The organizational development initiative is being implemented under the World Bank’s Data for Decision Making Project and represents one of three major reforms currently underway to strengthen Saint Lucia’s statistical capacity. Director of the CSO, Sean Mathurin, said the consultancy will assess the institution’s current operations while laying the groundwork for long-term transformation.
“This consultancy is one of three strategic initiatives that are ongoing as it relates to modernizing and positioning the Central Statistical Office to better manage its mandate of compiling, producing and disseminating official statistics. In the short to medium term, the focus will be on addressing existing challenges and deficiencies, while laying the foundation for achieving National Statistical Institute status.”
The consultancy will examine the CSO’s organizational structure, staffing requirements, succession planning, training needs and legislative framework needed to support a modern statistical institution.
Mathurin says the exercise complements two other major reforms already in progress—the revision of the Statistics Act and implementation of the National Strategy for the Development of Statistics, launched in 2025.
He added that strengthening the statistical system will benefit not only the Central Statistical Office but every agency that produces or relies on official data.
Leading the technical assessment is international statistician Romesh Paul, who brings decades of experience from the United Kingdom Government Statistical Service, Eurostat and statistical capacity-building projects across Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.
Paul says the team will benchmark Saint Lucia’s statistical system against internationally recognized standards.
“We e are applying three international frameworks. One from the European Union called the snapshot tool to make an assessment of the whole statistical system’s relationship with the CSO. The legal framework, how it is organized, what is the relationship between the CSO and the various line ministries. The second tool that we’re using is a UN tool, which is called the GSBPM. So, this mainly looks at the processes that are used to produce the various statistics at the CSO, from the design phase all the way to the dissemination phase. Third framework that we are considering or looking to implement in Saint Lucia is the GAMSO (Generic Activity Model for Statistical Organisations). This is how a statistical office should be organized. “
The assessment will also examine how the Central Statistical Office collaborates with ministries and other agencies responsible for producing official statistics, ensuring a more integrated National Statistical System.
According to the World Bank, reliable national statistics are a global public good, providing governments, investors, development partners and citizens with the trusted evidence needed to design effective policies, monitor development progress and make informed investment decisions. High-quality official statistics also strengthen transparency, accountability and international confidence in a country’s development performance.
Mathurin stated that a second mission will engage stakeholders across the wider National Statistical System before final recommendations are presented.