Volume 3 - Issue 4 Apr 2016 The Hummingbird Digital Currency THE OPPORTUNITIES AND RISKS FOR THE CARIBBEAN Containing Zika ECLAC REPORT PRESENTS CHIKUNGUNYA EXPERIENCE Disaster Training ECLAC CONTINUES TO SPREAD BENEFITS OF DISASTER ASSESSMENT TRAINING Contents 4 Article Opportunities for containing spread of Zika? 6 Feature Article Digital Currency 10 Fast Facts REDATAM v 12 Recent Publications Publications by ECLAC Caribbean 14 Fast Facts RCM/TAC Meeting 15 State of Affairs Recent activity by Caribbean governments 16 Around the Caribbean Tobago Jazz Experience Saint Lucia’s strides towards renewable energy 20 ECLAC Caribbean Family Gardening with Sheila EDITORIAL TEAM Director: Diane Quarless, ECLAC Editor: Alexander Voccia, ECLAC CoverCopy designEditor: Deniseand photography Balgobin, ECLACby Blaine MarcanoPublication of ECLACDesign: Caribbean Blaine Marcano, / CC BY. ECLAC Cover Photo by Erik (HASH) Hersman / CC BY Posted Mar 17 As senior policymakers from the Caribbean prepare to discuss the region’s debt obligations, ECLAC Caribbean launches the official website of this high-level meeting: http://cdcc.cepal.org/26/en Upcoming Events World Autism Awareness Day 2 2 April 2016 World Health Day Posted Mar 15 7 April 2016 ECLAC Caribbean supports Saint Lucia as the country transi- 7 tions to renewable energy: http://vrb.al/energy-saintlucia Fourth Meeting of the Caribbean Development 21 Round Table. Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis 21 April 2016 XXVI Session of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC) of ECLAC 22 Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis Posted Mar 4 22 April 2016 Information generated from mobile phones can be used to contain the spread of non-communicable diseases in the Caribbean: http://vrb.al/chick-v World Day for Safety and Health at Work 28 28 April 2016 The Hummingbird - April 2016 | 3 nformation generated from mobile phones can be successfully used to contain the spread of Opportunities for non-communicable diseases, as was recently done to stem the spread of the Chikungunya virus in the Caribbean. This opportunity is explained in ECLACI Caribbean’s recently published report titled containing spread “An assessment of big data for official statistics in the ECLAC Caribbean”. of Zika: The report notes that the use of big data through geospatial (or location) information was used to support report presents healthcare, and to design social intervention measures to address the outbreak of Chick-V across the region. These findings may suggest that – similarly to using big data to source the locations of Chikungunya patients – Chikungunya the same technology could be applied to contain the spread of other diseases transmitted through the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, such as dengue, yellow experience fever and the Zika virus – which over the last several weeks and months has spread to an ever growing number of tropical countries and in increasing numbers. Local health authorities in Brazil have observed an increase in Zika virus infections in the general public, as well as an increase in babies born with microcephaly 4 | April 2016 - The Hummingbird in northeast Brazil. Following the 2nd meeting of the ECLAC Caribbean’s Statistics and Social Development International Health Regulations Emergency Committee Unit Coordinator, Abdullahi Abdulkadri, made this (IHREC) on Zika, the World Health Organization (WHO) call during a presentation he gave on Big Data at the released a statement in early March, advising that “the Caribbean ICT Collaboration Forum held at the Hyatt clusters of microcephaly cases and other neurological Regency Hotel in Port of Spain from 18-19 February. disorders continue to constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), and In his presentation, Abdulkadri called for wider big data that there is increasing evidence that there is a causal collaboration in the Caribbean, especially with big data relationship with Zika virus.” producers. While noting that ECLAC recognizes the challenges faced by National Statistical Offices (NSOs) In addition to touching upon the use of big data for the in using big data for official statistics, he indicated generation of health-related data, such as those related ECLAC’s ongoing support to NSOs in improving data to cases of Chick-V, ECLAC’s study also underscores dissemination in the region. that big data is a viable option for computing official statistics across several other areas in the Caribbean. Big Data for Official Statistics is a work programme of the However, at the same time, the report also highlights United Nations Statistics Division with a Global Working that concerns about the protection of privacy rank high Group (GWG) established to address the benefits and among the challenges