Caribbean Thematic Conference
Managing a statistical organization in times of change

  • Christ Church, Barbados
  • 25-27 November 2019

The Thematic Conference in the Caribbean (25-27 November, Christ Church, Barbados) is part of a series of regional conferences to understand and prioritise the recent institutional, organizational and technical developments for the production of official statistics and indicators for the monitoring of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and related regional and national development plans.

The regional approach to these conferences will put focus on practices and challenges common among members of each region. In particular, it will allow the organizers to collect additional information and examples to contribute to the updated Handbook of Statistical Organization, whose purpose is to support the needs of senior managers to adapt and develop their statistical organisations and systems as stressed in the Cape Town Global Action Plan (CTGAP) for Sustainable Development and as described in the final report of the series of conferences on a Transformative Agenda for Official Statistics.

This Thematic Conference in the Caribbean will be organised around 4 main sessions covering the 6 strategic areas of the CTGAP and a subset of the 14 substantive chapters of the Handbook as identified by the organizing committee, represented by represented by Barbados, Suriname, IDB, Caricom, OECS, ECLAC and UNSD, as highly relevant for the Caribbean. The 4 main sessions are as follows:

Session 1: Supporting the transformation of statistical production processes from the data collection to dissemination in the context of the digital and technological revolution
Session 2: Strengthening the institutional and organisational frameworks of national statistical systems
Session 3: Securing quality of statistical information and improving data coherence through statistical analysis and analytical frameworks
Session 4: Mobilizing and securing adequate resources and infrastructure, and promoting regional and global cooperation for the development of national statistical capacity

Two breakout sessions will be organised to follow session 2 and session 4 and the outcome of these breakout sessions will contribute to an extended knowledge base related to the Handbook.


Monday, 25 November

08:30 - 09:00
Registration
09:00 - 09:45
Welcome and opening
Chair: United Nations Statistics Division, Mr. Ralf Becker (Chief, Statistical Capacity Management Section)
  • Opening remarks from the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Barbados & the OECS
    Mr. Didier Trebucq
  • Brief opening remarks from the Inter-American Development Bank, Mr. Francisco Javier Urra / CARICOM Secretariat, Mr. Kevin Sears / OECS Commission, Ms. Gale Archibald / Caribbean Development Bank, Mr. Dindial Ramrattan
09:45 - 10:15
Group photo
Tea/Coffee Break
10:15 - 10:45
Introduction
  • UN Statistics Division - Mr. Gabriel Gamez (Inter-regional Adviser, Organisation and management of NSS)
    Including introduction to the work on the 4th edition of the Handbook on Statistical Organisation and priority themes for the conference (15')
General Discussion (15')
10:45 - 12:30
Session 1: Supporting the transformation of statistical production processes from the data collection to dissemination in the context of the digital and technological revolution
Chair: Bahamas, Ms. Nerissa Gibson (Deputy Director, Department of Statistics)
Presentations:
  • UN Statistics Division - Mr. Trevor Fletcher (Consultant, Handbook on Statistical Organisation) (15')
    Statistical production infrastructure, data sources, information technology, dissemination and user support
  • CARICOM - Mr. Kevin Sears (15')
    Knowledge Management - The Case of the Population and Housing Census
  • Jamaica - Ms. Carol Coy (Director General, Statistics Institute of Jamaica) (15')
    Transforming Statistical Production Process - The Jamaican Experience
  • Saint Lucia - Mr. Sean Mathurin (Director of Statistics, Government of Saint Lucia) (15')
    The New Normal for Central Statistical Offices
  • Trinidad and Tobago - Mr. Sean O'Brien (Director of Statistics, Central Statistics Office) (15')
    The Evolution of Technology in the Central Statistical Office of Trinidad and Tobago
General Discussion (30')
12:30 - 13:30

LUNCH BREAK

13:30 - 15:30
Session 2: Strengthening the institutional and organisational frameworks of national statistical systems
Chair: Suriname, Mr. Iwan Sno (Director, Foundation General Bureau of Statistics)
Presentations:
  • UN Statistics Division - Mr. Gabriel Gamez (Inter-regional Adviser, Organisation and management of NSS) (15')
    Sound Institutional and Organizational Frameworks for Official Statistics
  • CARICOM - Mr. Kevin Sears (15')
    The CARICOM Regional Strategy for the Development of Statistics - strengthening the regional and National frameworks in the NSS - Alignment of National Strategies for the Development of Statistics
  • OECS Commission - Ms. Gale Archibald (Head of the Statistical Services Unit , Economic Affairs and Regional Integration Division) (15')
    A Regional Statistical System in the context of a monetary and economic union
  • Barbados - Mr. Aubrey Browne (Director (ag), Barbados Statistical Service) (15')
    Barbados Experience in modernizing its National Statistical System
  • Grenada - Mr. Halim Brizan (Director of Statistics, Central Statistics Office) (15')
    Institutional Strengthening of the NSO to meet current statistics demands and to better coordinate the NSS
  • Guyana - Ms. Maxine Bentt (Deputy Chief Statistician, Guyana Bureau of Statistics) (15')
    Guyana Bureau of Statistics Coordination of the National Statistical System
General Discussion (30')
15:30 - 16:00

