Workshop Resources:

• Workshop Report
• Presentation on the Principles and Structures of Science Advice from Sir Peter Gluckman (Chair of INGSA and the New Zealand Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor)
• Presentation on Disaster and Emergency response from Mr Ronald Jackson (Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency, Barbados )
• Presentation on Science Advice in the Broader Context: public, law, and parliament from Dr Julie Maxton (Executive Director of The Royal Society)
• Presentation on Aligning Science and Poly Development with the SDGs from Dr Lidia Brito (UNESCO)
• Case Study Presentation on Implementing a Sugar Tax from Prof Fitzroy Henry (University of Technology, Jamaica)

On the 20th and 21st of February 2018, INGSA and regional partners hosted the first ever INGSA Capacity Building workshop in the Caribbean. The workshop was a great success and will hopefully underpin ongoing work and workshops in the region.

The workshop enjoyed a high level of support from local Ministers and government representatives as well as scientists and policy-makers from across the Caribbean.

Of particular note, was the Keynote Address from the Honourable Dr Andrew Wheatley, Minister of Science, Energy and Technology for the Government of Jamaica. You can read the full text of his address here.

Science, technology and innovation (STI) are crucial drivers of national and regional development. Scientists are increasingly required to become keys advisors to policy makers as they develop evidence-based policies and programmes. This science-policy interface is particularly important in the Caribbean since weaknesses in national STI enterprises have been attributed to slow progress in many key sectors of development. .

The workshop endeavoured:

• To enhance the capacities of Caribbean scientists and policy practitioners to embed scientific evidence in public policy making process.
• To create a Caribbean network of science advice practitioners that will serve as a platform for sharing best practices, and deliberating on challenges and solutions.
• To develop and share science advice principles and guidelines contextualised to the Caribbean region.

Read the detailed workshop report here. Thanks to NCST for preparing it.

Join the INGSA Network or follow INGSA on Twitter for more information.