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       T R O U B L E D   C O M P A N Y   R E P O R T E R

                 L A T I N   A M E R I C A

          Tuesday, January 9, 2024, Vol. 25, No. 7

                           Headlines



A R G E N T I N A

ARGENTINA: Postpones IMF Payments as it Seeks New Deal


B R A Z I L

BRAZIL: PMI Slips for Fourth Month


D O M I N I C A N   R E P U B L I C

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Central Bank Corrects Exchange Rate Error


J A M A I C A

JAMAICA: Costs Related to Household Maintenance Rose in November


V E N E Z U E L A

VENEZUELA: Court Orders Surrender of Grounded Plane to U.S.


X X X X X X X X

LATAM: Breaking Silence on Data Deprivation in Poverty Assessments

                           - - - - -


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A R G E N T I N A
=================

ARGENTINA: Postpones IMF Payments as it Seeks New Deal
------------------------------------------------------
Buenos Aires Times reports that President Javier Milei government
has decided to unify the January payments on Argentina's
multi-billion-dollar debt to the International Monetary Fund (IMF),
postponing them until the end of the month.

The move came as Buenos Aires awaited the arrival of IMF officials
last week for key talks aiming to refloat the agreement that dates
back to 2018, according to Buenos Aires Times.

Some US$1.95 billion were already due in the first half of the
month, according to Economy Ministry data, the report notes.  The
approach was previously been confirmed to Perfil by Economy
Ministry sources. This month's calendar had contemplated the
cancellation of US$1.3 billion on January 9 and US$650 million on
January 16, the report relays.

This 'bundle' operation was already deployed by Argentina's
previous Economy minister Sergio Massa last June, July and October
amid a shortage of Central Bank reserves which remains persistent,
the report discloses.  For last month's commitments, the La
Libertad Avanza administration used a bridging loan of US$960
million from the CAF (Corporacion Andina de Fomento) Latin American
development bank, obtained by the new Economy Minister Luis Caputo
to meet its obligations, the report says.

Meanwhile the libertarian government aims to start the new year
complying with its main short-term and medium-term economic
objectives - to renegotiate the agreement with the IMF, which has
"virtually collapsed" after not meeting the targets agreed during
the Alberto Fernandez Presidency, the report relays.

The latest agreement at technical level, following the fifth and
sixth reviews of the programme between late July and mid-August,
was based on three pillars: the fiscal deficit, the accumulation of
reserves and Central Bank assistance to the Treasury, the report
discloses.

The non-compliance of these objectives on the part of Fernandez and
Massa (with the deficit growing during the second half of the year
due to the various economic policies announced during the electoral
campaign, the surge in inflation and the drastic fall of the
reserves to levels unprecedented in the last two decades) triggered
a virtual collapse of the program, the report discloses.

At the start of this new year, refloating all that is one of the
priorities of Javier Milei, who seeks to keep the current financing
plan going with a view to gaining the remittance of almost US$3
billion scheduled for November but cut short by the suspension of
the seventh review of the agreement, the report notes.

The Economy Ministry will seek a waiver prior to working out a new
timetable of payments. But beforehand the national government will
have to present a "strong and credible stabilisation plan with
political support," as requested by IMF Communications Director
Julie Kozack at a press conference, the report discloses.

That was on the cards for last meeting between the newly arrived
IMF committee and Economy Minister Caputo together with Cabinet
Chief Nicolas Posse, as anticipated by presidential spokesman
Manuel Adorni, the report relays.

It should be added that within hours of La Libertad Avanza's
presidential triumph, a committee including both Caputo and Posse
was on its way to Washington to begin the dialogue, the report
notes.

At the same time, Milei made long-distance contact with IMF
Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva in a meeting described by
the latter as a "very constructive commitment, a very serious
discussion," the report relays.

"I told her about different aspects of our plan for fiscal
adjustment and our monetary program.  The IMF showed itself to be
cooperative towards finding the structural solutions which
Argentina needs," the President recounted on his side, the report
relates.

During the electoral campaign, Milei repeatedly promised that the
programme to be applied, as reflected by his first economic
measures enshrined in the emergency decree DNU 70/2023 and the
omnibus law, "would be much tougher" than proposed by the IMF for
the country. Measures which indeed commanded IMF support, the
report discloses.

"These strong initial actions aim at significantly improving public
finances in a manner which protects the most vulnerable members of
society and strengthens the exchange rate regime. Its determined
application will contribute towards stabilizing the economy and
laying the bases for a more sustainable growth led by the private
sector," maintained the IMF in an official communique published in
mid-December, the report relays.

