Improved budgeting process on the horizon in Saint Kitts and Nevis, as ECLAC wraps-up training

A recent training workshop facilitated by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) subregional headquarters for the Caribbean has “opened the eyes” of the Ministry of Finance of Saint Kitts and Nevis on how budgeting can be done “better”, according to Mr. Calvin Edwards, Deputy Financial Secretary in the Ministry of Finance. The objective of the workshop was to build the capacity of public officials to conduct Public Expenditure Reviews (PERs) with applications to their respective sectors. PERs are intended to align expenditures with government’s pri…

Suriname assumes chair of Caribbean Development Cooperation Committee

The 29th session of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC) concluded on 14 October in Paramaribo, Suriname. Some of the most urgent and challenging issues facing the Caribbean were discussed at this meeting, inspiring a commitment to strategic action-oriented follow-up, to assure more dynamic sustainable development process. Convened by ECLAC Caribbean, the CDCC meeting is held every two years and gathers Caribbean Prime Ministers, Ministers and distinguished government officials, with a focus on strengthening their countries’ institutional and technical capacities to impr…

ECLAC team trains Belize public finance managers

Twenty Government officials from Belize benefited from a one week workshop to build capacity in Conducting Public Expenditure Reviews (PERs), focusing on Applications for Education, Health, Agriculture and Social Protection. PERs are intended to align expenditures with government’s priorities. They are also intended to provide savings, either from expenditure reallocation or by reducing unproductive expenditures. In addition they improve fiscal management and can provide fiscal space especially when a country is experiencing high debt levels. The workshop conducted by ECLAC Caribbean, wh…

Preliminary overview of the economies of the Caribbean 2017–2018

The report provides an overview of the economic performance for 2017 of the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago plus the eight Member States of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU), and the outlook for 2018. Data were collected from a review of reports from subregional institutions as well as national governments and interviews with government officials in each of the countries examined.…

ECLAC delivers “strong answer” to the budgeting process needs of Caribbean public administrations

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has provided a “strong answer” to what senior public officials across the Caribbean have been searching for in order to improve the budgeting process of public administrations, according to the participants of a week-long regional training workshop that provided officials with robust tools and techniques necessary for more effective management of public finances. Public Expenditure Reviews (PERs) are intended to align public sector expenditure with the priorities of national governments. They also promote increased savings, ei…

ECLAC Officials Assist Government of Belize in a Social, Environmental and Macroeconomic Assessment of the Damage Caused by Hurricane Keith