Background 

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) subregional headquarters for the Caribbean is currently implementing a Development Account (DA) project titled “Strengthened capacity to design and implement policies to enhance resilience in Caribbean SIDS.” Under the 16th tranche of the Development Account, the objective of this DA16 project is to strengthen national capacities of Caribbean countries to design and implement policies and strategies for accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and building resilient economies. Six Caribbean countries, namely, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Suriname will benefit from the project, which is expected to enhance the technical skills of decision-makers of the target countries in the development of policies and projects to promote sustainable development and build resilience to shocks, while strengthening national institutional capacity to facilitate greater synergy in the implementation of the SDGs and the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Developing States (ABAS).

The midterm review of progress in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides a sobering account of the slow pace of achievement of the SDGs. The COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical conflicts have negatively affected progress on SDG targets related to poverty, hunger, and climate action, while earlier gains recorded in promoting health and wellbeing, advancing quality education, and reducing inequalities are seriously threatened, if not reversed. More recently, the higher tariff regime being pursued by the new United States administration is disrupting global financial markets and has introduced new uncertainties for global trade that could constitute barriers to trade in goods and services for Caribbean SIDS. These events have severe implications for foreign exchange reserves of nations. Furthermore, global crises and their impacts exacerbate the subregion’s existing vulnerabilities, which include susceptibility to the impacts of climate change, exposure to natural hazards and disasters, increasingly unsustainable public debt, and limited technical and institutional capacity to effectively manage development challenges.

Considering the global environment in which Caribbean SIDS operate, and noting that the timeline for the 2030 Agenda is now just five years away, there is an urgency to accelerate action in implementing the SDGs. This will require strengthening national and subnational capacity, accountability, and public institutions to deliver accelerated progress towards achieving the SDGs. In its call to action for the transformation required to fully achieve the global Goals and their targets in the remaining years of the 2030 Agenda, the Global Sustainable Development Report 2023 underscores the need for capacity building at individual, institutional and network levels. Capacity development is also prominently emphasized across thematic areas in ABAS, the Outcome Document of the Fourth International Conference on SIDS.
Due to the human capital limitations that Caribbean countries face, there have been notable national planning and implementation gaps hindering sustainable development and resilience building. These gaps are reflected in the weak alignment of national development goals and sectoral policies, weak evidence-base for development targets, and weak monitoring and evaluation frameworks for monitoring the achievement of national development goals.

Therefore, in furtherance of Output 1.2 (OP1.2) of the Development Account 16th Tranche (DA16) project on Strengthened capacity to design and implement policies to enhance resilience in Caribbean SIDS, which includes the conduct of a national capacity building workshop per target country on strategic policy planning to raise the skills level of policymakers in the drafting of evidence-informed national policies and sectoral strategies, ECLAC Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean is organising this national workshop in Saint Kitts and Nevis during 18-22 August 2025. The current workshop will build on the national training on project proposal preparation and effective project implementation delivered by ECLAC in Saint Kitts and Nevis form 19-23 May 2025.

Schedule

18 August 2025: National capacity building workshop in strategic policy planning

Morning session

Opening of workshop

• Introductions
• Ice-breakers: Mentimeter on background preparation of course participants

Afternoon session

• Principles and concepts of strategic policy planning

19 August 2025: National capacity building workshop in strategic policy planning

Morning session

• Steps in strategic planning process

Afternoon session

• Conducting stakeholder consultation in national planning
• Tools of strategic planning

20 August 2025: National capacity building workshop in strategic policy planning

Morning session

• Group Breakout session
  - MTDSIP Thematic areas
  - Identification of sectoral priorities

Afternoon session

• Group Presentation
   

21 August 2025: National capacity building workshop in strategic policy planning

Morning session

• Assessing policy options
• M&E

Afternoon session

• Group Exercise
  - M&E
  - Group presentation
• Course evaluation

22 August 2025: National capacity building workshop in strategic policy planning

Morning session

• Follow-up on with project proposal Preparation workshop participants on project ideas
  - Development of concept notes

Afternoon session

• Follow-up on with project proposal Preparation workshop participants on project ideas
  - Development of concept notes