di News - Asia-Pacific Countries Position DevInfo as a Key Tool in Decision-Making

Asia-Pacific Countries Position DevInfo as a Key Tool in Decision-Making

The latest release of the DevInfo database software – version 6.0 – was launched in the Asia-Pacific region during a four-day evidence-based decision-making conference held in Siem Reap, Cambodia from 2-5 February 2010. DevInfo is a database system endorsed by the United Nations for monitoring progress towards the Millennium Development Goals and other national priorities.

Titled “Using data in evidence-based decision-making - Launch of DevInfo version 6.0 in Asia and the Pacific”, the conference was organized by

the DevInfo Inter-agency Taskforce for Asia and the Pacific comprising representatives from ESCAP, ILO, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, WFP, WHO, the UN Country Team in Cambodia and the Cambodian National Institute of Statistics (NIS). National delegations from 19 Asia-Pacific countries participated in the event, coming together to share best practices and lessons learned in putting DevInfo into action as a tool for monitoring human development.

The first two days of the conference provided a forum for policy-makers from countries in Asia and the Pacific to discuss issues related to the broader themes of country-led monitoring and evaluation systems, use of national statistical systems in support of policy and decision-making, as well as innovative methods for data use and dissemination, especially as related to census data. The forum concluded with the adoption of the “Agenda for Action on Data for Decision-Making in Asia and the Pacific”, which provides a road map for better use and application of data in human development initiatives. Presentation documents and papers can be viewed and downloaded by visiting http://www.unescap.org/Stat/di6launch/index.asp.

Following these discussions, a two-day technical workshop was conducted to introduce the latest DevInfo software release, version 6.0, to key partners in the region. Particular emphasis was given to strengthening their capacity in using the DevInfo database system to support policy planning and monitoring.

For more information, please contact Jon Kapp, Director, DevInfo Support Group at
jkapp@devinfo.info.

Source: http://www.unescap.org/Stat/di6launch/index.asp