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Policies> The Broad Policy Framework of our Integrated Development Strategy |
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THE BROAD
POLICY FRAMEWORK OF OUR
This
integrated development strategy was derived from the various position
papers and policy documents including the National Integrated Development
Strategy (NIDS) during the early stages of its development.
Presented here is what is determined to be the core of the development
strategy of the Government of the British Virgin Islands. This
policy framework contains the basic principles, goals and policies and
highlights two overriding goals of greater participation of the people and
sustainable development. The objectives, policies and programmes
mostly originate from the background/sector studies, issues and strategies
workshops of the National Integrated Development Strategy and the current
short to medium terms planning documents such as the National Budgets, the
Speeches from the Throne and selected sector plans. The policies here are
general and their specific may be found in other detailed documents CONTENTS
The principles, goals and
policy objectives contained in this policy document are consistent with
those of the National Integrated Development Strategy (NIDS). Among
other overarching objectives, the contents of these policy statements seek
to promote greater public participation and lead to the implementation of
effective measures to achieve better standards of living and to improve
the quality of life. By deepening and widening public participation
in decisions and policies development in respect of the management of our
country, the people can meaningfully contribute to the achievement of
sustainable development. Introduction of meaningful
consultative and participative processes in formulation of policies and
decision-making are at the centre of our overall strategy of people
centered development. An overall development strategy centred around
the participation of people is one which in our context ignites the
further institutionalisation of democracy. The term “civil
society” includes all actors that are not governmental, including the
for-profit private sector and individuals. The term “public
participation” is used in its traditional sense and includes all
interaction between government and civil society to solve shared problems.
It also includes the process by which government and civil society hold
dialogue, establish partnerships, share information, and otherwise
interact to design, implement, and evaluate development policies,
projects, and programmes. The process requires the involvement and
commitment of all interested parties, including the poor and traditionally
marginalized groups, immigrants and disadvantaged groups. This document is intended
to encourage the responsible participation of civil society, the
strengthening of the capacity of government institutions at all levels to
solicit, receive, and integrate public input, and the expansion of
opportunities for government and civil society to interact as the main
operation strategy in the development of National Integrated Development
Strategy. It identifies common principles, presents a set of
objectives, and identifies programmes for achieving public participation
and our national development main goal of improving the quality of life. The British Virgin Islands
population with its international character and deep passion for the
preservation of environment and desire to “be different” is able to
contribute meaningfully to the decision making process. The policy
objectives contained in this policy statement cover the economy, the
infrastructure, the environment, human resources development, government,
law and order, social security and social welfare and spatial development. It is increasingly
recognized that any development effort requires the active involvement of
an informed civil society to be truly sustainable. Involvement
through public participation in the decision-making process introduces a
broader range of ideas, experience, and expertise and encourages the
development of alternative solutions. It enhances the knowledge of
traditional decision-makers by opening development issues to the scrutiny
of non-traditional partners. Integrated development is
expected to result in better balanced development and in so doing generate
economic opportunity for all groups and regions of the country. This
introduction better of equity in the economic opportunity minimizes the
disparities in the distribution of benefits and contributes to the
stability of society. Additionally, reaching
consensus at various stages of the decision-making process reduces the
potential for serious conflict and increases the likelihood of improved
and lasting solutions. Finally, integrated development with public
participation provides lasting opportunities for cooperation and
coordination between government and civil society, building trust between
the participants and leading to the creation of long-term collaborative
relationships. All this is particularly true in dealing with issues
related to the integrated development , since it includes people from all
segments of society and can bring them together to work toward common
goals. Additionally, in recent years, the governments of
the British Virgin Islands have advanced these commitments by developing
and implementing national mechanisms to strengthen democratic institutions
and achieve sustainable development through increased public
participation. The commitments upon which these advances are based
are the following:
The commitments above-stated charts the
progress toward the development of a broad policy framework for the
British Virgin Islands placing the processes of community consultation and
widespread participation of the people in development decision-making as
the fundamental components in our drive to Sustainable Development. From these overarching commitments and our practicing of Good Government the below listed principles can be identified throughout. 2.
