EXCLUSIVE: 15th Anniversary of Caribbean Statistics Day

Caribbean Statistics Day is celebrated by the Statistical Institute of Belize on Sunday, 15th October 2023.

This day was celebrated under the theme “One Voice, One CARICOM, Everyone Counts.”. This theme highlights the importance of everyone’s voice and opinions. It emphasized that everyone’s voice should be heard and respected.

Caribbean Statistics Day is an opportunity to appreciate and recognize the tireless efforts of all the employees of the Bureau of Statistics. This day acknowledges all the workers’ hard work, ensuring that data is collected and analyzed precisely.

In commemoration of Caribbean Statistics, two significant events were hosted by SIB. These events shed light on the work being done in statistics.

On 11th October, SIB hosted an exhibition at the George Price Centre from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. In this event, they gave a broader view of the available types of data.
On 15th October, the institute organized a Data User Conference to raise awareness of data usage through disseminating tools.

Minister of Finance, Economic Affairs and Investment of Belize, Ryan Straughn, shared his views on Caribbean Statistics Day, 2023, “Statistics can be considered as the people’s voice as it tells the story of our people. It can ensure that sustainable development projects and policies target the needs of people.”

The Voluntary National Review was prepared in Barbados and presented in July 2023. This report was designed to monitor the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals.

This report was presented at the United Nations high-level political forum session for their 2030 agenda. The agenda involves accelerating the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals. To prepare this report, they invited various countries to share their own experience, failures, successes and challenges.

There is a need to collect accurate information for the production of future Voluntary National Review reports to keep track of the progress in achieving the 2030 agenda. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the data of the past three years could not be collected.

The Caribbean Statistics Day aims to acknowledge the contributions of the statistical staff. The evidence-based data should be the top priority as it is the key driver in making effective policy decisions for Sustainable Development.