[lac-discuss-en] Roosevelt King - Answers to questions for the nominees for the Secretariat of LACRALO

[admin at bango.org.bb]

Members,

Please see responses to questions in wiki and reproduced below the link:
https://community.icann.org/display/LACRALO/2012+Election+Call+-+LACRALO+Chair+and+Secretariat?focusedCommentId=31178011&#comment-31178011


Roosevelt King
Response to Question 1:
What is the experience in secretariat management and administration at an 
organizational level?

I am the Secretary General of the Barbados Association of Non Governmental 
Organisations (BANGO) has been playing the role of Secretariat for 
organisations since its inception in 1997. BANGO was established 
specifically to play this role and has been the National Focal point for 
Civil Society in Barbados; officially recognised by government in this 
capacity since 2002. This is a secretariat role catering to over 1200 NGOs 
on the island, with a responsibility to feed-up information and local 
knowledge from the grassroots to impact on national policy, as well as to 
ensure that they are always well informed.

BANGO is also the secretariat for the Non State Actors (NSA) Panel of 
Barbados, which is made up of NGOs, Labour, Private Sector organisations, 
Government and the European Union (EU) and the Secretariat for the ACP 
(Africa Caribbean and Pacific) Civil Society Forum.

BANGO has been fulfilling the role of secretariat for NGOs in Barbados since 
1997. We manage several lists (internet) for Barbados, the Caribbean and the 
ACP countries. In its role as secretariat for several developments and 
initiatives, BANGO has many years experience interfacing with governments, 
national agencies, regional bodies and agencies as well as international 
agencies.

In its role as Secretariat for the NSA Panel, we have been interfacing with 
the European Union and actually negotiated the establishment of the Panel 
between 2005 -2007. The reason for the Panel was to enhance civil society 
participation in the EU/ACP Development Cooperation process, governed by the 
Cotonou Partnership Agreement 2000. In negotiating this mechanism, the EU in 
Barbados duplicated these panels in the six countries making up the OECS, 
since it has responsibility for Barbados and the OECS. Hence this initiative 
served to enhance participation in seven countries all at once.

We have worked with the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) of the United 
Nations (UN) to establish a secretariat for a national and a regional focal 
committee for the small grants fund and actually established these 
mechanisms within the UNDP System. The secretariat became fully operational, 
with BANGO prescribing the terms of references and other arrangements to 
establish this secretariat and actually managed the secretariat for a year 
to establish the standards of operation, before handing it over to the GEF 
fully operational.

We also helped Government establish a Bureau for Returning Nationals, which 
gives certain benefits and exemptions to nationals returning home to live 
and assists them with fully relocating.

We employ various skills for our secretariat work, including legal services, 
secretarial services, graphic artists, researchers, facilitators, trainers, 
etc., including a team of proposal writers; depending on what is required.

As advocates and negotiators, we heavily involve our constituencies, because 
we strongly believe in win-win solutions to issues and we have learned many 
lessons as it relates to coming to consensus on diverse issues and ensuring 
that all voices are heard and considered within any national policy and 
decision-making exercise.

We have led many teams of NGOs into consultations and negotiations with 
governments and their institutions as well as international agencies. Of 
note are: Coordinating the national civil society consultation of 2000; 
leading the Barbados delegation to the Forward Together Conference and 
Encounter with the Heads of Governments of CARICOM in 2002; Led the 
initiatives of the CARICOM Civil Society Task Force 2002-2003; 2005 National 
Civil Society Consultations; The civil society national report to the UN 
Human Rights Commission and also now national coordinator for the new UN 
Human Rights Reporting System.

I would say that we understand the critical role a secretariat plays, 
especially in documenting information, collating reports, keeping minutes, 
guiding meetings based on evidence and/or research, interpreting rules and 
generally assisting in the implementation of decisions.

I therefore come along with BANGO as an ALS with considerable experience as 
a secretariat. BANGO has been a member of LACRALO from its inception and has 
been an ALS for much longer. We have been following all along and have 
accumulated an archive of information over this time. Hence I was able to 
participate in Costa Rica without having to be prompted and did so to the 
best of my ability knowing the background of what I was participating in.

Having seen what is happening to LACRALO and knowing that this is simply a 
problem of communications and structure, I offer my services to get to the 
bottom of this problem. In Costa Rica, I met men and women from Latin 
America that one could have a conversation with and be very good friends 
with. Indeed, I had some very memorable moments with Latin Americans, for 
example, on the occasion of Marcel’s birthday. I met some great people. I 
did not meet wild animals. There is therefore no reason we can’t get along 
and I offer to ensure that the two sub-regions can solve the communications 
problem that will set us on a brighter path.

BANGO’s success rests on its performance as a secretariat at the national, 
regional and international levels. Even if we did not have knowledge of the 
work of ICANN or LACRALO, the most important point is that we are probably 
the most experienced organization in the Caribbean when it comes to 
operating a secretariat, whether it is for our NGOs or for the United 
Nations. We have done it successfully every time.

You are being called upon to vote for a Secretariat. A knowledge of and 
participation in LACRALO is no guarantee of the effectiveness or efficiency 
of a Secretariat. Many of you have this experience but the matter of an 
proper functioning Secretariat that will not only maintain the high standard 
set by the present secretariat but will seek to take that professionalism 
one step further for LACRALO is what is required.

A vote for me, is a vote for the stability, cooperation and collaboration 
that LACRALO needs in order to give it a bright future. I therefore pledge 
sincere dedication and commitment to this task as I seek your vote to be the 
best Secretariat the LACRALO has ever had.

Question 2:
For the record, one of the secretariat’s responsibilities has to do with 
translation. What do you expect to do so that translations are expedited and 
we can comment on public documents before the end of the public comment 
period?

Translation is important for there to be participation. Translation also 
takes a team and hence requires resources. As the Secretariat for the 
Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Civil Society Forum, where the official 
languages are English and French, there are many languages in which 
documents must also be translated in order to facilitate participation 
across Africa and in the Caribbean. We rely on a central translation team 
located in Brussels, plus there are many members who volunteer for 
translation. This is all coordinated by our secretariat to ensure that the 
timely delivery of translated documents.

In the case of ICANN, resources must be allocated by ICANN for such an 
important aspect (similar to the ACP). However, in terms of LACRALO, we have 
in Barbados, the Venezuelan Institute which is part of the Venezuelan 
embassy in Barbados and they offer free courses in Spanish and we can rely 
on them to assist us with translation. We also have some volunteers who are 
part of BANGO that can assist us.

Question 3
How will you ensure that the good work of the Secretariat is maintained? How 
you can track the constant and ongoing management you made?

First, once elected, I will ensure that we are properly briefed by the 
present Secretariat so that we become even more familiar with the procedures 
and processes. This will be to ensure that the standard of the secretariat 
is maintained at the high level at which it is operating.

BANGO is very familiar with the elements that make for a good secretariat, 
given that we have over 15 years of experience in the field. We have staff 
to assist us that will make for a quick and efficient handing over of the 
Secretariat, if elected.


ROK
Roosevelt O. King
Secretary General
Barbados Association of Non Governmental Organisations
#10 Garrison, St. Michael
Barbados, Caribbean
Tel: 247-822-7707
e-mail: admin at bango.org.bb
Network: http://bangoonline.igloocommunities.com