The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) in collaboration with KoboToolbox, the World Bank (WB), and the African Development Bank (AfDB), will be hosting a symposium to commemorate International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on Tuesday, October 17, 2023.

The hybrid event, under the theme Applying Data and Innovation for Poverty Eradication, will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. AST/EST and will highlight best practices and lessons learned while seeking to inspire and equip participants with practical strategies for implementing sustainable poverty reduction programmes. This will be the first time that the CDB is commemorating the event. The global theme for the Day is Dignity for All.

“This event aims to bring together stakeholders, practitioners, and experts on critical topics to discuss approaches by development partners to reduce poverty and the key lessons learned,” said CDB’s Division Chief, Social Sector Division, Martin Baptiste.

Dr. Baptiste explained that the objectives of the Symposium are to: Increase awareness about the value of reliable data sector in poverty reduction interventions and sensitise participants about the impact of data-driven approaches in addressing poverty; Facilitate knowledge sharing by experts, practitioners, and community representatives. Highlight successful poverty-reducing data-driven initiatives; Encourage participants to apply the knowledge gained to develop and support sustainable interventions that empower communities; and discuss approaches that enable development partners to drive change beyond project completion.

“Supporting organizations like CDB is central to our work. Our goal is to ensure that their mission-critical programs have access to high-quality data tools, so they can make an impact on the ground. By enabling access to reliable, high-quality data, we at Kobo are committed to empowering organizations like CDB to create meaningful, on-the-ground change and increase resilience,” said Tino Kreutzer, KoboToolbox Chief Innovation and Operations Officer.

The event will feature presentations from the different partners on best practices, and lessons learnt from implementing projects to reduce poverty and showcase the voices of vulnerable and beneficiary groups. Examples from the CDB’s Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF), the Bank’s premier poverty reduction programme and its Enhanced Country Poverty Assessment programme will also be highlighted.

“Getting reliable real-time data from the field is not Rocket Science, it’s Pocket Science. Please join us to learn how simple tools, combined with field-tested methods and local capacity-building, can help get eyes on the ground where we cannot always have feet on the ground,” said Senior Operations Officer, Program Manager, Geo-Enabling Initiative for Monitoring and Supervision at the World Bank, Bernhard Metz.

AfDB’s Africa-wide Remote Appraisal Supervision, Monitoring, and Evaluation (RASME) programme will be featured also.

“To eliminate poverty, it's crucial to implement development projects in impoverished areas, often characterised by access difficulties, logistical constraints, and security issues. RASME is an innovative solution that facilitates gathering essential data, which in turn aids in decision-making and accomplishing project goals," said Bahati Sanga, Acting Director Corporate Information Technology Department, African Development Bank.

The partners anticipate that the event will result in sustainable action such as the starting of a Community of Practice among participants.