CARICOM Secretariat’s Director, Regional Statistics, Halim Brizan, has hailed the establishment of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Statistics Authority as a “bold and strategic step”, that is a powerful testament to the value placed on national statistics, good governance, and national development.
“The TCI has clearly demonstrated its commitment to the regional statistical agenda. Today’s launch is tangible evidence of this commitment,” he said.
On 26 May, in Providenciales, Premier the Hon. Charles Washington Misick, declared the Turks and Caicos Islands Statistics Authority operational as a statutory body, marking an historic milestone in strengthening good governance, transparency, and evidence-based national development. The Authority is an independent national institution dedicated to producing high-quality, reliable statistics to guide policy, empower communities, and support the advancement of the country.
Speaking on behalf of the CARICOM Secretariat, Mr. Brizan said that the establishment of the Authority, supported by the passage of the Statistics Ordinance in December 2022, and aligned with the current institutional strengthening, “can be regarded as one of the most recent best practices in statistics and data governance and reflects the direction endorsed across CARICOM.”
“This initiative is more than an investment in institutional capacity; it is an investment in the future of the TCI. Reliable, high-quality official statistics strengthen decision-making, and can ultimately support improved lives, livelihoods and the overall wellbeing of citizens. In that way, the Statistics Authority is not only a modern governance reorganisation, but also a commitment to sustainable development outcomes,” Mr. Brizan said.
He cautioned, however, that while the launch was cause for celebration as the beginning of a new era for official statistics, there must be recognition that it is a first step to continued development. He pointed to the need for focus on sustained investment in institutional capacity and adequate staffing, and the adoption of frameworks such as the CARICOM Code of Good Statistical Practices, the CARICOM Quality Assurance Framework, and the Generic Statistical Business Process Model. Mr. Brizan also highlighted the need to strengthen the statistical infrastructure for collecting, processing, analysing, and disseminating data and statistics, and developing and implementing a National Strategy for the Development of Statistics.
Listen to his remarks:
