Knowledge as a Tool to develop Communities of Practice Capital Plaza, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago June 17, 2013 Funded by: University of the West Indies Final ARIAL Regional Seminars: ‘Sharing Good Practices: Local Government Associations Engaged in Political Dialogues’

Caribbean Local Economic Development Project  A joint $23 million Local Economic Development program over six years ( )  Implemented by FCM, in partnership with CFLGM, CALGA and CLGF  Funded by CIDA (In-kind contributions from Canadian, Caribbean and Commonwealth partners)  Ultimate Outcome: To stimulate and increase sustainable economic growth benefiting men, women and youth in the Caribbean Intermediate Outcomes  Improved economic governance and service delivery related to the growth of MSMEs  Strengthened competencies and governance capacities at the local level  Improved implementation of policies, programs and knowledge sharing at national and regional levels  Special emphasis on the needs of female-led enterprises CFLGM Funded by: Partners : 2

Population of CARICOM is approximately 9 million (17 million including Haiti) 3

CARILED’S Demonstration Countries: Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, OECS (Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia), Trinidad & Tobago 4 Northern States Belize: Population: 282,600 Size: 22,966 km 2 Jamaica: Population: 2.6 million Size: 10,991 km 2 OECS Dominica: Population: 69,810 Size: 750 km 2 Grenada: Population: 110,821 Size: 345 km 2 Saint Lucia: Population: 172,034 Size: 616 km 2 Southern States Guyana: Population: 751,400 Size: 216,970 km 2 Trinidad & Tobago: Population: 1.3 million Size: 5,128 km²

The Government of Canada - Commitment to stimulating sustainable economic growth CARILED funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) CARILED’s mandate incorporates elements of CIDA's Sustainable Economic Growth Strategy and focuses on: Building economic foundations Growing businesses, resulting in increasing employment opportunities for the poor; and Investing in people Scope of CARILED

LED and Knowledge Management? Fostering a knowledge-based economy 6

Knowledge Based Projects Phase I - 20 Communities in 7 countries Ongoing documentation of lessons learned through local level initiatives Producing evidence for national and regional policy dialogues Mapping knowledge assets and priority areas for knowledge production (experts, documentation, existing knowledge sharing events etc.) Development of shared databases, resource libraries and tools to centralize documentation (national LGA websites / regional website) Phase II – Addition of 30 communities in 7 countries Phase III – Knowledge Sharing in 7 additional countries 7

Knowledge Activities Sharing and Dissemination How does one disseminate captured and created knowledge? Publications (Case Studies, policy briefs, manuals etc.) Workshops / Seminars/ Forums / Conferences Peer to peer support Exchange visits Communities of Practice Policy Dialogues (NACs) Databases (Virtual) Think Tanks Academic Programs 8

Communities of Practice (CoP) Wenger, McDermott & Snyder, 2003 Communities of practice - “Groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis.” Peer - to-peer collaborative activities Wenger, core structural dimensions: domain, community, and practice. Local Economic Development Planning and Advisory Committees (LED-PACs) – Practical / Technocrats National Advisory Committees (NACs) – Policy 9

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities Community of Practice through sharing of LED projects, lessons learned, best practices among MLED, MPED and CARILED programs Canadian Municipalities Close to 2000 Member municipalities 25 municipalities committed to partnering with CARILED during first 9 months of project Engagement through Local Area Economic Profile Missions (January and April 2013) Areas identified for support include inter alia: Environmental Management, Extractive Industries, Tourism, Revenue Management, City Branding 10

LED Learning Resources and Toolkits: Building alliances and strategic vision through P3s EN: economic-development-forum/building-alliances-and-strategic-vision-through-p3s.htmhttp://fcm.ca/home/events/past-webinars-and-workshops/international/local- economic-development-forum/building-alliances-and-strategic-vision-through-p3s.htm Implementing and managing change EN: economic-development-forum/implementing-and-managing-change.htmhttp://fcm.ca/home/events/past-webinars-and-workshops/international/local- economic-development-forum/implementing-and-managing-change.htm Promoting inclusive and sustainable LED: investing in youth EN: economic-development-forum/promoting-inclusive-and-sustainable-led-youth.htmhttp://fcm.ca/home/events/past-webinars-and-workshops/international/local- economic-development-forum/promoting-inclusive-and-sustainable-led-youth.htm Promoting inclusive and sustainable LED: no one left behind EN: economic-development-forum/promoting-inclusive-and-sustainable-led-no-one.htmhttp://fcm.ca/home/events/past-webinars-and-workshops/international/local- economic-development-forum/promoting-inclusive-and-sustainable-led-no-one.htm LED policy research for local government associations EN: economic-development-forum/led-policy-research-for-local-government- associations.htmhttp://fcm.ca/home/events/past-webinars-and-workshops/international/local- economic-development-forum/led-policy-research-for-local-government- associations.htm 11

Caribbean & Commonwealth Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) Focus – to promote and strengthen democratic local government across the Commonwealth and to encourage the exchange of best practice Current Membership – 160 organisations representing national and state ministries of local government, local government associations, and individual councils, in more than 40 Commonwealth countries Caribbean Association of Local Government Authorities (CALGA) To promote good governance and local democracy through capacity-building, networking, advocacy, and effective representation of the interests and views of Local Government authorities Current Membership – 8 Caribbean countries 12

From Knowledge to CoPs Shared tacit and explicit knowledge Access to similar cultural nuances Similar political structures Small States Collaboration LED model testing and implementation LGA Capacity Building and Strengthening 13

Thank you Presented by: Ms. Kizzann Lee Sam Manager, Knowledge and Communications Caribbean Local Economic Development Project (CARILED) Corners Taitt & Cumberbatch Streets, Chaguanas, Trinidad & Tobago