Data Users Conference Seeks to Improve Data Collection

In observance of Caribbean Statistics Day, the Statistical Institute of Belize (S.I.B.) hosted its Second Annual Data Users Conference in Belize City today. The event featured presentations from various data-driven organisations, highlighting the SIB’s work and how statistics can be utilised to enhance their efforts. While statistics hold great potential, the conference also addressed both the strengths and weaknesses within the system. News Five’s Marion Ali attended the event and filed this report.

 

Marion Ali, Reporting

Today, agencies and organisations that deal with data collection and dissemination had representation at a forum organised by the Statistical Institute of Belize. The event had three objectives: to raise awareness of Belize’s national statistical system, to demonstrate how data can be used for policy and research purposes, and to look at the future of data in Belize and data innovations for production, use, and dissemination of data.

 

Diana Trejo, Director General, S.I.B.

“A lot of work has been done to enhance the quality, the type of statistics, the range of statistics that we do, timeliness, and our modes of dissemination; those things are some definite strengths.”

 

Diana Trejo is SIB’s Director General. She said that focus has been placed on enhancing the service, but there is still room for improvement in others.

 

Diana Trejo

“Obviously there are a lot of data gaps that we recognise, and these are in some very key areas, things like climate change, data on vulnerable populations, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQ persons. We know that there are some definite data gaps that need to be addressed; even with respect to our ability to produce the SDG indicators, we are still not even halfway there with those indicators. We don’t have a formal mechanism for coordinating ourselves, and so because of this, we haven’t yet been able to establish things like national standards for statistics, national classifications, and concepts that we all adopt. But I will say though that these weaknesses are the things that we have taken into account as we are developing our new national strategy.”

 

Trejo projected that the system will have been improved over the next five years. A major part of that improvement necessitates the assistance of the UN. Since several of its agencies, funds, and programs rely on Belize’s statistics, particularly from the population census, it is willing to help in the process. Hero Balani is the Head of Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Belize.

 

Hero Balani, Head of Office, UNRCO

“We’re looking at some of the future of data with some of the UN agencies, the use of artificial intelligence—big data in Belize—and how data users can really expand, but interestingly, we have signed, as you know, in March this year, a new project with the Statistical Institute of Belize. It’s called Enabling of the Statistical System in Belize, and it is being implemented by five UN agencies, including UNDP, UNICEF, FAO, WFP, and UNFPA. So this is really a proud achievement because what we’re doing is really bringing together the technical expertise from all of these agencies to support the building up of the national data ecosystem for the future.”

 

Currently Belize does not have legislation for a national statistical system; hence, a part of the project is to look at the legal regulatory framework. Balani says that a part of the UN’s technical assistance to the SIB is to also look at that issue. Marion Ali for News Five.