CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – The St. Lucia government, Monday, said it is taking meaningful steps to strengthen oversight of its statutory bodies, following a recent high-level visit by the Parastatal Monitoring Department (PMD) to Jamaica.
The two-day engagement, hosted by the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service of Jamaica, brought together senior officials for in-depth discussions, technical exchanges, and a corporate governance forum.
Prime Minister Phillip J Pierre
“St. Lucia’s engagement with the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service reflects our government’s clear commitment to strengthening accountability, transparency, and prudent fiscal management across our statutory bodies,” said Prime Minister Phillip J Pierre.
“As we modernize our oversight framework, we are not simply adopting external models, but carefully shaping them to suit our national context, ensuring that our institutions operate with greater efficiency, integrity, and responsiveness to the people of St. Lucia. This collaboration is part of our broader agenda to build resilient public institutions that inspire confidence and support sustainable national development,” he added.
A government statement said the visit was part of ongoing efforts to modernize the island’s oversight framework and build stronger institutional capacity.
The Parastatal Monitoring Department, located within the Office of the Prime Minister, is responsible for ensuring compliance across all levels of the parastatal sector. Parastatals, also known as statutory bodies, are organizations established by law to perform specific functions or responsibilities on behalf of the government.
Permanent Secretary Josette Maxwell-Dalsou led the St. Lucia delegation, and, according to the statement, held extensive meetings with the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, which is responsible for monitoring public bodies.
It said that a major highlight of the visit was participation in a corporate governance sensitization forum, where practical approaches to governance were highlighted.
Maxwell-Dalsou said that while Jamaica’s model provides a strong example, St. Lucia must tailor these approaches to fit its own context.
“Jamaica’s model offers valuable lessons and a strong foundation for us to learn from. Saint Lucia can now shape these practices to reflect our own realities, priorities, and institutional needs.
“Our focus is on building a practical and sustainable oversight framework that strengthens accountability, supports better decision-making, and ultimately delivers greater confidence in our statutory bodies,” she said, emphasizing the need for practical and sustainable reforms.
Senior Legal Officer, Mrs. Gemyma Norville-Jules, who was part of the delegation, echoed the sentiment, highlighting the importance of strengthening the country’s legislative framework and building internal capacity.
“Jamaica’s experience brought to life how a strong legislative framework truly supports effective oversight in practice. It reaffirmed for us at the PMD the importance of strengthening our legal structures while building internal capacity so that we can foster greater accountability, transparency, and good governance across our statutory bodies for the overall benefit of the country as a whole, ” she noted.
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