The report relays that according to the 2024 calendar of payments,
which could be altered after the negotiations between the
government and the IMF, Argentina will have to repay almost US$7.5
billion this year, distributed in the following manner:

Argentina’s market honeymoon fades as peso pressure builds

- US$1.922 billion in January
- US$810 million in February
- US$1.922 billion in April
- US$743 million in May
- US$641 million in July
- US$727 million in August
- US$716 million in November.

                              About Argentina
       
Argentina is a country located mostly in the southern half of South
America. Its capital is Buenos Aires. Javier Milei is the current
president of Argentina after winning the November 19, 2023 general
election. He succeeded Alberto Angel Fernandez in the position.
       
Argentina has the third largest economy in Latin America.  The
country's economy is an upper middle-income economy for fiscal year
2019, according to the World Bank. Historically, however, its
economic performance has been very uneven, with high economic
growth alternating with severe recessions, income maldistribution
and in the recent decades, increasing poverty.
       
The IMF's executive board completed on August 23, 2023, the fifth
and six reviews of Argentina's 30-month Extended Fund Facility
(EFF), and approved a US$7.5-billion disbursement to Argentina as
part of the larger program, which refinances payments Argentina
owes the institution from a previous bailout that failed to
stabilize the economy in 2018. Argentina would receive another IMF
disbursement in November of about US$2.75 billion pending another
staff-level agreement and board approval.
       
S&P Global Ratings, on June 13, 2023, raised its local currency
sovereign credit ratings on Argentina to 'CCC-/C' from 'SD/SD' and
0its national scale rating to 'raCCC+' from 'SD'. S&P also affirmed
its 'CCC-/C' foreign currency sovereign credit ratings on
Argentina. The outlook on the long-term ratings is negative. S&P's
'CCC-' transfer and convertibility assessment is unchanged. None of
its rated bond issues are affected.
       
S&P said the negative outlook on the long-term ratings is based on
the risks surrounding pronounced economic imbalances and policy
uncertainties before and after the 2023 national elections.
Divisions within the government coalition, and infighting among the
opposition, constrain the sovereign's ability to implement timely
changes in economic policy.
       
Fitch Ratings also upgraded on June 13, 2023, Argentina's Long-Term
Foreign Currency (FC) Issuer Default Rating (IDR) to 'CC' from
'C'and affirmed the Long-Term Local Currency (LC) IDR at 'CCC-'.
Fitch typically does not assign Outlooks to sovereigns with a
rating of 'CCC+' or below.
       
The upgrade of the FC IDR reflects that Fitch no longer deems a
default-like process to have begun, as the authorities have not
signaled a clear intention to follow through with an intra-public
debt swap announced in March. The new 'CC' rating signals a default
event of some sort appears probable in the coming years, regardless
of the outcome of upcoming elections. The affirmation of the LC IDR
at 'CCC-' follows the peso debt swap in June that Fitch did not
deem to be a "distressed debt exchange" (DDE).
        
Moody's Investors Service, in September 2022, affirmed Argentina's
Ca foreign-currency and local-currency long-term issuer and senior
unsecured ratings.  The outlook remains stable.  The decision to
affirm the Ca ratings balances Argentina's limited market access,
weak governance, and history of recurrent debt restructurings with
recent efforts to marshal fiscal and monetary measures to start
addressing underlying macroeconomic imbalances in the context of
the IMF program that was approved in 2022, according to Moody's.
       
DBRS, Inc. confirmed Argentina's Long-Term Foreign Currency Issuer
Rating at CCC and downgraded its Long-Term Local Currency Issuer
Rating to CCC from CCC (high) on March 3, 2023.



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B R A Z I L
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BRAZIL: PMI Slips for Fourth Month
----------------------------------
Richard Mann at Rio Times Online reports that S&P Global reported
that Brazil's Manufacturing PMI decreased to 48.4 in December.

This score means the sector is shrinking, according to Rio Times
Online. A score below 50 shows this. For four months, the score has
been under 50, the report relays.

The report notes that factory orders fell again in December. This
drop was the biggest since June, and less demand caused this.

Also, global sales dropped for the 22nd month, the report says.
This was due to issues abroad, weak global interest, and price
problems, the report notes.

Moreover, costs for materials rose again, the report relays.  This
rise was the biggest since February. Farm goods mainly caused this
increase, the report adds.

