Caribbean Demography Experts Convene in Belize for Regional Workshop on Population Estimates and Projections

Joint Press Release – Belize City, Belize – 22 August 2025 – Forty-four participants from 14 Caribbean countries, including Belize, actively engaged in a four-day regional workshop on population estimates and projections held from 18–21 August 2025 in Belize City. Organized by the United Nations Population Fund Sub-regional Office for the Caribbean (UNFPA SROC) and the Latin American and Caribbean Demographic Center (ECLAC-CELADE), the training brought together demography practitioners and technicians from the Statistical Institute of Belize (SIB) and other National Statistical Offices (NSOs) across the Caribbean region to strengthen their skills in producing accurate and policy-relevant population projections. This workshop marked a key milestone in advancing the goals of the Enabling of Belize’s Statistical System (EBSS) project, which is being implemented from 2024 to 2027 with funding from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). The project supports Belize through the SIB as the main beneficiary and implementing partner in modernizing and strengthening its statistical systems and serves as a model for broader capacity-building efforts across the Caribbean.
The official opening, held on 18 August, was attended by the organizers, UNFPA SROC, ECLAC, and KOICA, government officials, other UN agencies, and participants from various NSOs across the Caribbean region. Delivering the keynote address, Mr. Carlos Pol, Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Economic Transformation, emphasized how accurate data informs our strategic planning, resource allocation, and policy development.
In her welcome address, Ms. Tisa Grant, Liaison Specialist/Head of Office for UNFPA in Belize, outlined UNFPA’s commitment to supporting national statistical systems. “Interventions such as UNFPA’s technical support to censuses and demographic analysis across the Caribbean have already shown their value: from improving census planning and cartography, to strengthening national capacity in projections, to ensuring that census data are turned into usable intelligence for programming, policy, and emergency response. This is the essence of our mandate: to make data work for people, so that no one is left behind.”
Also speaking at the opening, Mr. Simone Cecchini, Director, CELADE-Population Division, ECLAC, highlighted the long-standing collaboration between ECLAC and Caribbean NSOs. “When we provide technical assistance, our main goal is to leave capacity installed within countries. We are convinced that holding this regional workshop is an excellent additional opportunity to strengthen teams and build capacity to lead the process of reviewing estimates and projections with greater autonomy and solid technical foundations, ensuring continuity in the production and analysis of demographic statistics in the country.”
Mrs. Diana Castillo-Trejo, Director-General of the Statistical Institute of Belize, shared the successes of the EBSS project and activities in progress under this initiative. Activities include the development of legislation for the governance of the National Statistical System, a quarterly training program to be delivered by SIB for NSS agencies, and a quality assurance framework for the SIB and NSS.
Remarks delivered by Ms. Sohui Cho, Country Director of KOICA in El Salvador, and Halim Brizan, Director of Regional Statistics CARICOM Secretariat, emphasized the importance of knowledge-sharing and the need for high-quality data to support comprehensive research and robust analysis that will inform policy development that responds effectively to our demographic realities.
Over the course of the workshop, participants were trained in the application of the Cohort Demographic Components Model, a globally recognized method for projecting population by age and sex, taking into account fertility, mortality, and international migration trends.
Sessions combined theoretical instruction with practical, hands-on exercises using both sample datasets and national data brought by participants. Core topics included the evaluation of census and vital statistics data, estimation and projection of fertility and mortality, construction of life tables, demographic reconciliation, and alternative methods for population modeling. The workshop concluded with group presentations in which participants applied their learning to real-world data scenarios.
The event also provided an important platform for regional collaboration and peer exchange, allowing countries to share challenges and best practices in demographic modeling. Participants highlighted the value of continued technical support and regional cooperation in enhancing the quality and usefulness of population statistics.
UNFPA, through its Caribbean Sub-Regional Office, continues to work closely with governments to implement censuses, produce vital demographic data, and promote the use of data for policy and planning. ECLAC-CELADE, with a long-standing history of providing technical training in demographic analysis throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, brought essential expertise to the design and delivery of the training.