Main Expectations: 1. a Vision for ICT in parliament developed and owned by each parliament;
2. a Strategic Plan for ICT in parliament developed and owned by each parliament;
3. a Development Programme Document for ICT in parliament based on the Strategic Plan for submission to donor community;
4. a regional community of practice of trained ICT strategic Planners in parliaments.
Main activities:
1. a regional capacity-building Workshop;
2. Technical Assistance Missions aimed at stakeholders awareness, training of strategic planners and support to the formulation of strategic plans
Objective/Purpose of Project: Overall objective: The overall objective of the proposed action is to promote transparency, accountability, democratic participation and good governance in the Caribbean nations of the ACP Group of States by empowering the Parliaments to better fulfill their democratic functions and contributing to their institutional strengthening through ICT.
Cooperation Partners: European Community, African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States (ACP Group) and the Caribbean Center for Development Administration (CARICAD)
Time Frame: February 2010 - June 2012
Funding: XBTC
Proposed Budget: US$1,308,543
Division: PACB
Main Expectations: Pursuant to the Tunis Agenda, among others: build on the existing structures of Internet governance, with special emphasis on the complementarity between all stakeholders involved in this process, meet periodically in order to facilitate and foster discourse on Internet Governance issues.
Objective/Purpose of Project: Overall objective: The IGF mandate is described in paragraph 72 of the Tunis Agenda as a meeting of a new forum for multi-stakeholder policy dialogue. The mandate of the Forum includes, among others:
Discuss public policy issues related to key elements of Internet governance, facilitate discourse between stakeholders, interface with appropriate inter-governmental organizations and other institutions, facilitate the exchange of information and best practices, advise all stakeholders in proposing ways and means to accelerate the availability and affordability of the Internet in the developing world, strengthen and enhance the engagement of stakeholders in existing and/or future Internet governance mechanisms, identify emerging issues, contribute to capacity building, promote and assess, on an ongoing basis, the embodiment of WSIS principles in Internet governance processes, discuss issues relating to critical Internet resources, help to find solutions to the issues arising from the use and misuse of the Internet. All this in order to foster the sustainability, robustness, security, stability and development of the Internet.
Key Accomplishments: The IGF has held annual meetings in Athens, Greece, from 30 October to 2 November 2006, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 12 to 15 November 2007, Hyderabad, India, from 3 to 6 December 2008 and Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, from 15 to 18 November 2009. During meetings, participants representing all stakeholder groups attended the main sessions, workshops and other events. It is generally felt that the annual meetings have been a success and had been well run, providing a space for constructive and inspiring discourse on a multitude of public policy issues related to Internet governance. Several commentators emphasized the importance of the multi-stakeholder approach. It is generally felt by participants that the most successful aspects of the IGF is the opportunities that people are offered to work together on specific issues of Internet governance. In 2008 and 2009, there has also been a spread of national and regional IGF initiatives that fed into the annual IGF meeting. There is clear support for the multi-stakeholder processes and many participants have commented on how dialogue in the IGF, freed from the constraints of negotiations and decision-making, allow for ideas to be freely exchanged and debated.
Cooperation Partners: The IGF cooperates with all stakeholders with an interest in the Internet public policy discourse. These include governments; intergovernmental organizations and UN sister organizations such as UNESCO, ITU, WTO and the EU, Council of Europe, League of Arab States, OECD; the private sector; civil society, academia and the Internet community.
Time Frame: September 2010 - September 2010
Funding: XBTC
Proposed Budget: US$515,479
Division: DMB
Main Expectations: Increase the capacity and knowledge of e-Government across Government Istitutions and Agencies.
Objective/Purpose of Project: To provide advisory services throughout the phase of the project to support the creation of the Arab Centre for eContent Development.
The following activities are envisaged:
1. Provide substantial support in developing a strategy to delvier to set goals of the Centre;
2. Participation in the recruitment of the Project professional staff;
3. Provide inputs to the strategic direction and vision of the Centre;
4. Participate in the meetings as deemed necessary by UNDP and the government counterpart (eGA);
5. Provide inputs to develop strategies to improve Arab e-COntent under the Project;
6. Provide inputs in developing customer satisfaction survey;
7. Assist in identifying e-government capacity gaps in government institutions within the mandate of the project.
Cooperation Partners: E-Govt Authority
Time Frame: November 2009 – December 2011
Funding: XBTC
Proposed Budget: US$ 62,100
Division: DMB
Main Expectations: 1. Revising Civil code of laws and Civil Procedure Code of laws in Djibouti Republic;
2. Capacity Building to judicial sector staff (magistrates, clerks of the courts, prosecutors..);
3. Elaboration et Publication of CIDH periodic reports.
Objective/Purpose of Project: Making the law (i) more appropriate to Human Rights; and (ii) conducive to development and to Djibouti people culture.
Key Accomplishments (to-date): 1. Two mission reports have been issued for reviewing the Civil Code of laws.
2. A commission for reviewing the civil code of laws has been set up and is operational.
Cooperation Partners: UNDESA, UNDP and Djibouti Government
Time Frame: June 2009 - December 2011
Funding: XBTC
Proposed Budget: US$79,568
Division: PACB
Main Expectations:
(a) Maintained strategic planning, macro and sectoral policy analysis, regional socio-economic planning and development, and plan monitoring;
(b) Continued process of operationalizing the Institutional Support Facilities; and (c) Capacity development programme updated and implemented.
Objective/Purpose of Project: This is the third phase of a six-year capacity building programme for the Ministry of Economy and Planning. The major objectives of the six-year programme are (a) to build the capacity of the Ministry in economic and social policy analysis, sectoral and strategic planning, regional and decentralized planning and social policy analysis, and plan monitoring and implementation; (b) to integrate the various capacity building and support initiatives into the institutional and organizational setting of the Ministry; and (c) to conduct a staff training programme for Saudi nationals through the medium of special technical support facilities in the selected areas.
Key Accomplishments (to-date): (a) Finalization of the texts of the 9th National Development Plan (2010-2014) for the sections on energy, science and technology, macroeconomic modeling, regional development, population, and social development;
(b) technical capacity of the Ministry’s staff through conducting a series of training workshops and on-the-job training by the UNDESA-recruited experts.
Cooperation Partners: UNDP/Saudi Arabia, Ministry of Economy and Planning of the Government of Saudi Arabia. UNDESA
Time Frame: April 2009 - December 2011
Funding: XBTC
Proposed Budget: US$3,454,545
Division: DMB
Main Expectations:
1. Support the finalization and the implementation of the Poverty Reduction Strategy;
2. Support the design of a monitoring and evaluation mechanism for the Proverty Reduction Strategy;
3. Support the elaboration of various reports: National Human Development Report; MDG monitoring Reports, etc.;
4. Training on various development issues.
Objective/Purpose of Project: This project is designed to support UNDP and the Government of Togo by providing high caliber international consultants and technical cooperation services for the finalization of the Poverty Reduction Strategy and its implementation for the achievement of the MDGs.
Key Accomplishments (to-date):
The project has just started and will be implemented through 2010.
Cooperation Partners: UNDP Togo
Time Frame: March 2009 - December 2010
Funding: XBTC
Proposed Budget: US$39,000
Division: DMB
Main Expectations:
Pursuant to the Tunis Agenda, among others: build on the existing structures of Internet governance, with special emphasis on the complementarity between all stakeholders involved in this process, meet periodically in order to facilitate and foster discourse on Internet Governance issues.
Objective/Purpose of Project: The IGF mandate is described in paragraph 72 of the Tunis Agenda as a meeting of a new forum for multi-stakeholder policy dialogue. The mandate of the Forum includes, among others:
Discuss public policy issues related to key elements of Internet governance, facilitate discourse between stakeholders, interface with appropriate inter-governmental organizations and other institutions, facilitate the exchange of information and best practices, advise all stakeholders in proposing ways and means to accelerate the availability and affordability of the Internet in the developing world, strengthen and enhance the engagement of stakeholders in existing and/or future Internet governance mechanisms, identify emerging issues, contribute to capacity building, promote and assess, on an ongoing basis, the embodiment of WSIS principles in Internet governance processes, discuss issues relating to critical Internet resources, help to find solutions to the issues arising from the use and misuse of the Internet. All this in order to foster the sustainability, robustness, security, stability and development of the Internet.
