The OECS Regional Data Governance Council (RDGC) convened its second face-to-face meeting from June 24-27, 2024.
The OECS RDGC was in October 2023, a deliverable of the World Bank funded OECS Data for Decision Making project and the CDB funded Enhanced Country Poverty Assessment Project.
This council is tasked with the critical objective of harmonizing data policies and practices; ensuring that economic, social, climate and environmental data are captured, produced, managed, and propagated uniformly across the OECS region.
Chaired by Ms. Kenita Paul, the meeting featured updates on Member States’ Labour Force Surveys and stakeholder presentations from eCPA, OECS, CDB, ILO, ECCB, World Bank, UNITAR, UNECLAC, and FAO aimed at gaining an appreciation for available support that can be provided to member states, initiatives that could be of benefit and synergies for the development of the work plan for 2024-2026.
The second meeting of the RDGC saw active participation from member states: Antigua and Barbuda, BVI, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Lucia. Delegates were attentive, engaged, and highly interactive in discussions.
The four (4) day meeting concluded with the acceptance of UNECLAC as a member (observer status) of the RDGC, marking a significant step towards broader regional cooperation. The meeting also accepted and adopted the Revised OECS Labour Force Survey Instrument; which will be used for future Labour Force Surveys across the OECS region and the development of the RDGC work program for 2024-2026