“Official statistics do not exist in isolation. Their true value is realized only when the processes behind them are understood, trusted, and supported, and when the information produced is timely, accessible, and of high quality.”
Mathurin noted that the symposium placed a strong emphasis on communication and advocacy, underscoring the importance of building public trust and confidence in official statistics. He emphasized that reliable, accessible, and well-understood data are critical to effective policymaking, planning, and national development. According to Mathurin, the symposium comes at a particularly opportune time as Saint Lucia prepares to revise its Medium-Term Development Strategy and develop a National Development Plan.
“This is where the NSDS becomes critically important. It provides the framework for strengthening the systems needed to produce and manage the data required for informed decision-making and sustainable national development.”
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Development, Paul Hilaire, said strengthening the National Statistical System will improve coordination among ministries, departments, and agencies while reducing duplication in data collection efforts. He noted that the production of official statistics depends heavily on the participation of businesses, households, and individuals, making public cooperation essential to the success of surveys and censuses. Hilaire also highlighted the growing role of emerging technologies and new data sources in strengthening modern statistical systems and supporting more informed decision-making.
“This includes strengthening data quality, improving the timeliness and accessibility of statistics, and promoting the use of data in policy and planning. It also requires upholding the professionalism, integrity, and confidentiality on which official statistics are prepared.”
Facilitator and former Head of Statistics at the OECS Commission, Gail Archibald, said one of the event’s key objectives is to help stakeholders better understand their role within the National Statistical System. She explained that while statistics are often viewed simply as data collection, a much broader system operates behind the scenes to ensure information is accurate, reliable, and fit for purpose. Archibald also underscored the importance of maintaining quality standards, consistency, and comparability across statistical systems at both the national and regional levels.
“Most times when people talk about quality, they say accurate, or they say timely. You heard a few this morning, accurate, timely, and reliable. These are actually what we call in statistics dimensions of quality. In official statistics, there are dimensions: reliable, there’s an important one that we don’t hear a lot about consistency or coherence. The other dimension that is not usually mentioned is comparability. That’s when we’re comparing across borders.”
The symposium strengthened collaboration among data producers and users, enhancing statistical coordination and reinforcing the role of high-quality data in policy development and national planning.