Key Accomplishments (to-date):
The IGF has held annual meetings in Athens, Greece, from 30 October to 2 November 2006, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 12 to 15 November 2007, Hyderabad, India, from 3 to 6 December 2008 and Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, from 15 to 18 November 2009. During meetings, participants representing all stakeholder groups attended the main sessions, workshops and other events. It is generally felt that the annual meetings have been a success and had been well run, providing a space for constructive and inspiring discourse on a multitude of public policy issues related to Internet governance. Several commentators emphasized the importance of the multi-stakeholder approach. It is generally felt by participants that the most successful aspects of the IGF is the opportunities that people are offered to work together on specific issues of Internet governance. In 2008 and 2009, there has also been a spread of national and regional IGF initiatives that fed into the annual IGF meeting. There is clear support for the multi-stakeholder processes and many participants have commented on how dialogue in the IGF, freed from the constraints of negotiations and decision-making, allow for ideas to be freely exchanged and debated.
Cooperation Partners: The IGF cooperates with all stakeholders with an interest in the Internet public policy discourse. These include governments; intergovernmental organizations and UN sister organizations such as UNESCO, ITU, WTO and the EU, Council of Europe, League of Arab States, OECD; the private sector; civil society, academia and the Internet community.
Time Frame: January 2009 - December 2009
Funding: XBTC
Proposed Budget: US$133,474
Division: EGB
Main Expectations: 1. Provide guidance to the Poverty Observatory regarding the overall direction of its work;
2. Support the poverty observatory regarding substantive work, studies and researches for the attainment of the MDGs;
3. Enhance the capacity of the poverty observatory by training its members;
4. Provide overall assessment and evaluation of the work of the poverty observatory.
Objective/Purpose of Project: In Mali, the project is supporting the establishment of Poverty Observatory (PO) as a tool for both the Government, civil society organizations and the international partners to follow-up the implementation of the Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) and the monitoring, evaluation and consultation processes of the MDGs. DPADM role is to supervising the Poverty Observatory of Mali.
Key Accomplishments: The Poverty observatory organized in April 2009 a successful training workshop on the measurement of Human Development that brought together more than 200 people from Mali, Niger, Senegal, Guinea, and Rwanda, and help clarify how the index is being calculated, where the data are coming from, etc. By the end of the workshop, there has been more understanding by participating countries on how this index is elaborated. Other achievements of the project in Mali are: Various studies that help better understand poverty dynamics; Publication regularly of Human development reports; Surveys on Poverty and Human Development issues; Management of a database on human development indicators; Training workshops and sensitizing activities in relation to Human development.
Cooperation Partners: UNDP Mali
Time Frame: October 2008 – December 2011
Funding: XBTC
Proposed Budget: US$ 160,000
Division: DMB
Main Expectations: Seven administrative areas have been targeted to strengthen governance as far as Public Administration is concerned in DRC:
1. Restructuring public sector organizations while redesigning working procedures along with the re-profiling of Human Resources considered as civil servants
2. Civil Service Rightsizing and sound management of state employees’ salaries
3. Review of civil service legal framework
4. Ethics and Integrity Promotion with implementation mechanisms throughout the public Administration
5. ICT Promotion and setting up E-government
6. Establishment of sound public communication within public administration including the links with judiciary and parliament Branches as well as with decentralized public institutions
7. Capacity Development of decentralized Administration.
Objective/Purpose of Project: Support for a new Public Administration with a special focus on an effective and efficient civil service working in a modernized and appropriate environment and taken into consideration decentralization as a priority orientation of the Government.
Key Accomplishments (to-date): As for December 2009 two key accomplishments can be underscored:
1. A Table with aggregate activities related to the new foundations of Public Administration standing for Public Administration Reform in DRC
2. A proposed new general Civil Service Code has been developed.
Cooperation Partners:DRC Government, UNDP, UNDESA, United Kingdom Cooperation-DFID (Trust Funds), Belgium Cooperation
Time Frame: May 2008 - December 2011
Funding: XBTC
Proposed Budget: US$153,454
Division: PACB
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.
Lead Division: UN DESA / DPIDG
Partners: UN DESA/DSDG/SIDS Unit, ECLAC Caribbean Headquarters, CARICAD
Funding Source: DA Tranche 16 Account
Budget: $500,000
Time Frame: January 2024 – June 2027
Thematic Area: SDG 1, SDG 10, SDG 11, SDG 16, SDG 17
Region: Americas
Focus Countries: The Bahamas, Saint Lucia, Barbados
Outcome 1: By 2026, policy makers in selected Caribbean SIDS have an enhanced understanding of the importance of digital transformation and innovation of public service delivery.
Outcome 2: By 2026, policy makers in selected Caribbean countries have strengthened capacities to develop institutional reform and tailored capacity building plans for digital transformation and innovation of public service delivery.
Resources related to the project (reports, toolkits, training materials, and links) will be made available here.
Webinar Series on “Innovation, Digital Government and Changing Mindsets for Public Sector Transformation” , 21 and 28 February 2024; 20 and 27 March 2024. The webinar series brought together innovative practices and thought leadership. The mindsets necessary to accelerate the implementation of digital government to improve the delivery of public services to citizens were discussed. The framework of the project was introduced.
The Caribbean Innovation in Government Community of Practice connects institutions and experts, government officials, academics, civil society organizations, and practitioners working in promoting innovation in the public sector. It aims to identify and showcase initiatives that are transforming governance, advancing social inclusion, fostering integrity, and accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Innovation, Digital Government and Changing Mindsets for Public Sector Transformation Booklet
Based on the UN Quintet of Change, in-person workshops on Changing Mindsets for Innovation and Public Sector Transformation (March 2025) for Permanent Secretaries, Director Generals, senior officials, and Heads of Agencies examined strategies to promote mindset change across individual, organizational, and institutional levels. Topics included strategic foresight, data governance, digital transformation (including AI and Smart Cities), and transformational leadership, presented by CARICAD, ECLAC, and DESA experts.
Participants learned what changes are required at different levels to successfully change mindsets, how innovation and foresight mindsets can be applied, and how to address challenges in promoting innovation and implementing digital public services in their contexts.
Advisory Mission to the Bahamas, 20 - 21 August 2024
Interactive conversations with over 40 government officials, union leaders, and academics 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 were held. 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.
In November 2024, the Government of Barbados officially requested inclusion as a project beneficiary. The Prime Minister highlighted the importance of changing mindsets in the public sector to support innovation and transformation, including leveraging digital technologies.
In May 2025, a regional Capacity Development Workshop on “The Future of Governance: Changing Mindsets for Innovation and Public Sector Transformation” convened over 64 senior government officials from 16 Caribbean SIDS. Participants validated critical drivers of change, developed future governance scenarios, and agreed on a vision statement for governance in the Caribbean region.
Attendees explored innovation, data, digital governance, and foresight mindsets; prioritized needs; formulated short- and long-term implementation plans; and strengthened regional collaboration. An informal peer-to-peer learning network was proposed.
Capacity Development Training of Trainers Workshop on “Changing Mindsets for Innovation, Digital Transformation, and Improved Public Service Delivery for the Implementation of Mission Barbados and the Sustainable Development Goals” , 21 – 24 October 2025 in Bridgetown, Barbados.
With the support of the Department for Public Sector Modernization, three workshops were organized in Saint Lucia. In August 2024, a workshop on UNDESA’s Digital Government Capabilities Assessment and Changing Mindsets identified key priorities and opportunities for digital transformation.
In April 2025, two workshops were held—one for Permanent Secretaries and another for Director Generals and senior officials—focusing on mindsets conducive to innovation and transformation, strategic foresight, data governance, digital transformation (including AI and Smart Cities), and transformational leadership.
Participants gained insights on promoting innovation, reforming regulatory frameworks, and implementing digital public services in their contexts.
Capacity Development Workshop on Changing Mindsets in Saint Lucia for Innovation and Digital Transformation | Public Institutions
The first exploratory visit and capacity development workshop in the framework of this project was held in Saint Lucia in August 2024. It allowed for open conversations on the gaps, challenges, and opportunities to advance an environment supportive of innovation and digital transformation in the Saint Lucian public service. 52 participants strategized and updated Saint Lucia’s Digital Transformation Strategy, and enhanced capacity to support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Changing Mindsets for Innovation and Public Sector Transformation | Public Institutions
The workshop explored practices and approaches to support changing mindsets for innovation and digital transformation of public services. Key competencies for governance transformation, including systems thinking and strategic foresight, data and digital governance, and innovation were presented. The CARICAD public sector schema for innovation and its implications for public sector transformation was presented. Harnessing the potential of AI to create public value in the Caribbean, including through 'Smart Cities' was shared by ECLAC, along with a digital skills assessment. 40 Saint Lucian senior government officials conducted an action planning exercise to promote new mindsets and competencies, as well as discussed strategies for implementation. Key messages, outcomes and commitments
Training of Trainers: A Training of Trainers will be organized in Saint Lucia to equip the government training institutes’ trainers on the use of the Curriculum on Governance for the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) toolkits (Curriculum on Governance for the SDGs) to help them train their public servants with innovative mindsets and behaviors to better address current and future challenges related to SDG implementation.