PIOJ Annual Report 2005 - Planning Institute of Jamaica

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P I O J A N N U A L Children and Youth The Division coordinated activities and chaired the Inter- Sectoral Working Group on Children and Violence and oversaw the completion of the National Plan of Action on Children and Violence, including costing and a monitoring and evaluation framework. A UNICEF initiative, Social Investment for Children, was started under the Division’s chairmanship and involved several state and non-state agencies with the objective of analyzing Government’s budgetary provisions for children and promoting national involvement in ensuring their adequacy. Contributions were made to the finalization of the National Framework of Action for Children and there was collaboration with the Child Development Agency to present the Street Children Policy to key stakeholders in different Ministries. Work in the area of early childhood took place through representation on the Early Childhood Commission, while inputs were provided for the establishment of the Office of the Children’s Advocate. An investigation was undertaken on the nutritional status of children in Jamaica on the basis of which a paper was prepared in collaboration with several other agencies and presented to the Council of Ministers. The subsequent policy decision to provide school feeding to Basic Schools saw the Division involved in the development of a Pilot Basic School Feeding Project in St. Mary. There was also participation in the Jamaica Youth Employment Network Steering Committee and provision of leadership to the National Child Month Committee in the capacity as Vice-Chair. Social Security Reforms of the Social Safety Net continued to be led by the Division with highlights including the satisfactory completion of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Technical Assistance Project supporting the reforms. Inter-agency collaboration on the Reform Programme continued to be facilitated through the Programme Implementation Committee, which was chaired by the division. Accomplishments under the IDB Project included the completion of studies such as the feasibility of extending Programme of Advancement through Health and Education (PATH) to needy students in nonformal educational institutions, waiver of health fees in the public sector, and the provision of computer hardware and software and training for the establishment of computer linkages between the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS) and the Ministries of Health and Education and Youth. Oversight of the programme involved work towards an evaluation of the current performance of the Beneficiary Identification System along with update of the screening mechanism using more recent data from the Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions. Other highlights included: i. contribution towards the drafting of the National Assistance Bill, to repeal and replace the Poor Relief Law of 1886; and ii. preparation of print and electronic material for use in public education thrusts for the SSN, with approximately half of the materials disseminated to the Ministries of Education and Health, for islandwide distribution to schools, health centres, and parish offices of relevant Ministries. The Division organized a study tour on Welfare-to- Work programmes in the United States. The team visited Florida, Wisconsin and Washington, DC, and a Plan of Action was proposed for the development of a structured welfare-to-work programme in Jamaica. A Poverty Seminar involving regional and international participation, under the theme of “Breaking the Cycle: The Inter-Generational Transmission of Poverty” was convened by the Division. National Security and Justice Contributions to National Security and Justice were made in areas of Drug Abuse Prevention and Control, Social Cohesion for National Stability, Alternate Dispute Resolution and Child Justice. There was collaboration 16
R E P O R T 2 0 0 5 with the Ministries of National Security and Justice in the finalization of the Child Justice Plan of Action, which was presented to the Human Resource Council. The Division also participated in meetings of the Social Anti-Crime Initiative, which coordinated social activities targeting volatile areas to ensure stability and reduced incidence of crime and violence. Representation was also made on the Violence Prevention Alliance and on the Board of the Disputes Resolution Foundation. Population Issues Through the Vital Statistics Commission (VSC), work was intensified towards improvement of the country’s management of its vital statistics. The Division provided secretariat services and, with assistance from PAHO, organized a comprehensive Audit of the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics System, which was conducted by a team of consultants from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Pan-American Risk Management Consultants and Ernst and Young Associates. Other activities of the VSC included the refinement of selected vital statistics, and preparation of a Cabinet Brief on Jamaica’s ranking in the Human Development Report. The Division represented Jamaica at the Thirty-Eighth Session of the UN Commission on Population and Development, April 4–8, and presented Jamaica’s statement on “Population, Development and HIV/AIDS, with particular emphasis on Poverty.” Along with a representative from the Permanent Mission, it co-chaired working group meetings of the Group of 77 and China. There was also participation in the Regional Latin American and Caribbean Seminar on International Migration held in Mexico City. The Seminar report was presented to the United Nations Commission on Population and Development in preparation for the General Assembly High Level Dialogue on International Migration scheduled for 2006. Overall coordination of population issues was provided through the Population Policy Coordinating Committee, which is led by the Division. Policy/Programme Development and Implementation There was participation in the development and implementation of a wide range of policies, programmes and projects. Among the major new projects was the Inner City Basic Services Project, being designed to upgrade communities in Kingston, St. Catherine, St. James and Clarendon. In response to the United States’ unsatisfactory classification of Jamaica with respect to the issue of Trafficking-in-Persons, SPPRD actively participated in multi-agency efforts to formulate an action plan for the Government. Continued involvement in national efforts to combat HIV/AIDS was made through representation on the Country Co-ordinating Mechanism for the Global Fund and through inputs for the evaluation of the National Programme and Strategic Plan on HIV/AIDS. The Division also continued to provide technical guidance to the European Commission (EC)/United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Joint Sexual and Reproductive Health Programme for Jamaica, which is a component of a wider programme being implemented in selected countries in the African Caribbean and Pacific region. It also continued to chair the meetings of partners for the implementation and monitoring of the Early Childhood Development Component of the GOJ/UNICEF Country Programme of Operation 2002–2006. In the area of policy development, SPPRD prepared a Discussion Paper on Abortion and contributed as a member of an Advisory Group established by the Ministry of Health to develop policy guidelines on the matter. Similarly, it contributed to the drafting of a Gender Policy through representation on the Gender Advisory Commission. Mainstreaming of gender issues in the work of the PIOJ was spearheaded by the Division resulting in the introduction of appropriate guidelines and systems. Contribution was also made to the review process of the Jamaica Social Policy Evaluation (JASPEV) Project’s Annual Progress Report. Inputs were made to the development of country programmes of assistance by UN agencies. These included 17
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