                          About Brazil

Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world and third largest

in the Americas. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won the 2022 Brazilian
general election. He was sworn in on January 1, 2023, as the 39th
president of Brazil, succeeding Jair Bolsonaro.

S&P Global Ratings raised on Dec. 19, 2023, its long-term global
scale ratings on Brazil to 'BB' from 'BB-'. The outlook on the
long-term ratings is stable. S&P affirmed Brazil's global scale
short-term ratings at 'B' and its national scale long-term rating
at 'brAAA'. S&P also raised the transfer and convertibility
assessment on the country to 'BBB-' from 'BB+'. S&P said, "The
stable outlook reflects our expectation that Brazil will maintain a
strong external position, thanks to strong commodity output and
limited external financing needs. We also believe Brazil's
institutional framework can sustain stable and pragmatic
policymaking based on extensive checks and balances across the
executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. We
expect a very gradual fiscal correction but anticipate fiscal
deficits will remain large."

Fitch Ratings affirmed on Dec. 15, 2023, Brazil's Long-Term
Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at 'BB' with a Stable
Outlook. Fitch said Brazil's ratings are supported by its large and
diverse economy, high per-capita income, and deep domestic markets
and a large cash cushion that support the sovereign's financing
flexibility and its high local-currency debt share. Strong external
finances support resilience to shocks, underpinned by a flexible
exchange rate, robust international reserves and a sovereign net
external creditor position. The ratings are constrained by weak
economic growth potential, relatively low governance scores, high
and rising government debt/GDP, and budgetary rigidities. A new
fiscal framework introduced this year aims to anchor a gradual
consolidation process and address these fiscal weaknesses, but its
effectiveness is increasingly unclear.

Moody's credit rating for Brazil was last set at Ba2 in 2018 with
stable outlook.  Moody's affirmed the Ba2 issuer ratings and
senior unsecured bond ratings in April 2022.

DBRS Inc., on August 15, 2023, upgraded Brazil's Long-Term
Foreign and Local Currency - Issuer Ratings to BB from BB (low).
At the same time, DBRS Morningstar confirmed Brazil's
Short-term Foreign and Local Currency - Issuer Ratings at R-4.
The trend on all ratings is Stable (March 2018).




===================================
D O M I N I C A N   R E P U B L I C
===================================

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Central Bank Corrects Exchange Rate Error
-------------------------------------------------------------
Dominican Today reports that the Central Bank of the Dominican
Republic has issued a clarification regarding the exchange rate of
the US dollar.  

As of January 4, the correct rates are RD$58.6347 for selling and
RD$58.3133 for buying, according to Dominican Today.  This
announcement comes after a mix-up caused by the Google search
engine, which incorrectly listed the exchange rate as RD$33.20, the
report notes.

The Central Bank has requested Google to rectify this error, the
report relays.  Additionally, they are addressing an issue with
their website, which is currently down due to excessive demand for
concurrent access.

In the interim, they encourage the public to access up-to-date
information through the Central Bank's social media channels, the
report adds.

                   About Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a Caribbean nation that shares the island
of Hispaniola with Haiti to the west. Capital city Santo Domingo
has Spanish landmarks like the Gothic Catedral Primada de America
dating back 5 centuries in its Zona Colonial district. Luis Rodolfo
Abinader Corona is the current president of the nation.

TCR-LA reported in April 2019 that Juan Del Rosario of the UASD
Economic Faculty cited a current economic slowdown for the
Dominican Republic and cautioned that if the trend continues,
growth would reach only 4% by 2023. Mr. Del Rosario said that if
that happens, "we'll face difficulties in meeting international
commitments."

An ongoing concern in the Dominican Republic is the inability of
participants in the electricity sector to establish financial
viability for the system.

On December 4, 2023, the TCR-LA reported that Fitch Ratings has
affirmed Dominican Republic's Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer
Default Rating (IDR) at 'BB-' and revised the Outlook to Positive
from Stable. Fitch says the Positive Outlook reflects a trend
improvement in governance, and robust growth prospects that should
lead to continued gains in per capita income.  According to Fitch,
growth has decelerated in 2023, but it expects Dominican Republic
to recover to high levels during 2024-2025. External liquidity
metrics have improved in recent years, and foreign currency share
of government debt is on a downward path.

