Modern data systems needed for economic and social progress

Being aware of and pursuing the United Nations-designated (17) objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for the progress of individual countries, regions and indeed the globe, have become an absolute necessity for the world community of nations.

Driving this means of development is the need to protect the world environment and its resources from denigration and destruction. Therefore, for countries to meet the SDG requirements, they must have built into their industrial programmes relating to the mining and processing of materials, systems which will preserve the environment for future generations. At a human level of understanding the concept, this generation has to leave an environment for the children of today and grandchildren of tomorrow to utilise.

The bad news is that the Caribbean has achieved a mere 20 per cent of the sustainable goals defined and established by the UN under its SDG programme. Moreover, only 33 per cent of other goals is moving in the right direction but still too slowly. This poor achievement rate leaves a massive 47 per cent of the sustainable development objectives, established by the UN in 2015, “moving in the wrong direction.”

The assessment of the condition of the Caribbean in relation to the achievement of the SDG goals was made at the recent conference of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee by Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

In short, the data cited by the ECLAC Executive Secretary indicate that Caribbean governments, institutions, corporations and individuals are a long way behind achieving the objectives of protecting their citizens from the negative effects of environmental and related economic disaster.

The elimination of poverty, achieving zero hunger, good health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, decent working conditions and economic growth, the expansion of industry, the continued development of infrastructure and innovative production of process, and affordable and clean energy, are amongst the major development goals that the UN set out for countries and regions to achieve under the SD objectives by 2030.

The above-listed goals are not abstractions and options; in fact, they are the basic essentials for a people to achieve a decent quality of living in the 21st century and beyond.

The ECLAC Executive Secretary did not leave the assessment of the situation at the level of merely stating it. He narrowed in on one of the major problems which makes it difficult for member countries to achieve the goals, and for ECLAC to assist with and guide the process.

The rudimentary state of data as a means of identifying the problem areas is a major problem. “Data insufficiency presents a fundamental challenge to the accomplishment of a range of development imperatives,” Salazar-Xirinachs told delegates at the conference.

The missing data include that needed to allow for “disaster risk reduction and to ensure use of data in a Multidimensional Vulnerability Risk index,” the ECLAC Executive Secretary said. Importantly, he noted to the conference of Caribbean ministers and technocrats that “it’s the kind of data system which can be used to collectively make your case for greater access to concessional financing.”

T&T’s Planning and Development Minister, Penelope Beckles, has assumed chairmanship of the CDCC. She now has the responsibility to ensure that T&T’s ancient and inefficient data system is transformed.