The
Development Planning Unit
Government of the British Virgin Islands

MANDATE, ROLES AND RESPONSIBLITIES

The department’s fundamental purpose is to assist the Government in developing, implementing and reviewing economic, social and developmental policies and programmes that accommodate integrated development. The Development Planning Unit serves as the government’s primary source of analysis and advice on the broad social and economic affairs of the British Virgin Islands. In addition to preparing major national development plans, the department provides a full range of national statistical services; provides a full range of project cycle management services; administers the Development Aid Programme; provides advise on matters pertaining to science, technology and energy and provides a full range of functional manpower services. As well, the Development Planning Unit often represents or forms part of the representation for the British Virgin Islands in regional, sub-regional and international economic developmental and inter-governmental forums.

Our mandate requires monitoring and researching the performance of the British Virgin Islands economy in all important aspects including output and growth, income and employment, interest rates and prices; and short-term and long-term structural changes. By the nature of Government’s development strategy, the department, in a co-ordinating role, is ultimately responsible for the integration of population, environmental, economic and social affairs in the planning outputs. These affairs are ultimately critical to the domestic and international competitiveness of the British Virgin Islands.

In its role as a central agency, the department co-ordinates national project development activities. These include the identification, pre-selection and preparation of projects proposed by ministries. In this connection the department also provides project appraisal, monitoring and implementation services. Related to these services, the department plays a key role in the development of the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP) through the present national budgetary process. As well, in the public investment area, the department is responsible for administering the Development Aid Programme, although this has now become rather limited.

In operating through five (5) departmental programmes, the department has no statutory programme although some programmes are partially mandated by legislation. Through these programmes, the department interacts with international agencies such as the European Union, the Caribbean Development Bank, the Department for International Development, the United Nations, the World Bank the International Monetary Fund, the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation, CARICOM and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States.

The department also interacts with other government departments, agencies and public enterprises, and private sector interests as well as non-governmental organizations. The department plays a key co-ordinating role in public consultations pertaining to public investment initiatives and the national planning process, including the winding down of the National Integrated Development Plan (NIDP).

The department has as its key client groups:

• The Governor, the Government and the Executive Council by providing analysis, advise and recommendations on economic, population and social affairs of the British Virgin Islands. The department is also responsible for identifying legislative requirements in a limited way in some of these areas.

• The Legislative Council and the Public by supporting an expanded programme of public information and consultation with a focus on the provision of basic facts to BVIslanders on key economic and fiscal issues to facilitate wide participation in a more open, broad-based consultation process. This approach is consistent with wide ranging national consultations on major capital projects and other responsibilities falling under the department.

• Departments and Agencies by playing an active role in co-ordination of national developmental affairs, national statistical services and project management services

• International Economic Community by being responsible for economic analysis, national statistics and development aid, the department has the European Union, the Caribbean Development Bank, the United Nations, the Department for International Development, the International Monetary Fund, the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation, the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, the Caribbean Community, the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States and the European Investment Bank as its clients representing the British Virgin Islands in many international forums.

• National Interests Groups by consulting and exchanging information with representatives of business, social and other non-governmental groups in the economy on matters of strategy, statistical phenomena and potential public investment projects.

Objectives
The following are the departmental programme objectives:

Policy Advice and Decision Support
Provide the full range of decision support information for policy development in matters relating to science, technology and energy in the development process.

Preparation and presentation of policy advice to government in respect of microeconomic and macroeconomic issues, decision support information for the achievement of good public policy and programme delivery outcomes.

Project Cycle Management and Development Aid Management
Ensures the development of public sector programmes and projects through the integrated approach to the Project Cycle in accordance with government investment priorities.

Ensures that Government maximizes its use of international aid in accordance with national priorities and aid agencies development themes and focus.

Statistics Development, Survey and Research
Provides the full range of statistical services including economic, social, environment and population in accordance with internationally acceptable standards and conventions as well as the development priorities of the country including the private sector.

Provides a full range of research and survey services in accordance with socio-economic phenomena and international norms and conventions.

Sector Planning and Investment Programming
Provides conventional economic and planning analysis of institutional and economic sectors of the country giving situational analysis, past policies and trends and future actions.

Ensures that the investment priorities of Government are developed in accordance with acceptable standards of international donor/financing organizations in a programmed fashioned according to available resources.

Whole of Government Linkages and Departmental Services
Provides a range of support services including personnel and financial management and other management functions for various departments of government in accordance with the policies of good government.

Provides advice on relevant development planning issues through various Boards, Committees and Groupings.

The above-listed programme are to be delivered by six work groups whose specific responsibilities are listed immediately below.

• Management and Departmental Services – is responsible for determining and managing departmental outputs and outcomes, personnel services, departmental accounting services and whole of government linkages across sectors.

• Economic Statistics – is responsible for development and maintenance of statistical programmes in national accounting, balance of payments, private finance, government finance statistics, external trade, tourism, financial services, employment, prices and the environment.

• Social and Population Statistics – is responsible for development and maintenance of statistical programmes in health, education, welfare, population, social security, crime and justice, poverty, women in development, social capital development, youth, children and the elderly.

• Investment and Projects Development – is responsible for project cycle management including project identification, pre-selection, preparation, appraisal, implementation, monitoring and post-implementation analysis. In addition this work group is responsible for the development and maintenance the public sector investment programme (PSIP).

• Economic Analysis and Manpower – is responsible developing appropriate policies and providing sound advice on economic, fiscal and financial implications of government’s macro and micro-economic policies and programmes. This work group is also responsible for objective economic analysis for the public and private sectors and the management of the national manpower planning process.

• Surveys and Field Research – is responsible for the development and implementation of major socio-economic surveys including population and household censuses, household income and expenditure surveys and tourist expenditure surveys.

Financial Spending Plan

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