21 May 2012: The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) will finance the deployment of an advanced data management system, DevInfo, developed by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to track human development data related to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

In the first phase of the deployment, CDB will provide US$399,165 to implement the system in the Organization for Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Secretariat, as well as in Anguilla, Barbados, Grenada, Montserrat and Saint Lucia.

In phase two, the CDB will finance deployment in the rest of the CDB borrowing members (Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Turks and Caicos Islands) using lessons learned from phase one.

DevInfo aids in organizing, storing and displaying data and metadata in a uniform and user-friendly way that allows for producing table, graphs and maps for use in reports, presentations and advocacy materials in multiple media, including online. DevInfo allows for presenting MDG-linked data at the smallest geographic level available, such as villages or parishes.

During deployment, UNICEF will help ministries and related agencies to capture and analyze data and compile indicators, while CDB and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat will help governments address technical challenges, primarily through national and regional training. The Bank will focus on aiding governments in advocacy and ownership of the system, as well as planning and training. [CDB Press Release]