Harmonised statistical information is an essential ingredient in planning, monitoring and evaluating the development of the Region2. Official Statistics is a public good that provides a statistical and information infrastructure responsive to the needs of citizens, public and private decision-makers, researchers, the media and other users. Notwithstanding its importance, developing countries like those in CARICOM remain challenged in their delivery of quality statistics foruse in policy and other developmental concerns. Additionally, recentobligations at the regional and international levels have placed new demands on national and regional statistical systems, rendering the need for regional cooperation in statistics evenmore urgent, beginning with the need to reinforce statistical development at the country level. Strong regional cooperation on statistics would be of benefit to both regional stakeholders andto national statistical systems, as the latter play a crucial role in policy formulation, monitoring and evaluation.
In this context, Heads of Government, at the Thirty-Seventh Regular Meeting of the Conference of Headsof Government (HGC) of the Caribbean Community, held in July 2016 agreed upon the need for a CARICOM Regional Strategy for the Development of Statistics (RSDS) (HGC/2016/37/9), in endorsing the Action Plan for Statistics in the Caribbean3.The Action Plan which consisted of actions recommended to be taken by Governments will, through improvements inthe availability of statistics for evidence-based decision-making at all levels, result in better development outcomes and greater prosperity for the peoples of CARICOM. At the 38thHGCheld in Grenada in July 2017, Heads of Government endorsed the preparation of the RSDS relative to its strategic role in strengthening statistics and improving its availability for evidence-based decision-making (HGC/2017/38/15)entitled “Regional Plan for Statistics Development”).
Download RSDS strategic framework
Download RSDS implementation plan