Jamaica

The overall objective (Impact) to which this action contributes is 'to increase inclusive access to and use of ICT in Jamaica, in support of the country’s transitioning activities towards becoming a digital economy and society.'

The specific objectives (Outcomes) of this contract are as follows:

Specific objective (Outcome) 1: To provide budget support management technical expertise and enhance the capacity of the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) as well as the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) to:

• ensure the efficient implementation of Digital Jamaica; and
• ensure the efficient coordination, management and reporting of the overall programme.

Specific objective (Outcome) 2: To support the communication of the results of Digital Jamaica to internal and external audiences. In particular, to inform main target groups about the involved Ministries contribution to the GOJ’s wider Digital Transformation Agenda and the EU’s contribution to these efforts.

Increase Knowledge and Public Awareness of Integrated and Sustainable Landscape Management (ISLM) and Coastal Zone Management (CZM) to reduce the vulnerability of the Jamaican ecosystems from the hills to the ocean and strengthen the resilience of communities within the targeted watersheds against the adverse effects of climate change.

The specific objective was to undertake a communication campaign and public awareness programme, with the Hills to Ocean executing agency and implementing partners, as well as key stakeholders, primarily in the targeted project sites. The intent was to:

1. Improve citizen access to information on the purpose, activities, achievements, and funders of A Jamaican Path from Hills to Ocean project.

2. Increase citizen awareness of the benefits of ISLM and CZM.

3. Highlight to farmers, fisher-folks, and entrepreneurs in the project’s targeted communities the importance of adopting ISLM and CZM to protect livelihoods and the environment.

This evaluation had two overarching objectives. Firstly, to provide the relevant external co-operation services of the European Union (EU) and the wider public with an overall independent assessment of the EU's past and current budget support operations in Jamaica. And secondly, to identify key lessons and to produce recommendations in order to inform the responsible decision makers, notably in DG INTPA and the EEAS, on how to improve the current and future budget support operations of the EU.

In addition, the specific objectives for this evaluation were:

• Assess the performance (relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, coherence, impact, sustainability and EU value added) of EU budget support operations (policy dialogue and financial assistance);
• Provide recommendations for the next programming period.

The thematic scope of the evaluation covered: Reforms in Public Finance Management (PFM), Macro-economic Stability, Debt Reduction and Growth, Security Sector Reform, Justice Sector Reform, Environment and Climate Change (Forest Management), Income and Non-income Poverty Reduction. The evaluation will assess how and to what extent gender, human security, in particular for youth and women, human rights, and environment, have been mainstreamed through Budget Support operations in Jamaica.

It provided advice to EU external action actors, informed them about the result and impact of EU budget support, and contributed to improved programming, monitoring, reporting and implementation of current EU interventions in Jamaica.

The general objective of this evaluation is to provide an independent assessment of the performance of EU support to the Rule of Law (RoL) and Anticorruption in the period 2010-2021 in INTPA partner countries, funded under DCI, EDF, EIDHR, IcSP, CSO and relevant Trust Funds. The evaluation seeks to be a stock-taking and forward-looking exercise but will focus on learning i.e. the identification of key lessons on what has and has not worked and why.

In addition, the specific objectives for this evaluation are:

• To assess the EU support to independent, effective and efficient justice systems, notably a) legislative processes (legality), b) legal certainty and access to justice; and c) equality and accountability before the law, in terms of its impact on good governance (including stability, human rights and democracy, environmental governance and business climate).
• To look at actions aimed at promoting anti-corruption, public accountability and transparency, improving the justice systems and enforcing the principle of separation of powers.
• To pay specific attention to the inclusion of different groups (political, ethnic, religious, etc.), women and youth in decision making at all levels.
• To gather insights on the extent to which the different tools, instruments and modalities used in the EU response have been beneficial in providing effective support to partner countries and the interactions and coherence of those, notably of policy and political dialogue.
• To evaluate the rationale of the EU in these supports to RoL, as well as risk mitigation measures and the impact of policy dialogue, not least on societal and state resilience.
• To produce recommendations for decision-makers in DG INTPA, FPI, DG NEAR, DG ECHO, DG Trade, DG JUST and EEAS on how to improve the EU’s policy strategy and implementation.

