For the third consecutive year, national, regional and international organisations will come together for a Symposium on Statistics for Poverty Reduction to observe the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (IDEP) in the region. 

Scheduled to take place on Friday, October 17, 2025 in Port of Spain, Trinidad, the Symposium will be hosted by the Caribbean Development Bank’s (CDB) Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF) in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin American and the Caribbean (UNECLAC) KoboToolbox, the World Bank (WB) through its GEMS (Geo-Enabling Initiative for Monitoring and Supervision) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). 

“The Symposium will explore the different roles that data can play in poverty reduction; how to meet the demand for better official statistics on poverty in the Caribbean and more comparable estimates; and how data can inform the development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of interventions,” explained L. O’Reilly Lewis, Director of Projects (Ag.),CDB.

The Symposium, titled “Calculate to Eradicate”, will take place under the IDEP 2025 theme “Ending social and institutional maltreatment by ensuring respect and effective support for families”. The event will in part respond  to concerns from Caribbean policymakers and analysts regarding the relative lack of data on poverty as well as uncertainty about the comparability of estimates both between countries and over time. It will also explore the role of data in participatory and community-led approaches to poverty reduction. 

The event is aimed at representatives of Ministries of Social Development, Planning and National Statistical Offices as well as representatives of academia and international organisations. This will include statisticians, data and policy analysts, policymakers and monitoring and evaluation specialists.

“The fight against poverty begins with understanding the challenge. Yet, as our latest ECLAC study shows, policymakers in the Caribbean still face major gaps in the availability, quality, and comparability of poverty statistics. In a 2025 ECLAC SDG report, we alluded to the insufficiency of data to measure the progress of Caribbean countries in creating sound policy frameworks at the national, regional and international levels, based on pro-poor and gender-sensitive development strategies, to support accelerated investment in poverty eradication work,” said Miosotis Rivas Peña, Director, UNECLAC Caribbean. 

At the same time, UNDP Resident Representative, Ugo Blanco spoke of the insight data provides.  “Data is not just numbers—it is insight with the power to drive transformation. At UNDP, we harness inclusive, timely, and disaggregated statistics to illuminate pathways out of poverty. By strengthening national data ecosystems, we enable governments to craft policies that are not only evidence-based, but also effective, efficient, and equitable,” he said.

Commemorated globally each year on October 17th, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty emphasises that ending poverty is about dignity, justice, and belonging, not just income. 

For more information and to register for the 2025 “Calculate to Eradicate” Symposium, please visit: https://ee.kobotoolbox.org/x/azfb0JAc.