Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, on the occasion of the fifth Caribbean Statistics Day observed yesterday, has highlighted the vital role of statistics in improving the daily lives of the peoples of the community through the provision of data upon which decisions could be guided.
A release from the Caricom Secretariat said that this year’s observance of Caribbean Statistics Day takes on special significance given that it is the fortieth anniversary of Caricom and also in 2013, the International Year of Statistics is being observed.
LaRocque said, “The Fortieth Anniversary of our Community is a milestone that symbolises the vision of our founding fathers that saw regional integration as the path to achieving growth and development, and in consolidating the bonds that historically existed among our peoples. With the passing of time, not only has there been recommitment to the visionary goals of the founding fathers, but the agenda has been expanded to a more enhanced integration movement with the establishment of the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) in 2006, with the free movement of skilled Comm-unity nationals, capital, goods, the right of establishment and the provision of services.”
He observed that the CCS has collaborated with member states to observe the International Year of Statistics, 2013 under the theme, ‘Statistics in Everyday Life; Let us Educate and Appreciate.’
The SG noted that the UN’s overriding goals of dedicating an entire year to statistics were to: increase public awareness of the power and far-reaching impact of statistics on all aspects of society; promote and nurture statistics as a profession, especially among young people; and to promote creativity and development in the sciences of probability and statistics.
He stated that the commemoration of Caribbean Statistics Day provided a very valuable opportunity to recognise the importance of statistics in the improvement of the lives of the citizens of the countries of the community.
LaRoque took the opportunity to commend statisticians across the Region for their continued dedication and commitment acknowledging the crucial role of their discipline in advancing the goals of the community, the release added.
