A workshop that is exploring the feasibility of trying to obtain data by trading partners is underway in Antigua and Barbuda. The workshop at the Jolly Beach Resort began on Monday and concludes Friday.

The workshop is being conducted as part of the CARICOM Project – Support to the Forum of Caribbean States in the Implementation of Commitments undertaken under the Economic Partnership Agreement – Services Sector Development – Component 5. The Project is funded by the European Union under the Tenth European Development Fund (EDF).

Project Director, Regional Statistics at the CARICOM Secretariat, Dr. Philomen Harrison positioned the workshop in the context of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) which required statistical information to guide and monitor its progress and assess its impact on CARICOM nationals. Such monitoring includes the impact of the key regime of the free movement of services.

The CARICOM Secretariat’s continued emphasis on the importance of data on production of services through the National Accounts framework is also reflected in the agenda of the week-long workshop.

Workshop participants will review a situational assessment of the status of statistics on international trade in services that was conducted in six pilot Member States.The harmonisation of the capacity-building activities in the pilot countries and sharing best practices and lessons learnt in the compilation of International Trade in Services Statistics, will also be considered.

There will also be presentations by National Statistical Offices and Central Banks on their roles in the production of statistics on international trade in services.