TEA/COFFEE BREAK

16:00 - 17:15
Breakout 1: Group discussion for sessions 1 and 2
(download conference modalities for questions and group compositions)
  • Group 1A & B - Set of suggested topics related to session 1 prepared in advance
  • Group 2A & B - Set of suggested topics related to session 2 prepared in advance

Tuesday, 26 November

09:00 - 10:30
Breakout 1: Report in plenary and general discussion (continued)
Facilitator: UNSD
Report back on outcome of breakout session (10' each group)
10:30 - 11:00

TEA/COFFEE BREAK

11:00 - 13:00
Session 3: Securing quality of statistical information and improving data coherence through statistical analysis and analytical frameworks
Chair: Grenada, Mr. Halim Brizan (Director of Statistics, Central Statistics Office)
Presentations:
  • UN Statistics Division - Mr. Trevor Fletcher (Consultant, Handbook on Statistical Organisation) (15')
    User needs, quality management and analytical requirements
  • OECS Commission Ms. Sherma Beroo (15')
    Assuring data quality and comparability through international statistical classifications: the case of the OECS Member States
  • CARICOM Secretariat - Mr. Kevin Sears (15')
    Ensuring Quality in the Production and Dissemination of Statistics- Development and Implementation of a Quality Assurance Framework and harmonization of Core Areas of Statistics
  • Jamaica - Ms. Carol Coy (Director General, Statistics Institute of Jamaica) (15')
    Development of the Statistical Quality Assurance Framework for Jamaica
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis - Ms. Elreter Simpson-Browne (Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Sustainable Development) (15')
    Addressing the Needs of Data Users through a process of Quality Management
  • Suriname - Mr. Iwan Sno (Director, Foundation General Bureau of Statistics) and Ms. Fallon Lambert (Research Planning and Devt, General Bureau of Statistics) (15')
    Securing Quality AND Quantity of Statistical Information in Suriname: Where do we stand?
General Discussion (30')
13:00 - 14:00

LUNCH BREAK

14:00 - 16:00
Session 4: Mobilizing and securing adequate resources and infrastructure, and promoting regional and global cooperation for the development of national statistical capacity
Chair: Trinidad & Tobago, Mr. Sean O'Brien (Director of Statistics, Central Statistics Office)
Presentations:
  • United Nations Statistics Division - Mr. Ralf Becker (Chief, Statistical Capacity Management Section) (15')
    Securing and Developing Statistical Capacity: specific programmes and tools in the SDG era
  • CARICOM Secretariat - Mr. Kevin Sears (15')
    Statistical Capacity-Building - Resource Mobilisation and Partnerships
  • Inter-American Development Bank - Mr. Francisco Javier Urra (Chief of Operations, Barbados Country Office) (15')
    Past is prologue: working together to improve statistical capacity in the Caribbean
  • Anguilla - Ms. Lori-Rae Alleyne (Chief Statistician, Government of Anguilla) (15')
    Statistical Capacity Development - Human Resources, Statistical Infrastructure and Mobilizing Funds - The Anguilla Experience
  • Dominica - Ms. Lorna Prevost-Stephens (Chief Statistician, Central Statistics Office) (15')
    Management and Protection of Statistical Systems in the Presence of Climate Change
  • Turks and Caicos - Mr. Shirlen Forbes (Chief Statistician, Department of Economic Planning and Statistics) (15')
    Statistical Capacity-Building and Resource Mobilization: "A Turks and Caicos Islands Perspective"
General Discussion (30')

Wednesday, 27 October

09:00 - 10:30
Breakout 2: Group discussion for sessions 3 and 4
(download conference modalities for questions and group compositions)
  • Group 3A & B - Set of suggested topics related to session 3 prepared in advance
  • Group 4A & B - Set of suggested topics related to session 4 prepared in advance
10:30 - 11:00

TEA/COFFEE BREAK

11:00 - 12:30
Breakout 2: Report in plenary and general discussion (continued)
Facilitator: UNSD
Report back on outcome of breakout session (10' each group)
12:30 - 12:45

BREAK

12:45 - 13:30
Closing - Conclusions of the Conference
  • Co-organisers (UNSD/ CARICOM/ OECS/ IDB/ CDB) final conclusions (15')
  • Final discussion (15')

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