PIOJ Annual Report 2005 - Planning Institute of Jamaica

P I O J A N N U A L
ing with the overall objective, the topics were designed to
encourage research and broaden the knowledge base of
participants with respect to the PIOJ.
An Outside Broadcast was aired on Nationwide News
Network at the end of June, which afforded PIOJ an
opportunity to sensitize the public, regarding the role and
functions of the organization. Three radio infomercials
were also developed highlighting various aspects of the
Institute’s work, and these were used throughout the
month of July to buttress the outside broadcast.
The PIOJ partnered with the media through the hosting
of a Media Open House during which exchanges
highlighted the advantages and challenges inherent in the
interactions between media and Institute. This communication
served to improve the relations between the media
and the PIOJ.
The Institute used the occasion of its 50th Anniversary
to review the country’s economic and social development
planning system. Recognizing serious gaps in the country’s
planning system, the PIOJ sought to obtain consensus
from stakeholders regarding the preferred long-term
direction that ought to be pursued; how to integrate nonstate
actors into the system and ensure that the nation
benefits from an integrated system. A two-day Economic
and Social Development Planning Conference brought
together thinkers and practitioners to explore best practices
and new methodologies that had potential to
enhance the country’s planning system. The outcome of
the conference included recognition of the urgent need
for integrated planning to advance the sustainable development
of the country, as well as the need for a long-term
vision around which to build national consensus and ownership.
Other events during the year included a Speakers’
Bureau through which technical staff shared information
on topical issues with professional groups, schools and
service clubs. The PIOJ also commissioned a 50th
Anniversary Publication. This document, which outlines
the historical evolution of the Institute over 50 years, will
be completed during the first half of 2006. The 50th
Anniversary Banquet brought the year long celebrations
to a close. It was a glittering affair at which the organization’s
founders and outstanding leaders were honoured.
Web Site Redevelopment
Research, analysis and dissemination of data and socioeconomic
information are crucial functions of the
Planning Institute, and the use of the web site as a tool for
the dissemination of this information must be underscored.
In partnership with Corporate Services Division,
work on the redevelopment of the web site was advanced
with all preparatory redesign work being completed. It is
envisaged that implementation will take place during the
first half of 2006.
Press briefing
Press Briefings continued to be held every quarter in tandem
with the production of the Economic Update &
Outlook (EU&O). The briefings updated the media and
general public with information on the status of the country’s
macro economy.
Publications
The Institute’s main publications continued to be in high
demand and the Division met its target for the timely production
and distribution of the annual Economic and
Social Survey Jamaica 2004 (ESSJ 2004); the quarterly
Economic Update & Outlook (EU&O) and the Labour
Market Information Newsletter (LMIN). The EU&O was
also made available to a wider audience in read-only format
on the PIOJ’s website.
CAMC collaborated with other Divisions and stakeholders
to ensure the launch of some important publications
and reports. These included the ‘Millennium
Development Goals: A Latin American & Caribbean
Perspective’; ‘Profiles-the Jamaican Pre-School Child’;
‘the State of the World Population Report’; and ‘Women
in Prison – the Impact of Jamaican Women on
Themselves and their Families’.
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