GEORGETOWN, Guyana – The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Deputy Secretary General, Dr. Amstrong Alexis has welcomed a new initiative involving the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in developing a statistical framework to measure poverty and vulnerability in the region.
CARICOM Deputy Secretary-General Dr Armstrong Alexis (6th,right) and IDB Country Representative Lorena Solorzano-Salazar with session participants. (CARICOM Secretariat photo)The initiative, which will be piloted in The Bahamas, Belize, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago, aims to enhance data systems to inform development strategies and strengthen resilience for sustainable development.
It will produce regional knowledge products, methodological guidelines, and training modules for administering multipurpose surveys to assess economic, social, and environmental vulnerabilities in participating countries.
He told a commencement workshop for the 36-month technical cooperation project that the the initiative was necessary in light of recent disasters.
He said that the devastating impact of the powerful Category 5 Hurricane Melissa on Jamaica and Haiti reminded the region that vulnerability is not just a concept, but a lived reality, stressing the need for effective responses and solid evidence through accurate, comprehensive, and timely data.
“The challenge before us is clear: how do we measure what matters the most? How do we quantify the effects on the lives and livelihoods of our citizens so that we can respond effectively and build resilience?”
“Without data, the region risks being reactive rather than proactive,” Alexis said, noting that understanding vulnerability in a consistent, comprehensive manner is essential not only to address the climate crisis but also to advance the Region’s quest for climate justice.
The IDB’s Country Representative in Guyana, Lorena Solorzano-Salazar, said that the Washington-based financial institution is pleased to collaborate with CARICOM and to build on a long-standing partnership that includes successful initiatives such the Common Census Framework.
“Today’s workshop marks the beginning of a project that will enhance the regional capacity to generate data needed for a more resilient and equitable Caribbean,” she said, as she emphasised the project’s critical importance in helping governments respond to the multidimensional realities of poverty and vulnerability.
“Our collective experience has taught us that to address these issues effectively, we need reliable, comprehensive, and up-to-date data. Without it, it becomes extremely difficult to design and monitor innovative policies,” she added.
The IDB Country Representative said that the project aligns with the Bank’s institutional priorities of reducing poverty and inequality, strengthening resilience, and improving governance through robust data systems.
It also supports the commitments made at the just-concluded 15th Meeting of the Standing Committee of Caribbean Statisticians to strengthen collaboration among national statistical offices.
The Bahamas is designated as the project lead for the participating states. Managing Director of the country’s National Statistical Institute, Jamiko Deleveaux told the workshop that the project is a priority for The Bahamas and the wider Community.
He spoke of the urgent need to address them by formulating evidence-based, adaptive strategies that target social, economic and environmental vulnerabilities, given the major sustainable development challenges faced by Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
Deleveaux said that the initiative aligns with The Bahamas’ commitment to implement regional statistical development strategies. It also advances a shared goal of building efficient CARICOM statistical systems that respond to national, regional, and international development agendas, ultimately enabling resilient communities and driving sustained economic growth.
