Canada approves Project for Regional Advancement of Statistics in the Caribbean
The Government of Canada is funding a new statistical capacity building initiative for the Caribbean region, the Project for the Regional Advancement of Statistics in the Caribbean (PRASC). This initiative of CAD19.5M aims at strengthening the statistical systems of the Caribbean countries in order to address identified gaps to improve socio-economic measures and support evidence-based policy making. For the Caribbean community, these gaps are causing difficulty for policy makers to make informed decisions that benefit their countries and the region.
The PRASC was officially approved by the Government of Canada through the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada, on March 3rd, 2015, identifying Statistics Canada as the executing agency for the project.
Through the PRASC, Statistics Canada will work with the National Statistical Offices (NSO) of 14 eligible CARICOM countries (of which seven are part of the OECS) and in collaboration with other organizations active in the region to develop methods and approaches that can eventually be used by the statistical system of all Caribbean countries. Specifically, the project focuses on four components to:
1. Enhance the Systems of National Accounts, by introducing new compilation methods,
improving data gaps and increasing adherence to international standards;
2. Improve economic statistics by working on a robust business survey infrastructure;
3. Improve social statistics, including sex-disaggregated socio-economic indicators, by
working on a robust survey infrastructure for household surveys; and
4. Improve sharing of statistical information and expertise at the national and regional
levels, by enhancing communication and dissemination strategies.