In August 2023, Moody's Investors Service changed the outlook on
the Government of Dominican Republic's ratings to positive from
stable and affirmed the local and foreign-currency long-term issuer
and senior unsecured ratings at Ba3.  Moody's said the key drivers
for the outlook change to positive  are: (i) sustained high growth
rates have enhanced the scale and wealth levels of the economy; and
(ii) a material decline in the government debt burden coupled with
improved fiscal policy effectiveness will support medium-term debt
sustainability.

The affirmation of the Ba3 ratings balances the Dominican
Republic's strong economic growth dynamics and relatively contained
susceptibility to event risks, with a comparatively weaker fiscal
position, reflecting long-standing credit challenges which include:
(i) a shallow revenue base compared to peers, (ii) weak debt
affordability metrics, and (iii) high exposure to foreign currency
borrowing.

S&P Global Ratings, in December 2022, raised its long-term foreign
and local currency sovereign credit ratings on the Dominican
Republic to 'BB' from 'BB-'. The outlook on the long-term ratings
is stable. S&P affirmed its 'B' short-term sovereign credit
ratings. S&P also revised its transfer and convertibility (T&C)
assessment to 'BBB-' from 'BB+'.  The stable outlook reflects S&P's
expectation of continued favorable GDP growth and policy continuity
over the next 12-18 months that will likely stabilize the
government's debt burden.

In February 2023, S&P said its BB ratings reflect the country's
fast-growing and resilient economy.  It also incorporates the
country's historical political and social challenges in passing
structural reforms to contain fiscal deficits, despite recent
improvements in the electricity sector. The ratings are constrained
by relatively high debt, a hefty interest burden, and limited
monetary policy flexibility.



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J A M A I C A
=============

JAMAICA: Costs Related to Household Maintenance Rose in November
----------------------------------------------------------------
RJR News reports that the cost of goods and services in relation to
household maintenance and upkeep increased for the 12 months to
November 2023.

The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) said the index for
the 'Furnishings, Household Equipment and Routine Household
Maintenance' rose by 10.7 per cent on an annual basis as at
November last year, according to RJR News.

For the month of November alone, goods and services in this
category grew by 0.3 per cent, the report notes.

All groups in the category faced increased prices, the report
relays.

The higher costs were mainly associated with 'Goods and Services
for Routine Household Maintenance', which grew by 0.3 per cent,
'Furniture, Furnishings and Loose Carpets', up by 0.4 per cent, and
'Household Appliances', which also increased by 0.4 per cent, the
report adds.

                      About Jamaica

Jamaica is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea.
Jamaica is an upper-middle income country with an economy heavily
dependent on tourism.  Other major sectors of the Jamaican economy
include agriculture, mining, manufacturing, petroleum refining,
financial and insurance services.

In October 2023, Moody's upgraded the Government of Jamaica's
long-term issuer and senior unsecured ratings to B1 from B2, and
senior unsecured shelf rating to (P)B1 from (P)B2. The outlook has
been changed to positive from stable.  The upgrade of Jamaica's
rating to B1 reflects the government's sustained commitment to
fiscal consolidation and debt reduction.  The positive outlook
reflects Moody's assessment that a continuation of the favorable
fiscal trajectory will further increase Jamaica's credit
resilience.

S&P Global Ratings raised on September 13, 2023, its long-term
foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings on Jamaica to
'BB-' from 'B+', and affirmed its short-term foreign and local
currency sovereign credit ratings at 'B'.  The stable outlook
reflects S&P's expectation that the government will remain
committed to prudent fiscal policies and reducing debt, as well as
supportive economic policies including a flexible exchange rate
regime and effective monetary policy.  

In March 2022, Fitch Ratings affirmed Jamaica's Long-Term Foreign
Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at 'B+'. The Rating Outlook is
Stable.



=================
V E N E Z U E L A
=================

VENEZUELA: Court Orders Surrender of Grounded Plane to U.S.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Buenos Aires Times reports that a federal judge has approved the
transfer of a grounded Venezuelan plane to US authorities,
Argentina's Justice Ministry confirmed - the latest twist in a
long-running judicial and diplomatic saga also involving Iran.

Caracas reacted angrily to the move, describing it as a "robbery"
of state property, according to Buenos Aires Times.

From Buenos Aires, federal judge Federico Villena ordered "the
maintenance and securing of the plane, the custody of the plane,
that the plane be put in condition and the definitive seizure in
favour of the United States justice system," Justice Ministry
sources confirmed to the AFP news agency, the report notes.

Referring to previous court rulings, Judge Villena said that
"everyone has decided in different instances that the plane has to
go to the United States," the report relays.

