The Organization of American States, through the Department of Social Development and Employment (DSDE), launched the second phase of the technical cooperation on social protection systems in the Caribbean on May 27 – 29, 2009. This activity was developed in collaboration with the St. Lucia Social Development Fund under the auspices of the Ministry of Social Transformation of Saint Lucia. Its main goal was to initiate the process of transferring lessons learned from the Puente program of Chile to four Caribbean countries, St. Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The countries that participated during the first phase of this program, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago, were also in attendance to present the progress made in the work plans derived from the knowledge transference and to provide technical support to the newcomers to the program.

The workshops convoked technical officers involved in social protection systems in the participating countries, as well as officers from the Solidarity and Social Investment Fund (FOSIS) of Chile, responsible for the implementation of the Puente program. The workshop was opened by Ms. Anne Marie Blackman, the OAS Representative in St. Lucia, Mr. Pablo Coloma, Executive Director of FOSIS, and Mr. Donovan William, Permanent Secretary of Social Transformation of Saint Lucia.

This initiative was initially funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and currently depends on the financial support of the government of Chile. Under the coordination of the DSDE, the program is based on the technical transfer of the lessons learnt, the fundamentals, and the best practices within the Puente program of FOSIS. Its goal is to strengthen institutional capacity on social protection in the Caribbean. The Puente program of Chile has been recognized throughout the world because of the innovative psycho-social support provided to families living in extreme poverty, and because of its contribution in reducing poverty levels in Chile.

Relevant documents

•  Workshop Agenda

•  Information Bulletin

•  Registration Form

Presentations

•  Background and Methodology

•  Report on Phase 1 of the Puente in the Caribbean Program

•  The Chile Solidario Social Protection System: Establishing a Framework for the Puente Program

•  The Puente Program: Processes, Lessons Learnt and Institutional Context

•  Puente Toolkit: A Menu of Transferable Components: Methodology, Working materials and Management style

Puente in the Caribbean Phase I: Country Experiences

•  Jamaica

•  Trinidad and Tobago

•  St Lucia

Social Protection in the Caribbean: National Context, Institutional Framework

•  Barbados

•  St Kitts and Nevis

•  St Vincent and the Grenadines

•  Suriname
           

 

• Program: Network-Based Capacity Building on Social Protection Strategies in the Caribbean


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• International Workshop: Learning Communities: The experience of the Program Puente – Chile Solidario


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• Best Practices in Social Development
Experiences of the Social Investment funds (Only available in Spanish)