– Caricom high-level forum hears
Participants at a high-level meeting on Monday underscored the need for increased advocacy for more official commitment to statistics and the mobilisation of additional resources for the field.
Those were among the issues that stakeholders in the field of statistics identified as critically important to the overall development of the Caribbean Community (Caricom).
On behalf of UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, I would like to extend my thanks to the CARICOM Secretariat for hosting this very timely High Level Advocacy Forum on Statistics: Strategizing for the Development of Statistics in the Caribbean Community in the Post-2015 Development Agenda. I wish to also thank the Government and people of Grenada for hosting the conference in beautiful St. Georges, and for the excellent arrangements.
I am delighted to warmly welcome everyone to the Isle of Spice and especially to this important Forum.
This High Level Forum, made possible by your presence today, signifies the importance of the role of statistics and its further development for the advancement of our people.
As a person trained in this field myself, I do feel a heightened sense of responsibility to ensure that we raise the bar of this important variable in the advancement of our region.
On behalf of the Deputy Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Ambassador Manorma Soeknandan, I am happy to deliver these Opening Remarks on the occasion of the Second High Level Advocacy Forum on Statistics.
(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The quest to place statistics frontally before the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) continues later this month with a high level engagement of stakeholders in St. George’s, Grenada.
ST GEORGE’S, Grenada (GIS) -- Grenada’s prime minister, Dr Keith Mitchell, has expressed concern about the slow growth in information and communications technology (ICT) within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) compared to the rest of the world.
Mitchell said, while ICT is growing in the region, it is yet to seriously impact on regional economies.
Mitchell, the prime minister responsible for science and technology within CARICOM, was addressing participants at the opening of a workshop on Technopreneurship currently ongoing in Tobago.
(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The first Creativity for Employment and Business Opportunity Workshop (CEBO) workshop being implemented with funding from the CARICOM-Spain Citizen Security Initiative is currently underway in Grenada.
ST GEORGE’S, Grenada (GIS) -- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) wants to meet early next month to approve Grenada’s home grown structural adjustment program.
The IMF official who will be chairing the meeting has asked Grenada’s permanent secretary in the ministry of finance, Timothy Antoine, to work with his team for a meeting in early May.
Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell, just back from talks with the IMF and World Bank in Washington, welcomed the news, saying government is eager to see resources start flowing before the end of May.
ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC – Grenada says Venezuela has given an undertaking that it will fund projects to eradicate hunger and poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Economic Development, Trade, Planning and Co-operatives Minister Oliver Joseph, said the pledge was made during a meeting of PetroCaribe in Caracas over the weekend.
“They clearly outline what needs to be done in order to eradicate poverty, and Venezuela will offer support to member states for this initiative,” Joseph said.
UNITED NATIONS, CMC – The Grenada government Tuesday said it is determined to adopt policies to ensure the empowerment of the vulnerable members of its population.
"Grenada's commitment is only limited by its resources. And in that regard, the support of our international partners will be crucial for us to achieve the stated goals," Social Services Minister Delma Thomas told the 47th International Conference on Population and Development attended by delegates of over 150 countries.