GOVERNMENT took an important first step yesterday in crafting effective national and local responses to crime, domestic abuse, and incidences of victimisation, unemployment and living conditions.Minister of Finance Winston Jordan signed three non-reimbursable technical cooperation agreements valuing US$1.3million ($268, 450,000) with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for the design and implementation of three surveys that will provide critical data for effective planning and policy-making.
The Crime and Victimization Survey, Labour Force Survey and Household Survey on Living Conditions will enable state agencies to improve their capacity to gather and analyse available social and economic data as well as monitor and evaluate the impact of government policies and programmes.
These are the first surveys of their kind in more than a decade.
Minister Jordan during the signing said he was heartened by the agreements as very early in the life of the government, a premium was placed on statistical data so that government policies and plans can be undertaken in a structured and more informed manner, which in turn will ensure that resources are optimally expended so that they bring the greatest benefits to the country.
The grants will cover both expenses related to training the staff of the Bureau of Statistics and the actual execution of the surveys.
Under the household survey of living conditions, information will be gathered on income, health, employment, educational attainment and housing conditions. This data will allow for the calculation of poverty rates and income inequality.
According to a release, information on unemployment and employment participation will be gathered under the labour force survey which will be conducted on a quarterly basis.
The crime and victimisation survey will examine perceptions on crime, violence, and domestic abuse as well as the underlying issues of pervasiveness, underreporting, socioeconomic profiles, and geographic patterns.
IDB Country Representative Sophie Makonnen said that the signing is the first of the 2016 support Guyana will receive from the bank, which is a result of a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Finance and the IDB.
She pointed out that data on living conditions and unemployment are from 2006 and 2007 respectively. The surveys will address gaps and weaknesses that emerged during the past decade and will be executed within the next four years.