CARICOM
CARICOM
CARICOM
• Key Challenges in the Production of
Statistics in CARICOM;
• The Regional Approach to Statistical
Development - Highlights;
• Busan Action Plan for Statistics
Implications- Actions and Initial
Reactions;
• Brief Summary
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SOME CHALLENGES IN PRODUCING
STATISTICS:
Small size of the statistical offices relative
to the data to be produced- lack of capacity;
Uncoordinated national statistical systems
(NSS);
Inadequate focus on strategic planning
(NSDS framework);
Outdated legislative framework
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Staffing – lack of trained statistical
staff/training programme;
Inability in meeting increased demands for
statistics in an environment of declining
resources- management of resources;
Non-response to surveys carried out by
the NSOs;
Staff turnover/difficulty in finding new
recruits
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SOME CHALLENGES IN PRODUCING STATISTICS IN
COUNTRIES
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Inadequate information technology (IT)
infrastructure;
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Weak satellite units – line ministries often have
inadequate statistical and IT capacity
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Need for increased statistical advocacy and
interface with users, producers and
suppliers;
Result of all the above - Critical data gaps
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Interventions – bilateral/regional/subregional;
Stimulus is the Integration Process including
efforts at establishing a Single Market and
Economy;
Standing Committee for Caribbean
Statisticians (SCCS) was established by the
Common Market Council in 1974;
SCCS main objective is promoting and
providing advice for the development of
statistics in the Region.
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Particular emphasis of the SCCS includes:
• fostering increased recognition of the
importance and availability of adequate
statistical services to the countries of the
Region relative to development;
• widening the scope and coverage of statistical
data collection; and
• Improving the quality, comparability and
timeliness of statistics -harmonisation;
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CARICOM Advisory Group on Statistics (AGS) –
subsidiary group of the SCCS supports
advancement/ implementation of decisions.
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The regional approach to Census-taking that
dates back to the 1940s and continues to
the current 2010 Census Round;
The relationship of CARICOM with key
countries region (EU, Canada, UK),
international developmental partners (IDB,
WB, UN agencies) led to funding TA which
sometimes included statistical development;
The experience has been generally ad hoc
funding, infrequent, unsubstantial, except
for EU 9th (European Development Fund)
EDF.
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Example of time it takes to develop
Trade in Services Statistics:
Funding in 2001/2002 through the Single Market
and Economy Unit – to be able to monitor the
provision on Services;
 Main Results- Sensitisation/Training, Situational
Assessment/ Production of First Regional Statistics
Report;
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2004/2005: IDP-funded project- submitted
proposal to the organisation that had the funds
spent money on the activities:
 Main Results - In-country technical assistance;
regional/national level training; Draft Common
Guidelines; eventually second regional report; 3
countries producing EBOPS;
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Trade in Services Statistics:
2010/2011; funding targeting Statistics including
Trade in Services Statistics:
 More intensive in-country technical support;
regional workshop;
 Work on the common guidelines; EBOPS now
produced by 5 countries;
 Third regional statistics report (in progress);
one country working on a National Trade in
Services Statistics Report;
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GENERAL APPROACH TO STATISTICAL CAPACITY BUILDING
2008-2011 – HIGHLIGHTS OF ACTIVITIES:
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Countries produced an Action/Implementation used as the basis of
support/technical assistance;
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Common Regional Statistical Work Programme (RSWP) since 2005
being updated to produce a 5 year implementation plan;
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National Accounts- Assessment of Status/Source Data/technical
working group/ 2008 SNA Implementation Strategy/training;
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Trade in Services Statistics;
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Merchandise Trade- Installation of updated data processing
software, dissemination software and data protocols etc;
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Social, Environment ICT Statistics and Regional Census Strategy;
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GENERAL APPROACH TO STATISTICAL CAPACITY BUILDING 2008-2011 –
HIGHLIGHTS OF ACTIVITIES:
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Training in Classifications, Sampling, NSDS, Demographic
analysis, GIS –mainly short term;
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IT Infrastructure support including Organisation of Databases;
Web-based Communication System and Equipment & software;
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Help Desk establishment- links to manuals, discussion forum
etc.;
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Production of profile on the Single Market establishment;
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Legislative framework – Draft Model Statistics Bill;
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Data Dissemination- DevInfo training.
