. Also, an informal peer-to-peer learning network was proposed.
LINK TO EVENT PAGE: The Future of Governance: Changing Mindsets for Innovation and Public Sector Transformation | Public Institutions
Saint Lucia
Based on the UN Quintet of Change, three workshops have been organized in St. Lucia with the support of the Department for Public Sector Modernization. A workshop on the use and implementation of UNDESA’s Digital Government Capabilities Assessment as well as on Changing Mindsets for Innovation and Digital Transformation was organized (August 2024). Advances and challenges to the government’s digital transformation initiative were discussed and key issues, challenges, priorities, and opportunities for changing mindsets in support of innovation and digital transformation in Saint Lucia were identified. An online workshop for the Permanent Secretaries (April 2025), explored practices and approaches to support changing mindsets for innovation and digital transformation of public services, types of mindsets, the role of changed mindsets, and capacity building strategies to support this transformation. A third workshop has been organized (April 2025) aimed at Director Generals, senior government officials, and Heads of Agencies. Participants examined strategies to promote a change on mindsets conducive to supporting innovation and public sector transformation through changes in various sectors at the individual, organizational, and institutional levels, as well as the role of strategic foresight, data governance, digital transformation, including AI and Smart Cities, and transformational leadership.
Through these workshops, participants have learned about the changes that are required at different levels (individual, organizational, and institutional) to successfully change mindsets; learned how new mindsets, such as innovation and foresight mindsets, can be directly applied at the individual, organization, and institutional level; gained insights to address the challenges of promoting innovation in the public sector and of implementing digital public services in their contexts; and learned about strategies and experiences in reforming regulatory frameworks in support of innovation and public sector transformation.
LINK TO EVENT PAGES:
Changing Mindsets for Innovation and Public Sector Transformation | Public Institutions