RIM month to focus on records management, climate change

The Jamaica Archives and Records Department (JARD) is observing Records and Information Management (RIM) month in April, with a focus on increasing awareness about the importance of accurate records management in providing holistic solutions to the impacts of climate-change.

Under the theme, ‘Envisioning the Future: Records and Information Management (RIM) in the Age of Climate Change’, the month, which was launched on April 3 at the AC Marriott Hotel in Kingston, will look at the critical role RIM plays in addressing the challenges posed by the phenomenon.

Activities will feature capacity-building within the RIM community through training sessions, webinars and knowledge-sharing forums.

Strategic alliances will also be forged with government agencies, non-governmental organisations, and private-sector entities to provide integrated RIM solutions.

Acting senior archivist at JARD, Alecia Litchmore, said the need for accurate, accessible and resilient information collected by environmental scientists, policymakers and communities around the world is essential.

She noted that effective records and information management takes into account organising information and data, as well as empowering decision-makers with the insight they need to take meaningful action to mitigate the social, economic and humanitarian impacts posed by climate-change.

“These data hold the key to understanding the complex mechanisms driving climate-change, predicting its impact and devising the strategies to mitigate and adopt to its effects. But this powerful resource is only as valuable as our ability to manage it effectively.

“This is why, as we launch RIM Month 2024, we must recommit ourselves to the principles of transparency, accountability and sustainability. We must ensure that our records are not only preserved, but also accessible to those who need them most,” she said.

“Our vision for the future of records and information management should extend beyond simply reacting to changes and the challenges of today; it should be proactive in shaping a more resilient and sustainable world for future generations,” Litchmore added.

In his presentation, advisor for communications and information, UNESCO Cluster Office for the Caribbean, Dr. Paul Hector, highlighted the role of RIM institutions and professionals in informing strategic planning to combat the effects of climate change.

“We need to enhance our knowledge about climate-change [such as] the Paris agreement and all of these other national, regional and international frameworks that have various record-keeping official submissions, because that is what we need to do in terms of supporting our policymakers,” he noted.

“We need to do things like conduct risk analysis, risk assessment of operations, put business continuity plans in place, which look at the different types of hazards and how these hazards could impact our operations,” Dr. Hector pointed out.

The launch ceremony included the offboarding of four government entities that have successfully completed the JARD RIM training.

These are the Ministry of Tourism, Real Estate Board, Ministry of Education and Youth, and the Ministry of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport.