Information

Management
Core Requirements
________________________________________

Guidelines for an Information Strategy for Record Created by the CARICOM

Secretariat & Community Institutions
 Why Information
M
Management?t?

CARICOM is in the information business.

Its ability to respond to the needs of the Community

d
dependsd on how h wellll it can: use, maintain and
d
preserve information required to make decisions and
take actions.
actions

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 Information Risks
Ability to meet its public policy & management goals
is at risk, due to inter‐alia:

– Volume & variety of emails, documents, files & records ‐‐

how to identifyy what’s important
p and what is not. ((supply
pp y
side)
– Citizens and stakeholders are concerned that information
to which
hich the
they ha
havee a right is often unavailable,
na ailable
inaccessible, incomplete and out‐of‐date. (demand‐side)

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 Supporting Community
T
Targets
t
There are significant IM‐related
IM related issues relevant to the
realization of certain Community Targets:

– Building a single‐space world‐class competitive economy

– Increasing functional cooperation
– Making quality health‐care services available to Community Citizens
– Maintaining the safety and security of the Community
– Good Governance and Public Services

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 Heritage of the Community
Overall there is a real need for the protection and
preservation of our collective Caribbean Heritage.

– Without proper information protocols being observed, we stand to

lose our information legacy.
– A CARICOM Archives?
– Interest from the Grass‐roots if information is made more readily
available.

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 Critical Asset
The CARICOM Secretariat has invested significantly in
resources: people, facilities & equipment in order to
meet its priorities.

– Information is a critical asset that needs to be managed,

protected and exploited.

– Information is onl
only valuable
al able ho
however
e er if it can be retrieve
retrie e
and used at will.

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 The Goal
The CARICOM Secretariat will manage as a strategic
resource, information that:

– Supports the development, delivery and assessment of all

communication programmes, policies & services
– Enables the successful deployment
p y of ICTs
– Supports evidence‐based decision making
– Provides the basis for openness, accountability and earning public
trust
– Represents fully, the Secretariat’s corporate memory

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 The Means
Managing
g g information as a strategic
g resource will
mean:

– Determining information value (through‐out the lifecycle)

– Distributing and exchanging information (relevant entities)
– Analyzing and evaluating the use of certain types of information (eg.
Forms management)
– Documenting business activities and decisions (capturing the process)
– Identification, organization, storage, access and disposal of
i f
information
ti (i
(information
f ti audit)
dit)
– Protection of confidential information & personal privacy (FOI &DPA)
– Preservation of information with long‐term value to the Community
(CARICOM Archives)

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 Thank You

Emerson O. St. G. Bryan

Information & Document Management Officer
CARICOM Office of Trade Negotiation (OTN)
emerson.bryan@crnm.org

3rd Meeting of the Secretary‐General, Caribbean Community (CARICOM)

and Heads of Community and Other Regional Institutions
____________

Georgetown, Guyana
23‐24 July 2009

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