Comprehensiveness: Inclusive and continuous participation throughout
the process of design, implementation, and evaluation of projects,
policies, or programs inspires new ideas and expertise, legitimises
decisions, and enriches outcomes. A decision-making process that is
sufficiently flexible to include inputs at all phases can benefit from
adjustments wherever they are needed to respond to new information or
circumstances. 4. Proactivity: In our democracy people expect the Government to manage their rights, privileges and opportunities in such a way which permits them to reach their full potential and be a unmistakeable part of the decision making process. A proactive Government guarantees those rights, obligates itself to ensuring the availability of those privileges and commits to the provision of those opportunities for improving the standards and conditions of living. 5 5. Transparency: Harmonious and lasting relationships between the Government and the governed requires accountability as well as transparency. The presence of transparency on the part of both the governed and the government contributes to more meaningful participation in the decision-making process while ensuring that all motivations and objectives are apparent and that vital information to the decision is given and it is reliable. 6. 6. Access: The involvement of civil society in development decisions is essential for lasting solutions. In order to participate effectively, citizens must have access to information, access to the political process, and access to the justice system. 7. 7. Equitable: One of the major issues which turns out to be an overriding concept of sustainable development is inter-generational equity. Policies and strategies of today must not compromise the ability of the next generation to making a living from the endowment of natural resources we have today. The above-described principles are at the core of sustained, balanced equitable development of the British Virgin Islands during the next decade. Through the full and continuous application of these principles, the British Virgin Islands people will have a better chance of realizing the benefits of a sustainable development which assists them in reaching their full potential and improving the conditions of their lives. a)
Reducing of economic, social, political and physical vulnerability to
permit our economy to expand and development given that it is prepared,
mitigative measures are in place and it could bounce back in the event of
disasters. b)
Ensuring balanced development on a regional and sectoral basis is to
result in a better horizontal and vertical distribution of the benefits of
national development. c)
Improving environment management to ensure sustainability of key economic
activities such as tourism and food production leaving our future
generation ability to support themselves in tact. d)
Improving the physical infrastructure is a prerequisite to further
expansion of our economy and improved management of our environment. e)
Enhancing human resources development is imperative for the development of
our economy, reduction of imported labour and improving the standards and
conditions of life. f)
Improving social cohesion is essential to promote social capital
development, to provide a safe, ordered living environment, to better
manage the population and to enhance social integration. g) Attaining global competitiveness is a most critical condition for earning a living from international trade in such globally competitive services such as tourism and financial services. h)
Improving governance requires us to promote and facilitate participation
and deliberation in order to deepen democracy as our political system and
way of life. i)
Preserving our cultural heritage promotes the awareness of our culture and
identifies us as a Caribbean people giving us the opportunity to enjoy the
culture of our immigrants. j)
Ensuring BVIslanders a greater stake in the society contributes to meeting
their hopes and aspirations while ensuring the continuation of our society
and way of life as a unique people. k) Promoting global connectiveness to facilitate continuation of our trade in international services and enhancing our communications technology links with the rest of the world are key objectives to building a 21st century economy. Undertaking efforts to achieve these objectives in the indicated areas of focus should lead to the accrual of benefits identified earlier and will ultimately improve the conditions of and standard of living for all British Virgin Islanders in a sustainable way. The
following key areas are targeted for developing broad policies and
programmes for sustainable development and integrated development planning
to fulfil our national goal of improving the conditions and standards of
life. The policies described below incorporate our principles and
are designed to fulfil the objectives already identified. 1. The Economy Policy/Programme:
Build a strong and diversified economy capable of meeting the needs and
aspirations of the people for the 21st century taking into consideration
our existing leading sectors and their comparative advantages. In the context of
the British Virgin Islands a 21st century economy means one that is
diversified into sector other than tourism and financial services.
