A technical working group, set up to evaluate Jamaica’s progress towards a number of social policy goals, has identified seven key goals needed to be pursued by the government and the wider society by 2015 in order to build a better and more harmonious society.

The areas identified included:

. progress towards enhanced human security;

. social integration;

. governance; secure and sustainable livelihoods;

. the environment;

. education and skills; and

. health and social well-being.

The voluntary group which is comprised of policy and research experts from various ministries, government agencies and non-governmental organisations, as well as independent consultants, under the umbrella of the Jamaica Social Policy Evaluation Project (JASPEV), submitted it progress report on national social policy goals, which was approved by the House on Tuesday following a review by the Human Resources and Social Development Committee of Parliament.

JASPEV came on-stream in January 2001 as a project undertaken by the Cabinet Office in the Office of the Prime Minister.

It was intended as a short-term project that would develop a social policy framework to outline a long-term vision for the development of the Jamaican society, and aimed at making social policies more relevant.

In presenting the group’s report, state minister for education, youth and culture, Dr Donald Rhodd, noted that the goals were “long-term and future oriented, extending beyond political timelines and boundaries and having consideration for qualitative long-term outcomes, rather than for quantitative outputs”.

Said Rhodd: “In fact, the goals impact social, economic and environmental policies and are measurable because progress towards achieving goals should be measured constantly.” He said some aspects were already being implemented by the government.

In the area of human security, the group recommended that the police, court and penal system statistics should be integrated to track cases through the criminal justice system, with diversionary programmes for juveniles. It also recommended that the cases sent to the DPP against the police should be reported by the Police Public Complaints Authority in its annual report for greater public awareness. It also called for increased funding to sustain successful legal aid programmes in order to increase confidence in the rule of law.

At the same time, the group recommended that greater emphasis should be on human rights, removing barriers to access, the development of safe spaces for community interaction, especially for the youth and elderly, the improvement of physical access to public areas and buildings for all groups and broadening access to employment and other income generating activities.

Meanwhile, the group recommended that in the area of governance there be a widening and deepening of the participation of public agencies with stakeholders before and during major policy, programme and project development, to include consulting communities and bodies such as parish councils.

A need for more “embedded” community services such as those provided by the Social Development Commission (SDC) and a greater focus on specific data collection was also recommended, Rhodd said.

Rhodd said the prevention of violence through various interventions, including the building of life skills in conflict management, goal setting and resiliency were recommended in the area of health and well-being.

The recommendations were supported by Opposition members, including health spokesman Dr Ken Baugh, who noted that they pointed to the fact that merely redistributing wealth was not sufficient to promote social harmony and human development.

He also pointed to the need to include the rights of the mentally ill, the absence of which he said was “a serious indictment on us as a people”.