BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Caribbean Community (Caricom) Secretary General Irwin La Rocque Monday said Caricom would be requesting assistance from the United Nations with regards to statistics that has been identified by a report on Caribbean Human Development for making evidence-based decision and policymaking “extremely difficult”.

Addressing the launch of the United National Development Programme (UNDP) Caribbean Human Development Report (HDR) 2016, La Rocque said while the Caribbean Community has been pursuing the path to sustainable development with the firm belief that people must be at the centre of development, a notable shortcoming identified by the authors of the report relates to the “unavailability of statistics, or of up-to-date statistics which they point out makes evidence-based decision and policymaking “extremely difficult”.

He said it is a deficiency that has been recognised by regional leaders, who at their last summit in Guyana in July acknowledged the importance of statistics to governance, to planning and policymaking, and to the region’s efforts to attain sustainable development.

He said the leaders have since endorsed an Action Plan for Statistics, which among other things, will seek to strengthen national statistical systems, as well as upgrade the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure to support these systems.

“Success in this regard would provide a more reliable foundation for research in your succeeding reports,” La Rocque told the UNDP officials, noting that the Caribbean would be requesting of the UN that with regard to statistics, Caricom should be viewed as a distinct grouping within the Latin America and Caribbean area.

“This distinction is fundamental, as the data would be focused on the peculiar challenges that are faced by the Small Island Developing and Low-Lying Coastal States (SIDS), which constitute our community, most of which are designated as Middle Income Countries. This Report has demonstrated the value of such an approach.”

La Rocque said that Caricom has been actively pursuing its goals, notwithstanding its limitations with respect to human and financial resources.

“We are extremely appreciative of the assistance towards achieving those goals, which is being rendered by our development partners. In that regard, the United Nations system, particularly the UNDP, is a most valuable and longstanding ally,” he said.

The 227 page report titled “Multidimensional Progress: human resilience beyond income” examines human development gains in the Caribbean to date, and discusses how the region’s structural and external challenges, such as high debt, low growth, a volatile global economy, and frequent natural disasters, combine to put these gains at risk.

La Rocque said that the document gives the region an insight into the impact that “our development efforts are making on the lives of our people,” noting that of equal importance is widespread acknowledgement that development is about improving all aspects of life.

He said the report emphasises that as important as economic and financial status as indicators undoubtedly are, quality of life is also a critical determining factor in the level of development of a society.

“The first objective of the community listed in the Caricom Treaty is “improved standards of living and work”.

Indeed, this was re-enforced in 2011 by Heads of Government when they “agreed that the objective of the Regional Agenda should be focused on Improving the Lives of the People of the Caribbean Community”.

He said in pursuing that objective, Caricom among other things, devised a Strategic Plan for the period 2015-2019 which emerged from exhaustive and widespread consultations throughout the community, among an extensive range of stakeholders.

He said the plan includes building social resilience among its integrated strategic priorities and that the goal of that priority is “to ensure sustainable human and social development in the Region, with reduced levels of poverty and equitable access by vulnerable groups and significant improvement of citizen security by facilitating a safe, just and free Community”.

La Rocque said that the perspectives outlined in the HDR will be of value to CARICOM as it strives to achieve the desired outcomes of the Strategic Plan.

He said these are strong economic growth and reduction in poverty and unemployment; improved quality of life; reduced environmental vulnerability and an integrated Community with equity for all.

“The themes of resilience and vulnerability are central to the report and resonate strongly with us in the Caribbean Community. Of particular interest is the focus on the vulnerability of our citizens as we grapple with the significant challenges of this period.

“Our peculiar economic, social and environmental vulnerabilities lie at the core of the difficulties we are experiencing as we strive to advance our development goals,” La Rocque said.

The report recognises the multi-dimensional nature of human vulnerability and proposes an inter-sectoral approach to address the issue and La Rocque said building resilience to counteract vulnerabilities; the participation and meaningful involvement of the youth and other vulnerable groups; and investing in skills training are essential requirements in our pursuit of a prosperous, stable and viable society.

The secretary general said that the report recommends that “a fundamentally new approach to Caribbean economic growth focused on human progress is needed” and that “issues affecting human progress should be treated as central and priority elements in comprehensive growth and development strategies”.