Some population groups such as Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendants, persons with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people have been historically excluded and discriminated. This is reflected in development programs and policies in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the rest of the world. While there has been some progress in the production of official statistics and research on diverse groups in recent years, there are still significant gaps in data on race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
Why Don’t We Have Enough Data on Diversity?
The lack of data directly affects the institutional capacity of the State to design, implement, and evaluate gender and diversity policies. It has also limited the ability of multilateral agencies, such as the IDB, to address issues of gender, diversity, or the intersectionality between the two in a broader set of projects. At least three causes can explain this problem:
- Investing in data generation by National Statistical Offices may compete with other priorities already established by governments in the region.
- Countries often lack technical support on best practices for collecting this type of data in a way that allows comparisons within the country, over time, and across countries.
- At the level of statistical operations, producing representative figures on specific population groups can be costly because it often requires revising sampling frames and increasing sample sizes.
What Did We Address at the Regional Policy Dialogue on Diversity and Data?
The IDB recently held, in collaboration with the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE for its name in Spanish) of Colombia, the Regional Policy Dialogue on Diversity and Data in Latin America and the Caribbean.
More than 70 participants from 22 countries in the region shared their experiences, good practices, and pending challenges to strengthening the evidence available on diverse populations. The presence of representatives from National Statistical Offices, government agencies, academic experts, members of civil society, and IDB specialists resulted in an enriching exchange.
Below, we review three main topics that were discussed at the event.
1. Raising awareness of diverse populations
There is still a long way to go in raising awareness of the need to collect data on race, ethnicity, disability status, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Rigorous evidence is essential to design relevant public policies that respond to the priorities of each population group. For this reason, awareness-raising efforts should be intensified with policymakers, without neglecting the general population.
2. Best practices in diversity data collection
The discussion space also provided an opportunity to learn about interesting and promising experiences in collecting data on diversity. Among them, we can highlight the National Survey on Sexual and Gender Diversity (ENDISEG) 2021 of Mexico. This survey is one of the few examples in the region that allows identifying and quantifying the LGBTQ+ population. Thanks to this survey, the country has been able to advance in the design of public policies aimed at improving the living conditions of LGBTQ+ people. A relevant example is the design and implementation of a trans-labor quota in Mexico City.
Another case mentioned is the Disability and Dependency Survey (ENDIDE) 2022 in Chile. It seeks to estimate the prevalence of disability and dependence in the country. ENDIDE has been instrumental in improving the identification of the population with disabilities and the different degrees of disability; designing public policies on health, quality of life, and social inclusion of the population with disabilities; and improving budget allocation for programs aimed at this population.
3. Challenges in obtaining data on ethnicity and race.
The participants also discussed the challenges faced by the National Statistical Offices in gathering data to characterize the population in terms of ethnicity. Among recent experiences, the last census in Panama was highlighted. This registered a significant increase over the previous one in the number of people who self-identified as belonging to Indigenous Peoples, as well as Afro-descendants. These changes were the result of a process of testing and experimentation that was nurtured by dialogue with stakeholders and culminated in improvements in the formulation of questions, as well as in the collection process.
Next Steps to Advance the Diverse Populations’ Data Agenda
These spaces for exchange and learning are essential to strengthen the capacities of those who generate and use data. But they are also essential to continue advancing and innovating on methodologies and instruments that allow for the collection of data from diverse people. In addition, the event identified several areas of action in which collaboration between countries can be facilitated by the IDB, as well as areas in which technical support, knowledge generation, and financial support from multilateral banks will be key.
In the short term, the IDB is working on the preparation of an analytical document on recent experiences in Latin America and the Caribbean for data collection on LGBTQ+ people. The objective of the document is to centralize the information, thus facilitating access to this information for National Statistical Offices interested in working on these issues. Additionally, it will allow for a better understanding of the factors that limit the inclusion of questions on sexual orientation and gender identity in the statistical work of the countries. This document will be published in the coming months.
In other words, the event was a success!
Check out the Spanish version of the blog to find illustrated summaries of the Dialogue’s highlights:
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