Socio-Economic Policy Planning Division (SEPP)

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Ms. June Williams, Acting Director, is Head of the Socio-Economic Policy Planning Division.

The Division serves as a resource for the development, monitoring and evaluation of medium and long-term strategies, policies and programmes for national development.

Core Functions

• Articulation and review of a long-term National Strategic Development Framework (Vision 2020) through the widest possible public participation. This Framework is intended to guide the economic, human, environmental and physical development of Trinidad and Tobago over the short, medium and long term to the year 2020. This policy document would:
  
  - define the Vision for national development;
  
  - identify the policy objectives and quantifiable targets for achievements by the year 2020;
  
  - specify the objectives and quantifiable targets for achievement within 3-5 year planning horizons;
  
  - indicate the policy, legislative and institutional arrangements for implementation of the strategies and actions;
  
  - provide the overall parameters for:
  • priorities in the Public Sector Investment Programme;
  • defining the national Budget;
  • developing sectoral reform initiatives by Government Ministries and Agencies to address structural deficiencies and meet national developmental objectives;
  • guiding investment decisions in the private sector; and
  • mobilising international financial and development support.
  
   
• Participate in the short-term programming process in order to ensure consistency between public policies adopted in the annual Budget and the Public Sector Investment Programme, and Central Government's plans;
  
   
• Co-ordinate of inter-sectoral policy and strategies to ensure compatibility with desired national development goals;
  
   
• Undertake analyses and research of domestic economic and social trends and issues, and the international context as a basis for adjusting priorities and strategies, at both the macro and sectoral levels, in response to changing conditions;
  
   
• Facilitate the mobilisation of financial and technical resources from some of the key MFIs such as the Inter-American Development Bank, The World Bank, the Caribbean Development Bank and the European Union;
  
   
• Provide support to the Ministry of Planning and Development in preparing for negotiations with the Multilateral Financing Agencies; and
  
   
• Conduct on-going and ex-post review and assessment of the impact of policies, programmes and projects to ensure the timely identification of potential bottlenecks and formulation of appropriate interventions.