The temporal scope of the evaluation is 2010 to 2021, with a particular focus on the previous MMF (2014-2020). The evaluation will focus on the support provided to core state institutions and civil society organisations, specifically: state institutions and oversight bodies, justice institutions, anti-corruption agencies, civil society and human rights institutions.

The main objective of this evaluation was to provide an independent assessment and evidence on the contribution of EU external action support in the policy area of gender equality and women empowerment (GEWE). In line with the EU policy on evaluation, this evaluation sought to be a stock- taking lesson-learning and forward-looking exercise, as well as an accurate assessment of achieved results in line with the objectives of the EU Gender Action Plan (GAP) II and other relevant overall policy frameworks for gender equality such as the new approach on Women, Peace and Security Agenda, Agenda 2030, the New European Consensus for Development.

Its specific objectives were the following:

• To assess in both qualitative and quantitative terms the relevance, conditions of implementation and performance of EU external action to promote GEWE and its mainstreaming, particularly its efficiency, effectiveness, sustainability, and the EU added value.
• To assess whether the EU's policy and operational response on GEWE in partner regions (EU Plans of Action on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment for 2010-2015 and 2016-2020) have triggered new approaches and rendered EU external action support more effective, targeted, gender-responsive and efficient.
• To assess: a) the coordination and complementarity of the European Commission services, the European External Action Service (EEAS) and EU Members States’ external action; b) the coordination and complementarity between EU external action support and other non-EU donors’ and actors’; c) the coherence of EU GEWE policy in external action with other relevant EU external policies; and d) the coherence of EU external action support with international commitments to GEWE.

The evaluation should lead to the identification of conclusions, lessons learnt (both positive and negative), good practices regarding the achievement of the intended GEWE-related results and the Commission, the EEAS and EU Member States with a set of targeted and useful forward-looking recommendations for the improvement of the programming and implementation.

Through the course of the evaluation, the evaluation team conducted 18 case studies (focusing on countries, regions and thematic areas) which were subject to an in-depth analysis, including 9 field visits. Both a ‘country-level’ and ‘global’ survey – covering EU services (HQ and EU Delegations/Offices worldwide), EU Member States, other development partners and Civil Society Organisations – were part of the data collection and analysis process. Findings from all evaluation activities were synthesized into a final report.

Final report available here: https://ec.europa.eu/international-partnerships/evaluation-eus-external-action-support-area-gender-equality-and-womens-and-girls-empowerment_en

The Jamaica Business Fund (JBF) operated under the Foundations for Competitiveness and Growth (FCG) Project. The JBF was financed under a loan agreement between the Government of Jamaica and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the World Bank). Component 3A of the FCG, within which the JBF was funded, provided support directly to SMEs by funding a combination of supply chain learning, skills upgrading, and financing (total grant fund: US$5 million).

The overall objective of the FCG Project was to strengthen the business environment in Jamaica for private sector investment. The objective of this specific contract was: The successful management of the Jamaica Business Fund, which offered matching grant funds to SMEs in value chains within various sectors (notably in agriculture sectors: e.g. coffee, pepper, ginger).

The purpose of the JBF was to promote economic development through inclusive growth in high-potential supply chains. This improved productivity of SMEs in the supply chain and passed cost savings and increased output through to medium and larger buyer (anchor) firms, and their downstream clients, enhancing the competitiveness of exports and import-competing products.

In addition to direct firm-level productivity improvement grants, the Fund also provided two types of technical assistance: sector expertise to help firms identify problems along a supply chain and develop appropriate business plans for requisite skills upgrading needs, and public-private dialogue support to continue initial group problem-solving processes to work with public counterparts as well to resolve broader policy/regulatory or coordination constraints affecting a given supply chain. Furthermore, the JBF conducted several sector studies and disseminated its findings in the sector.

As part of the Fund Operations, an effective communications strategy and outreach program was developed and implemented. To achieve this, a Communication Officer was engaged to cover Fund-related PR and marketing. The communication activities included the design, development and management of the JBF website: https://jamaicabusinessfund.com/

Eligible supply chains included all productive sectors that could generate high job multipliers from invested resources and, ideally, sustainable and growing foreign exchange earnings through exports and/or foreign exchange savings through import substitution. Initial supply chains identified as having potential for productivity upgrading included agriculture and agro-processing, light manufacturing, and hotels and tourism linkages.

