CARIBBEAN STATISTICS DAY

The observance of Caribbean Statistics Day (CSD) by National Statistics Offices and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat was agreed to by the Standing Committee of Caribbean Statisticians (SCCS) at its Thirty-Third Meeting in Barbados in October 2008 where it was agreed that Caribbean Statistics Day would be commorated annually on 15 October.

The rationale for the observance of Statistics Day is to highlight statistics and its crucial role across a wide spectrum of activities – from daily decision-making faced by individuals, businesses, students, etc. to planning, policy-making and analysis and research activities of governments, academia and other users.  Expectations are that the observance of CSD would garner a greater profile for statistics across the Community.

The objectives for the observance of Caribbean Statistics Day are to -

1. facilitate the placement of statistics high on the development agenda in countries;
2. encourage and develop a culture of statistics among the population – respondents from households and businesses, users in the public and private sectors and in academic and other institutions, and schools and members of the media;
3. foster increased collaboration with data producing/ statistical units in line ministries and other agencies and departments of governments;
4. sensitise and inform users, suppliers and producers of the importance of statistics in making informed policy decisions.

It is expected that the observance of CSD across the Region would lead to -

1. Improved awareness of statistics at the national level and across the Region;
2. The highlighting of information on and insights into the process of the production of statistics;
3. The promotion of the use of statistics in a wide variety of areas;
4. Increased credibility in the statistics produced;
5. Establishment of new partnerships in the development of statistics;
6. The receiving of investment of resources to reposition and restructure necessary statistical agencies.

To commemorate CSD, statistical agencies in Member States led by the National Statistics Offices are expected to engage in a number of activities including production of promotional/ publicity materials; exposition of books, papers, articles, manuals and other materials; hosting of seminars, panel discussions;  displays and presentations of online materials and related documents; interviews, video presentations and other related events.

Caribbean Statistics Day was first observed in October 2009 under the theme - “Better Statistics, Better Management, Better Development Outcomes” which was also the theme of a High-Level Advocacy Forum on Statistics that had been convened in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago in July that year.