to big data exploration for official challenges of big data. Big data is the term used to purposes. describe large amounts of digital information generated during everyday activities, such as through internet For this reason, ECLAC has called on Caribbean transactions, from mobile phones, and from global countries to develop a Big Data Strategy to ensure positioning systems. that they take full advantage of the data revolution for sustainable development. The Hummingbird - April 2016 | 5 The FEATURE ARTICLE Hummingbird Digital Currency 6 | April 2016 - The Hummingbird n light of the increasing number of national and international financial transactions within the Caribbean region, it is acknowledged that there is a need for better electronic payment systems to be established. The region needs to lower the cost of transactions, including on-line Ibill payments and international remittance services. Digital currencies represent a potential option for improving services and reducing costs, but are challenged in receiving acceptance among consumers and regulators. Many Caribbean countries have long endeavoured to increase national participation in the digital economy. In the case of Trinidad and Tobago, for example, formal efforts to improve the legislative and technological infrastructure to facilitate e-commerce date back to 1999 (National Electronic Commerce Policy Committee, 2000). Read More 7 | February 2016 - The Hummingbird The Hummingbird - April 2016 | 7 Feature Article q&a Digital Currency ECLAC Caribbean, in its work to support member States, recently published a report on the “Opportunities and Risks Associated with the use of Digital Currency in the Caribbean”. ECLAC Associate Knowledge Management Officer Robert Williams shared his views on this topic with The Hummingbird. Q What is ECLAC doing in the field of digital currencies? A ECLAC is researching policy options for Caribbean countries to consider when addressing the increasing use of new digital payment technologies. These technologies include cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, as well as mobile-phone-based payment systems, such as those that have been introduced in Haiti and Jamaica as a means of providing financial services to a population underserved by existing banking infrastructure. ECLAC’s recent report on this topic is aimed at educating regulators about the issues surrounding these technologies. ECLAC is also partnering with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to organize a regional conference on this topic, to be held from 1 -3 June, 2016. Q Why is ECLAC engaging in this field of work: what’s the big deal? A These new payment systems bring new opportunities as well as new risks. On the one hand, opportunities include potential benefits to the e-commerce sector and to its customers, reduced cost of sending and receiving remittance money from overseas, and a broader general engagement by Caribbean citizens with the digital economy. On the other hand, national regulators are concerned with the possibility that digital currencies could be used for money laundering and to facilitate cybercrime, as well as with the potential effects on overall macroeconomic stability. ECLAC’s goal is to help policy makers become familiar with the issues surrounding digital currency, so that they can respond to its emergence in a proactive, not reactive, manner. What has ECLAC and/or its sister UN agencies and government counterparts done Q so far to address issues related to digital currencies in the Caribbean? A At a global level, work has been done by the UN Office of Drugs and Crime to examine how digital currencies can be used to facilitate money laundering and cybercrime. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has looked into the topic of with Robert Crane Williams mobile money as part of its Focus Group on Digital Financial Services. However, this is an emerging issue, and, prior to ECLAC’s engagement on the topic, very little policy research had been carried out on how it will affect the Caribbean region. This is why ECLAC Caribbean has convened Expert Group Meetings, released a report on the topic, and is supporting the upcoming regional conference on Exploring Innovation in Transactions and Financing in the Caribbean. The goal of these efforts is to help policy makers make informed choices that balance consideration of the opportunities provided by innovative payment technologies with the need to mitigate the potential risks entailed by the ongoing adoption of digital currencies. 8 | April 2016 - The Hummingbird Photo of Lamassu Q What is or will be new about the work that ECLAC Caribbean will carry out, compared to what has Bitcoin ATM by been done in the past? How will it make a difference? Konrad Förstner / CC BY A ECLAC’s study on