Sectors such as food production, professional services, electronic
commerce and manufacturing holds some potential in this regard. A
21st century economy must be flexible, responsive and adaptive to take
advantage of windows of opportunity presented as we insert our country
into the global economy. Policy/Programme:
Create an integrated framework of government agencies, private sector
organizations, non-governmental organizations and community based groups
working under the direction of a suitable legal framework to manage the
use of our environment through a network of facilities. Managing an
environment as delicate and much used as ours requires a full range of
scientific, financial, economic, social and political skills on a daily
basis. The environment is our future and all of us must play our
roles. Government should be the co-ordinator but the private sector
and NGO’s have a responsibility so the response is to create for which
permits the exchange of ideas. Policy/Programme:
Build a world class infrastructure comprising transport facilities,
telecommunications, water, sewerage, electricity and drainage system
suitable and to accommodating private initiative. Tourism housing and food production places high and extensive demands on infrastructure. Infrastructure supportive of private development is a prerequisite to the further development of our economy. Our Tourism and transport sectors require substantial improvement to allow them to advance to the next level. Government, by convention and necessity, has accepted the responsibility for investment in infrastructure such as roads, bridges, ports, electricity and water. 4.
Government Policy/Programme: Build a better government for the people – a government which upholds the principles of good government, increases consultation and participation and uses the resources of the people in the most efficient way to provide for their desires. Reform and develop government services to improve the delivery of the full range of services. A 21st
century government upholds the principles of good governance and democracy
in our context while obtaining value for money in the delivery of
services. Government must lead in inserting our economy into the
21st century and providing opportunities or all BVIslanders. 5.
Human Resources Development Policy/Programme:
Integrate the network of service providers in health, education and
welfare around the concept of human resources development to ensure that
the human resources component of development is available. Network
human resources services to ensure the full development of people
potential and their contribution to development to resolve related issues. The
British Virgin Islands have reached a stage of development where human
resources have become the key component in transitioning us into the
knowledge economy, assisting in the diversification of our economy into
other sectors and resolving the chronic labour shortages of both skilled
and unskilled workers. Human resources development has other
components such as health and welfare services which are just as important
to ensuring happiness, health and supportive services in order to be
productive. Policy/Programme:
Create safe, well-layed out and serviced communities built around the
needs of people. Our communities must be built with access to the
range of amenities, utilities, emergency services, sports, recreation and
entertainment services and facilities. Spatial development is one of the most critical aspects in development planning as it impacts on the level of community disaster management, emergency services response, beautification and resilience. Physical development in total adds to the desirability, livability and security of communities. Policy/Programme:
Upgrade and expand law and order services to world class level to ensure
that the international services we provide meet the expectations and
standards. Build up our police and legal services to meet the
challenges given by international crime while ensuring the safety and
security of our citizens and visitors using the advances in science and
technology in the most modern facilities. The
preservation of law and order is a prime and inescapable responsibility of
government in most civil societies. Given that the BVI economy is
built on the provision of international services in tourism and finance,
the latter being the most regulated in the developed countries, law and
order must be a priority to maintain stability and confidence in the
products of our destination. 8.
Social Welfare and Social Security Policy/Programme:
Upgrade and improve the social welfare and security systems to guarantee
the delivery of services and benefits to the qualified and needy as a
cluster of activities supportive of the human resources development
initiatives. Unfortunately,
development never brings everyone along at the same pace and the
responsibility and willingness to assist the affected speaks to the
goodness of the society. Social welfare is an undeniable function of
the State and the commitment in this regard is well established in the
British Virgin Islands. The implementation of these programmes requires new and comprehensive measures together with cross-agency mechanisms to ensure the total integrated effort. If these policies/programmes are to be successfully implemented, the existing planning and implementation network, the legal and regulatory structures, the private sector, the non-governmental organizations community, the line ministries and the individuals of our communities must all accept the integrated approach at the vertical and horizontal levels. The
political leadership and the Executive Authority must play a prominent
role in the co-ordination of this effort. Without the approval and
continuous support of the Executive Management and Political Leadership,
this policy framework has little chance of implementation. Lastly,
the support of the British Virgin Islands communities is absolutely
essential to this policy framework. Development
Planning Department September
2000
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