The Boeing 747 cargo plane owned by Venezuelan company Emtrasur has
been held in Argentina since landing there in June 2022 from Mexico
with a shipment of auto parts, after having tried unsuccessfully to
enter Uruguay, the report discloses.

The 19-member crew was comprised of Venezuelans and Iranians - one
of whom the United States alleged had links to the Al Quds Force, a
group of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards classified as a terrorist
organisation by the United States, the report says.

All the crew were initially detained but later freed, the report
discloses.

The plane was sold to Emtrasur, a subsidiary of state airline
Conviasa, by Iran's Mahan Air in October 2021 in what the US said
contravened its sanctions against both countries, the report
relays.

Caracas and Tehran have protested US attempts to seize the plane,
and asked Argentina for backing. Up until now, the aircraft has not
been moved, the report notes.

Shortly after the ruling was known, Venezuela's government
denounced the decision, branding it an attempt to "consummate the
theft of a Venezuelan aircraft," the report relays.

President Nicolas Maduro's government "categorically rejects and
condemns the decision, which is clearly subservient to imperial
interests," the Foreign Ministry in Caracas said in a post on the X
(former Twitter) social network, the report discloses.

"Venezuela has demonstrated, before all international legal and
political bodies, the legal and legitimate possession of the
aforementioned aircraft," it added.

"The Argentine government and justice system's conduct of pillage,
piracy and vassalage transgresses its own legislation and turns the
country into a serious violator of international law," it claimed,
the report relays.

The Maduro administration denounced the theft of its property after
reporting in Argentina suggested a new ruling was imminent, the
report notes.

"They intend to rob us of a plane that is legally the property of
Venezuela in Argentina under the order of an imperialistic court,"
said Maduro in 2022, the report adds.

                      About Venezuela

Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a
country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a
continental landmass and a large number of small islands and
islets in the Caribbean sea.  The capital is the city of Caracas.

Hugo Chavez was president to Venezuela from 1999 to 2013.  The
Chavez presidency was plagued with challenges, which included a
2002 coup d'etat, a 2002 national strike and a 2004 recall
referendum.  Nicolas Maduro was elected president in 2013 after
the death of Chavez.  Maduro won a second term at the May 2018
Venezuela elections, but this result has been challenged by
countries including Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Brazil, Canada,
Germany, France and the United States who deemed it fraudulent and
moved to recognize Juan Guaido as president.

The presidencies of Chavez and Maduro have challenged Venezuela
with a socioeconomic and political crisis.  It is marked by
hyperinflation, climbing hunger, poverty, disease, crime and death
rates, social unrest, corruption and emigration from the country.

Moody's has withdrawn 'C' local currency and foreign currency
ceilings for Venezuela in September 2022.  Standard & Poors has
also withdrawn its 'SD/D' foreign currency sovereign credit
ratings and 'CCC-/C' local currency ratings on Venezuela in
September 2021 due to lack of sufficient information.  Fitch
withdrew its own 'RD/C' Issuer Default Ratings on Venezuela in
June 2019 due to the imposition of U.S. sanctions on the
country's government.



===============
X X X X X X X X
===============

LATAM: Breaking Silence on Data Deprivation in Poverty Assessments
------------------------------------------------------------------
Alexis Monteith at Jamaica Observer reports that the Caribbean is
facing the challenging issue of data deprivation, where data on
poverty is either lacking or outdated, hindering the ability of
governments to understand and effectively address poverty due to
the absence of recent and comparable data.  

This area of concern was the subject of a recent YouTube discussion
titled 'Into The Unknown - The Hidden Truth About Poverty In The
Caribbean - between Caribbean economist and advisor Marla Dukharan,
and the World Bank country director for Caribbean countries, Lilia
Burunciuc, according to Jamaica Observer.

Despite the recognition of a general US$6.85 poverty line for the
Caribbean, there is a shortage of up-to-date information to
effectively assess how Caribbean countries compare to others
globally in terms of poverty lines, according to Burunciuc, the
report notes.

"We have a serious data problem," the country director emphasised.
"Apart from the international poverty line that we measure, each
country has its national poverty line and this is what we mostly
use these days," the report relays.

