UNDP and OFID Launched the Arab Development Portal
The Arab Development Portal (ADP) was launched online from Amman, Jordan, on the 25th of April 2016; the launching ceremony was attended by eighty participants representing national statistical offices, central banks, civil society organizations, academics, journalists, entrepreneurs and development practitioners (ESCWA, OECD, UNESCO, etc.).
The ceremony commenced with a welcoming remark by Sima Bahous, UNDP Regional Director for Arab States followed by a briefing on the ADP delivered by Jaafar Al-Mahdi on behalf of the Coordination Group. The ceremony included two plenary discussions on how users in their different capacities (journalists, entrepreneurs, policy-makers and development practitioners) are affected by open data and access to information.
The follow-up regional workshop on the Sustainable Development Goals addressed six thematic topics (poverty, labor and employment, education, trade, energy, water and food security) that cross-cut with ADP’s thematic pages and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The workshop introduced the participants to the SDGs and discussed the relevance of the goals and targets and the ability of countries to report on the global indicators. Over the three-day workshop, participants were introduced to the functionalities, tools and services offered by the ADP and guided on how to use this open platform in their work. The plenary discussions and workshop offered an opportunity to solicit feedback on the current status of the ADP and to discuss the functionalities and services the ADP can offer in the medium-term.