I am so delighted to bring you warm greetings from the Secretary General of the Commonwealth. Secretary General Scotland sends her congratulations on the commemoration of the CARICOM Year of Statistics and the 50th anniversary of the Standing Committee of Caribbean Statisticians. Evidence-based policymaking is at the heart of the Commonwealth’s 56 members states’ shared pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Without data we cannot assess our progress and remain accountable. So, this Year of Statistics creates a special opportunity to increase stakeholder awareness of the value of using statistics to advance positive development outcomes for the Caribbean people.
The Commonwealth understands first-hand the value of statistics and continues to champion data-driven decision-making. During the Commonwealth Year of Youth, which coincides with the Year of Statistics, we released an update to a powerful tool for data and policy advocacy.
I refer to the 2023 global Youth Development Index (YDI) – computed with internationally available statistics – which allows us to monitor progress on youth development in 183 countries, including 10 CARICOM countries. It is particularly gratifying that the 2023 YDI highlights the progress of small states. Globally, Singapore has retained its spot as the top country on overall youth development. While, the average score of CARICOM countries has improved steadily over the last 12 years; with Barbados, St. Lucia and Belize feature among top countries on various indicators.
I am pleased to report that in the last week the Commonwealth and CARICOM Secretariats have partnered to convene meetings of senior officials in Departments of Youth Affairs and Departments of Statistics to discuss the potential of computing a CARICOM Youth Development Index that will better capture the nuances of Caribbean development, prioritising indicators aligned to the goals of the CARICOM Youth Development Action Plan; while also upholding the principles of the Regional Strategy for the Development of Statistics.
As we look to the future direction of the Commonwealth, we are buoyed by the fact that the Caribbean is expected to assume leadership of the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and the next Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting. The Caribbean will, therefore, soon be in the global spotlight.
So, let’s use today’s discussions on the modernisation of statistics and statistical systems and innovations in statistics, among other things, to reignite the commitment to building evidence that will drive the CARICOM vision of “an integrated, inclusive and resilient [society]; driven by knowledge, excellence, innovation and productivity”.
Thank you.