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Action 1
Initial Reaction
Strengthen and re-focus national and
regional statistical systems that address
country-level development priorities, A
key aim is to increase in-country
capacity to respond to emerging and
unforeseen needs. Strategies should be
updated to reflect new challenges and
opportunities and integrate
international and domestic data
collection activities
Strategic Planning to address country
priorities have been introduced
User-Producer partnerships
Caribbean Statistics Day -main
mechanism; national level activities
Development of sectoral data- is
integrated
Common RSWP- Implementation at the
country level requires a lot of work and
incorporation in the national strategies
2009 NSDS training workshop;PARIS21/Ninth EDF/NSO Strategic Plans;
2011 follow-up missions on strategic
planning under the Ninth EDF in 11
countries;
Work in progress in at least four
countries on preparing NSDS
roadmaps (Suriname, Jamaica, Belize,
Dominica) and Grenada, St Kitts and
Nevis and Anguilla have asked for
support/ subregional project;
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Action 1 continued
Initial Reaction
Gender mainstreaming
UNSD/CARICOM Project 1999-2004
Strengthening Capacity in the
Compilation of Social/Gender and
Environment Statistics for Conference
Follow-up;
Foundation exists to build upon
UNSD. World Bank TFSCB, UNDP, UNFPA
Themes and Gender Concerns;
developed core indicators; Undertook
data Compilation;P roduced regional
reports including one on Decisionmaking;
National Compendia on Gender
produced by some countries- to
encourage countries to continue to
produce the compendia
Civil Registration and Vital Statistics
Systems
UNDP, World Bank TFSCB, UNSD,PAHO,
UNFPA – Country level activities/audits
2005 Workshop in this area- funded
TFSCB/UNDP in collaboration with
UNSD, PAHO; stimulated work in
country – most recently Jamaica
produced some a manual of standards
in this area in 2011
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Action 2
Implement standards for data
preservation. Documentation and
dissemination and permit full public
access to statistics
Initial Reaction
NSOs with own websites – Barbados,
Belize, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint
Lucia, Suriname and Trinidad and
Tobago;
Hosted on Government websites –
Antigua and Barbuda; The Bahamas, St.
Vincent and the Grenadines, and the
Associate Members-Anguilla, Bermuda,
British Virgin Islands and Cayman
Islands
Region has participated in January in
Open Data Conference with the CARICOM
Secretariat Regional Statistics Programme
presenting , Trinidad and Tobago CSO
and Statin , Jamaica participating
A lot more work on administrative data
and enterprise data
Need to strengthen data archiving
capabilities
Geospatial data- some attention during
the recent 2010 Census round
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Action 3
Develop programmes to increase
knowledge and skills needed to use
statistics effectively for planning and
analysis, monitoring and evaluation this
increasing transparency and
accountability and improve accessibility
of statistics at the national and
international levels
Initial Reaction
Rationale for statistics and policy
development re integration, tracking
development outcomes
nationally/regionally
Caribbean Statistics Day is a start – but
more work re public awareness and
user/producer interface
Need to promote the use of data/ elearning and empowerment of users
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Action 4
Initial Reaction
Build and maintain results monitoring
instruments to track outcomes of all
global summits and high level forums.
Rigorous monitoring of global initiatives
requires collaboration between national
and international statistical
organisations. Outcome documents
should specifically recognise the need
for statistical capacity development,
including
New data requirements of these
summits would require improvement in
the resources of the statistical offices
given constraints of size etc.
Foundation on Gender Statistics due to
past intervention but there are still
critical gaps due to uncoordinated
national statistical system
Country progress reports on statistics
produced annually at the SCCS meetings
identifying challenges/best practices
/need to link to policy
Diagnostic assessment on statistics–
2010/11
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Action 5
Initial Reaction
Ensure financing for statistical
information is robust and that funding
instruments and approaches reflect the
new modalities and actors in
development finance
Flexibility and adaptability in financial
support is important given the
constraints highlighted earlier
Not withstanding what funds are made
available internationally there is need for
governments of the region to
consistently support the
development/modernisation of the
statistical offices : .
•This would render more effective the
funds that are received extra-regionally;
•Sustain the process of capacity building
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In summary some foundations but also major gaps exist :
Country-driven approach is possible – inherently project
proposals are brought to the SCCS for inputs/feedback/deriving
implementation strategy- Regional Statistical Work Programme
regional mechanism for interventions;
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NSDS foundation- initial training, follow-up work in several
countries- countries’ interest in developing NSDS continues;
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Caribbean Statistics Day- users-producers and similar best
practices in a couple of countries;
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Gender Statistics- work in this area put in place with a
UNSD/CARICOM project- requires a strong national statistical
system;
Civil Registration and Vital Statistics- work commenced in this
area since 2005.
A foundation – need for a structured strategy re the Busan
Action Plan- to some extent the Regional Statistical Work
Programme which is being updated can provide this structure.
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