The Government of the Virgin Islands will join its regional counterparts in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to observe Caribbean Statistics Day on Tuesday, October 15.

Director of the Central Statistics Officer, Mr. Raymond Phillips said the main focus of Caribbean Statistics Day is to promote statistics in the region while the main idea is to garner a greater profile for statistics in the region by promoting a culture of evidence-based decision making.

He added that statistics are widely used to support policy development and in measuring the social and economic health of countries.

The observance will be held under last year’s theme: “Building the Resilience of the Caribbean Community” given its current relevance.

Mr. Phillips stated that this year, the office will be hosting a display at the Central Administration Complex to highlight various types of statistics in the Virgin Islands as well as to promote the work of the office to the Territory’s students.

 “We look forward to ramping up our efforts by formalising the internal processes of interaction with our data sources. This would contribute to the production of statistics in a timely manner hence rendering the country more prepared for, among other things, future weather events, should they occur,” Mr. Phillips further added.

The Territory’s observance of Caribbean Statistics Day is in line with the Government of the Virgin Islands’ mission to collaborate with regional counterparts, in addition to highlighting its commitment to enhanced data collection and production.

The Central Statistics Office is mandated to monitor, research, and report on the performance of the Virgin Islands’ economy in all important aspects including (but not limited to) output, growth, income and employment, interest rates, prices; and short-term and long-term structural changes.

Photo Caption: Photograph of Mr. Raymond Phillip and staff of the Central Statistics Office.