Implemented projects included, for example:

• Developing a Sustainable Supply Chain for the International Pepper Market (Hot Pepper sub-sector)
• Long Term Development of the Jamaican Ginger Industry (Ginger sub-sector)
• Connecting Artisanal Fisher Folk to Global Supply Chains (Lobster sub-sector)
• Improving exports through the acquisition of market driven skills and supply chain development (Condiments sub-sector)
• Upgrading the Quality and Market-Readiness of Local Artisan Supplies to Sandals Hotels (Tourism sector)
• Multi-Crop / Indigenous Products Supply Chain (Fresh Produce)

The Justice, Security, Accountability & Transparency Project (JSAT) is valued at 12.6 million EUR and was funded by the EU under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF). The JSAT was implemented jointly by two Ministries (Ministry of National Security and Ministry of Justice), the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) and Civil Society Organizations. The overall objective of the JSAT was to improve the standard of living and quality of life of Jamaican citizens by strengthening governance and oversight, with particular regard to the functioning of the security and justice systems. The purpose of the Technical Assistance (TA) was to provide project management support and build the capacity of the Ministries of National Security and Justice, and to support INDECOM to ensure the efficient implementation of the JSAT Project.

The project encompassed four components:

Component 1) Strengthening the capacity, forensic capability and oversight within the security sector thereby improving respect for the rule of law and human rights principles.

• Capacity building and training at the Single Training Academy
• Rehabilitation and equipping of classrooms and dormitories at the Single Training Academy and supply of software and training
• Supply of Equipment and training at the Forensic laboratory to facilitate the identification of drugs and other substances
• Construction of annex to the Forensic Laboratory and provision of retrieval system and software to facilitate security of exhibits and easy retrieval.
• Capacity Building and provision of equipment to the Independent Commission for Investigations (INDECOM)

Component 2) Improved networking and data-sharing capability and strengthened professional capacity of key entities to investigate and present for prosecution, cases of corruption, money laundering and organised crime.

• Technical assistance and capacity building to support the establishment of the Single Anti-Corruption Agency
• Supply of Equipment, Technology and Training to select Law Enforcement Agencies to improve capacity and encourage coherence between operations.
• Technical assistance to document protocols within law enforcement agencies
• Refurbishing and fitting of interview rooms at select law enforcement agencies

Component 3) Improved capability of the justice system to ensure timely treatment and disposal of cases

• Review and streamline the administrative processes underpinning the Case Management System (CMS) in the Justice Sector and implement CMS in select courts
• Rehabilitate and equip select courts with new technology to facilitate video evidence and electronic recording of evidence

Component 4) Civil society organisations (CSOs) empowered to fulfil their monitoring, advocacy and public education functions.

• At least 2 Calls for Proposals with grants awarded to civil society organisations

The activities under each component were implemented using a tendering / procurement procedure following the guidelines for Programme Estimates.

The implementation of all sub-activities under components 1-3 required an invitation to tender procedure. The overall number of tenders launched was forty (40). All types of procurement (Service, Supplies and Work), all types of EU procedures (Single tender, Competitive negotiated, Local and International open) were used for the various types of JSAT activities: training, forensic equipment, IT equipment, furnishing, sophisticated software, rehabilitation and construction works, social studies, communication & visibility studies, etc.

The global objective of the final evaluation was to assess the project's performance and achievements against the project's overall objective, and advise on lessons learnt which may have implications for further interventions in the sector. Taking into account the different initiatives, programmes, donors and other complementary actions, and considering that CARIFORUM is preparing a proposal for an 11th EDF successor Programme, part of the assignment also aimed at identifying complementary actions/projects (ongoing or in preparation) related to Climate Change.

The specific objective of the final evaluation was to provide the European Commission with:

• An overall independent assessment of the performance of the 'Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) Caribbean Support Project, paying particularly attention to the results of the programme against its objectives (including the performance of different early warning systems (EWS), level of participation in different trainings, level of coordination with other projects/donors, reached visibility);
• Key lessons and recommendations in order to improve current and future actions of a similar nature for a possible follow-up programme to be financed under the 11th EDF Regional Programme.