RGD Competes for Commonwealth Administrative Awards

The Registrar General’s Department (RGD) is among 15 organizations competing for top awards at the Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management’s (CAPAM) 10th biennial conference, now underway in Singapore.
Of the approximately 372 submissions, the RGD is the only Caribbean organization among the 15 finalists, with the others drawn from Australia, Canada, India, Malaysia, Malta, New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa. The conference takes place at the Shangri la hotel in Singapore from October 23 – 27.
Chief Executive Officer of the RGD, Dr. Patricia Holness, told JIS News that the agency was selected following its submission of a 1,500 word project, under the theme ‘Innovations in Governance’.
“The agency’s submission focused on the new policies, products and services implemented at the RGD since achieving Executive Agency status in 1999”, she explained.
Among the areas highlighted was the agency’s use of technology to achieve the highest levels of efficiency and meet the growing demand for services.
Customers now benefit from the options of making online applications; using the online tracking systems, which enable the applicant to track the status of applications; electronic scheduling of interviews for record updating activities; and a search facility that has improved from months to seconds.
Additionally, the production of computer-generated certificates on security paper has significantly reduced the incidence of identity fraud.
The RGD has been proactive in reaching its overseas-based customers, through the employment of strategies such as the Overseas Outreach Programme through which the agency visits several cities in North America and London.
Between January and June of this year, the RGD successfully processed 1,114 applications of 1,305 from overseas customers.
The CAPAM is dedicated to strengthening public management and consolidating democracy and good governance throughout the Commonwealth.
Every two years, CAPAM offers its International Innovations Awards to members, who are invited to submit an outline of a significant innovation in public administration and management in accordance with the rules and theme of that year’s awards programme.
An international jury reviews the submissions and interviews finalists to select gold, silver and bronze awardees. The programme is launched approximately one-year in advance of the CAPAM Biennial Conference. The finalists are judged at the time of the conference and the awards are given out at the President’s banquet on the final evening of the conference.
In selecting the finalists, the programme sought submissions, which demonstrated innovative practice in governance that respond to the challenges in the current environment.
Marketing Manager of the RGD, Sydiann Brissett will do the oral presentation of the project at the conference.
According to Dr. Holness, this is the agency’s second submission to the CAPAM awards programme and the agency plans to make future submissions.
“We are blessed to have been selected and we thank God for his guidance. Even if we do not emerge the gold, silver or bronze winners, we will continue to work towards just being as effective and innovative as we can in governing this organization in Jamaica”, she stated.