There is a growing demand by analysts and academia to access microdata for research and to produce statistical knowledge products. The small population size of the OECS countries presents risks of jeopardizing confidentiality if disseminated statistics can be used to identify a person or household.

Mr. Halim Brizan, Director of the National Statistics Office of Grenada, in his opening remarks stated that the workshop was quite timely as the OECS countries prepare to undertake their country poverty assessment, continue to administer their labour force surveys and put measures in place to monitor the SDGs.

The workshop was organised by the OECS Commission in collaboration with the World Bank and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). Its objectives are captured in the OECS Regional Strategy for Development in Statistics (RSDS).