Harmonise data for more effective poverty reduction responses

Caribbean countries are being called to produce and harmonise their data collection to more effectively track national progress, reduce poverty and feed into global sustainable development goals.

"We need to harmonise internationally - organisations like the Caribbean Development Bank, the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) - need to come together and produce data in a harmonised way," said Francis Jones, a Statistician with the UN ECLAC.

Jones was a panellist at a symposium put on by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF) in partnership with the UN ECLAC, KoboToolbox, the World Bank (WB) through its GEMS (Geo-Enabling Initiative for Monitoring and Supervision) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to mark the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on October 17, 2025.

In his presentation to the over 80 persons present on-line and in-person at the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES) at the University of the West Indies campus in Trinidad, he indicated that getting good data that can be used by other Caribbean countries and internationally is an on-going challenge.

His comments garnered support from other presenters such as Diego Zavaleta, Senior Policy Advisor, Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, UNDP and Abdullahi Abdulkadri, Coordinator, Statistics and Social Development Unit, ECLAC Subregional headquarter for the Caribbean.

"Without accurate data, countries are navigating without a map," said Mr. Zavaleta in his remarks at the Symposium, which was held under the theme, 'Calculate to Eradicate.'

The event in part responded to concerns from Caribbean policymakers and analysts regarding the relative lack of data on poverty as well as uncertainty about the comparability of estimates both between countries and over time.

"For the Sustainable Development Goal one which is to reduce poverty, we do not have the statistics to measure where we are in the Caribbean," said Mr. Abdulkadri, who was also the moderator of the Symposium.

The event targeted mainly representatives of Ministries of Social Development, Planning and National Statistical Offices as well as representatives of academia and international organisations across the Caribbean. This also included statisticians, data and policy analysts, policymakers and monitoring and evaluation specialists.

"As the theme emphasises the need to 'calculate to eradicate', we must be calculated in understanding the nature of poverty and the primacy of data to guide us in identifying where we need to invest; we must be calculated in our endeavors to bring development solutions to the living spaces of those in poverty, and in vulnerable circumstances. We must also continue to be calculated in our collaboration to scale impact," said Dr. Martin Baptiste, Division Chief, Social Sector Division, CDB, during his address.

Dr. Baptiste also highlighted initiatives such as CDB's Enhanced Country Poverty Assessment Programme and a joint portfolio mapping exercise in partnership with the World Bank's GEMS team as part of the regional efforts to collect and use data for poverty eradication.

Commemorated globally each year on October 17th, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty emphasises that ending poverty is about dignity, justice, and belonging, not just income.

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Photo caption: Basic Needs Trust Fund workshop participants hold tiles representing their priority Sustainable Development Goals.