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| Lead Author is confident as deadline approaches for Second OECS Human Development Report |
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| Written by Media |
| Wednesday, 10 September 2008 09:26 |
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Persons responsible for the various chapters in the report known as chapter focal points, updated the session on some of the issues to be addressed by the second OECS Human Development Report including Employment, Education, Health, Labour as well as Demographics and Crime and Violence. Consultant Dr. Thomas Otter, the lead author of the second OECS Human Development Report told the meeting of a few matters for quick and efficient attention including the acquiring of micro-information: Otter believes that although it will take some effort, the committee will meet the deadline at the end of December to have all reports submitted for the final publication and launch in January 2009:“We have to hurry up. We have a lack of quantitative information such as statistics. We have to decide what to do. We are waiting and trying to get them. What else do we do in order to meet the deadline? If you don’t have quantitative information the alternative is to fill the gaps with qualitative information. It may save some time. So we have to think seriously about it and do something now and not in six weeks. But we can still make it.”The Director of the OECS Social Policy Unit Ezra Jn Baptiste says OECS Secretariat staff provided substantial information: “Our approach was to enlist the participation of the technical staff of the Secretariat to provide inputs to the various chapters of the Human Development Report.” Jn Baptiste added that data is still being sought particularly in the area of youth employment.  To further attract direct youth input for the second OECS Human Development Report the OECS Social Policy Unit has launched an essay across the region. The essay is an effort to analyse how youth perceive economic and social justice. Entries have been coming in gradually ahead of the September 30th deadline: “If we are going to put together a report on youth, I believe that it is important for youth themselves to participate in the research exercise. It is going to give us a sense as to the kinds of thinking in areas such as health, unemployment, as well as crime and violence which is a big issue. We would like to hear form the youth themselves because we do not want to write generic statements where there is no validity to it. We believe that by having their voice in the process it will reflect a better report than if we were to just sit and write it on their behalf” -Jn Baptiste”. Dr. Otter stressed that the report is not the usual document because of its delicate nature: “Regarding all the statistical information and snapshots on how the situation is going for youth for example in education, crime and violence and health, this data is more or less known. The difference is that our report focuses on human development; on the capacity and opportunities of people to improve their own lives. A country is growing when its people are growing. Now we have updated our information we have to go through it and identify clearly what is the difference and what new story we can tell about the capacity, opportunities and the development of people.” The OECS Social Policy Unit is also considering other avenues to engage youth participation in the second Human Development Report to be published in January 2009. |
| Last Updated on Thursday, 18 June 2009 16:17 |
OECS Secretariat, Castries St. Lucia September 8th, 2008: OECS Secretariat officials recently convened to review the process towards the second OECS Human Development report which is focusing mainly on youth.Subscribe to our Newsletters
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