"Looking at the poverty measured at the national poverty line which
normally is not comparable because it reflects only the national
prices, we see that a considerable proportion of the population are
actually considered poor in the Caribbean," Burunciuc continued,
the report discloses.  "And this ranges from 12.5 per cent in
Barbados, and this was in 2013, to 52 per cent in Belize, which was
measured in 2018, and as high as almost 60 per cent in Haiti which
was again measured in 2012, the report says.  So, on average in the
Caribbean the poverty line is at around 25 per cent which means one
in four people live with less than what is actually considered
necessary to satisfy the basic needs in their country," the report
notes.

She pointed out that none of these countries have current
measurements with the most recent being Belize in 2018, the report
relays.

Burunciuc explained that the World Bank identifies a country as
data deprived if only one poverty estimate or less is available
within any 10-year period, the report discloses.  In the Caribbean,
according to a World Bank study from 2015, nine countries have been
classified as data deprived, and this situation persists, the
report says.  Among the 18 Caribbean countries, six have national
poverty estimates available only for the first decade of the 2000s,
the report notes.

Jamaica stands out as an exception with a long history of
monitoring poverty on an annual basis, the report discloses.  In
addition, the Dominican Republic has more recent poverty estimates,
the report relays.  However, in several other Caribbean countries,
the most recent poverty estimates are between five and seven years
old, the report says.  Additionally, social-economic information,
such as unemployment rates and demographic characteristics, is not
regularly collected in many countries, the report notes.

The World Bank country director highlighted the importance of
ending data deprivation based on the critical role of data in
making the needs and constraints of the poor visible to
policymakers, the report discloses.

This point was underscored by Dukharan.

"So we are data deprived, most of us in the Caribbean, and that
means that our governments cannot formulate effective policies
because they don't know who these people are, where they are, what
are their conditions, and we don't know if the interventions are
even working," the economic advisor said, the report relays.
"That's in a nutshell what is happening in the Caribbean which is
heartbreaking because we elect these leaders to make our lives
better and if they're not measuring and we are data deprived, how
do they even begin to make our lives better?"

Burunciuc shared that a recent survey conducted by Caricom and the
World Food Programme in May 2023 across 22 Caribbean countries
revealed trends that reinforce these concerns, the report
discloses.  Over half of the English-speaking Caribbean's
population, about 3.7 million people, are moderately or severely
food insecure, the report says.  The study spotlighted challenges
in earning a living, with four in ten respondents facing job or
income loss, the report relays.  Coping strategies, including
depleting savings for food and cutting back on essential expenses
such as health, are widespread, particularly among low-income
families and youth, the report notes.  The survey indicates a
significant increase in food insecurity since April 2020,
persisting into the first half of 2023, disproportionately
affecting the region's most vulnerable populations, the report
notes.

The discussion between Dukharan and Burunciuc also brought to light
that inequality, which contributes to poverty and which has been
exacerbated by the recent COVID-19 pandemic, is inadequately
measured as well.

There are a number of reasons why poverty is being insufficiently
evaluated in the Caribbean, the report relays.  Lack of investment
and funding in countries with limited resources means that
investment in data collection is not a priority, the report notes.
Consequently, surveys rely heavily on funding from development
partners, the report says.

"The overall statistical capacity and data collection needs to
improve in the Caribbean," Burunciuc added, the report relays.
"The statistical performance index, it's a global index, shows that
statistical capacity in the Caribbean is lower than in other
regions and this is another reason why the surveys are being done
rarely and the quality of data may not be what we would like to
see," he added.

Countries also struggle to release data in a timely manner reducing
the usefulness of the data and its reflection of the current
situation, the report notes.

Dukharan suggested that data might not be released because it may
be "politically sensitive . . . I mean we have anecdotal evidence
of countries that have measured poverty and didn't release the data
or refuse to measure it," the report discloses.

The economist made an appeal insisting that "we want the people
looking at this video and the people reading our blog . . . to take
action in the first place. I would really like people to agitate in
their own respects in whatever role they have, that the governments
measure poverty and make that data available," the report relays.

Burunciuc revealed that the World Bank is currently implementing a
project to build statistical capacity in several OECS (Organization
of Eastern Caribbean States) countries and she stressed the need
for a centralised capacity where small countries can collaborate to
overcome challenges of developing individual capacities, the report
notes.

She urged the people of the Caribbean to actively participate in
surveys and provide data to enumerators, the report says.

"We encourage you to respond when enumerators come knocking at your
door," the World Bank official stated.  "This is how policymakers
can truly understand your needs and can craft development programs
to address these needs. It is to everyone's benefit," he added.


                           *********


S U B S C R I P T I O N   I N F O R M A T I O N

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