Jamaica works for effective social protection with the help of SOCIEUX

The SOCIEUX programme, Social Protection European Union Expertise in Development Cooperation Facility, in which the FIIAPP collaborates, held a workshop in Kingston, Jamaica in November to support the development of the capacities of the Planning Institute of Jamaica(PIOJ) for evaluating social protection programmes.

“The SOCIEUX activity served to raise awareness on the part of the attendees of the comprehensive aspects involved in the creation of a monitoring and evaluation framework, particularly if it is to be applied to a public policy. Currently we are developing a new poverty-reduction programme, which will involve diverse monitoring levels for social programmes, and this will help us greatly”, said Collette Robinson, Director of the Social Protection and Gender Unit of the PIOJ.

International expert and former adviser to the Development Policy Evaluation and Knowledge Management Division of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Carlos Rodríguez Ariza, stated that monitoring and evaluation are “not only an instrument for determining the effectiveness of the programme but also a process, a way of planning and a roadmap that promotes communication with the staff and other interested parties”.

The PIOJ officially published its Social Protection Strategy on 16th July 2014, a huge step towards providing an effective social protection system. The guiding principles of the strategy define a system that reflects the goal of “Vision 2013 Jamaica” of empowering Jamaicans, fomenting independence over dependence, offering fair and equitable treatment for all, and attaining high standards in service provision.

The support of SOCIEUX has been very helpful for defining the monitoring and evaluation framework being created by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), the country’s main government planning body.