ECLAC Data and Policy Workshop held as COP27 continues in Egypt

The workshop, which is being supported by the Economic Commission for Latin American & the Caribbean, comes as representatives from all over the planet discuss the impacts of climate change at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt. We asked the commission’s coordinator of statistics, Doctor Abdullahi Abdulkadri whether programs or initiatives like the one here in Belize can help light the fire under world leaders, who’ve shirked on their climate commitments. Here’s what he had to say. 

Dr. Abdullahi Abdulkadri, Coordinator, Stats & Social Development Unit, ECLAC:  “One of the things that will lead to the political action taking place is clear evidence. You know when the evidence is so glaring that you cannot ignore it then you have to start acting and that’s the value of data. It has to be evidence. You present the evidence and then you incentivize the decision makers with the evidence to take the needed decisions. With the timing of the workshop it’s just coincidental that it happened a week after Lisa but last week in coordination with the Ministry, the Department of the Environment and the Sustainable Development Unit more specifically and the SIB we looked at with the passing of the hurricane will we be able to have this workshop. We decided to go on because it’s very relevant to the issue of the hurricane passing and we’re glad that the impact hasn’t been particularly devastating we’re glad about that but part of the significance of this workshop is to help countries to prepare for future disasters which we know will happen but while we make it less of an event is if we are adequately prepared with the early warning system and all the necessary preparation. With the COP  we of course know that COP was taking place and then we have this regional activity. The reality is that not everybody will be able to make it to COP but having this workshop has a regional and national relevance so we’re hoping that having this workshop during the the time of COP will actually elevate the topic because it will be in the news that COP is taking place and then we’re in Belize having this national workshop on very relevant issues.”

He also reiterated that countries from across the Caribbean, like Belize, continue to make sound arguments about the importance of climate change-related actions being implemented quickly to address what is likely the greatest existential threat of this generation.

Dr. Abdullahi Abdulkadri, Coordinator, Stats & Social Development Unit, ECLAC: “The Caribbean governments they have been doing a lot in raising this issue at the global level. Now what hasn’t happened yet is the expected quantum of support and even sometimes there may be commitments that the advanced countries do not meet with those commitments but hopefully with again clear evidence that it’s becoming more glaring then we’ll start to see positive change with respect to countries that have committed to provide support, honoring their commitment and then providing the needed resources that will allow countries to be better prepared to manage the effect of climate change as well as the impact of disaster.”