In 2012, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) approved financing for a collaborative project with the United Nations Children' Fund (UNICEF) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat. The project involved enhancing the capacity of countries in the Region and the OECS Commission to compile and disseminate data on human development. The Implementation of DevInfo and Strengthening Capacity to Manage for Results project guides beneficiaries on the effective use of the features of DevInfo, a robust tool that can be used to monitor and report on their progress on Caribbean-specific Millennium Development Goals and other development indicators and targets. On Monday, March 14, 2016, representatives from statistics agencies in the participating countries‚ÄîAnguilla, Barbados, Grenada, Montserrat and Saint Lucia‚Äîand the OECS Commission, gathered in Barbados for the Project' Midterm Review Meeting. Chairing the meeting, Edward Greene, Division Chief, Technical Cooperation Division noted during the opening session, “The Midterm Review is important for you as beneficiaries and for CDB, UNICEF and CARICOM as this occasion provides us with an opportunity to reflect on what we have achieved, what needs to be completed and what needs to be improved." The Midterm Review Meeting provided participants with the opportunity to share perspectives on their project implementation experiences and lessons learned. They also made recommendations for strengthening the design and implementation of the project to achieve its intended outcomes. DevInfo: A useful tool for making progress on SDGs The meeting also addressed the role of the project in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted by global leaders last year. “The DevInfo platform that this project is focusing on provides an opportunity to address this emerging agenda that our region is dealing with. The DevInfo platform is needed now, more than ever, because of the urgency of requirements for data, because of the urgency of requirements for evidence-based decision making," said Muriel Mafico, Deputy Representative, UNICEF. Edward Greene, Division Chief, Technical Cooperation Division, CDB (left) and Muriel Mafico, Deputy Representative, UNICEF (right), during the Midterm Review Meeting on Monday, March 14, 2016. “DevInfo will play a very important part in the tracking and dissemination of progress in achievement of SDGs. CDB is committed to this process. We intend to continue to work with our development partners to forge a partnership to track and to implement the Sustainable Development Goals," added Monica La Bennett, Deputy Director, Corporate Planning, CDB. Partners encouraged participants to continue making good use of DevInfo to support evidence-based decision making as they work toward achieving development goals. “This software will be as powerful a tool as the data it contains. The success of the project will depend on the combined effort and commitment of the producers of the statistics as well as the users in maintaining the system and in encouraging the use of the system," said Dr. Philomen Harrison, Project Director, Regional Statistics, CARICOM Secretariat. DevInfo supports informed decision making and promotes the use of data to advocate for human development. It is an interagency initiative managed by UNICEF on behalf of the United Nations (UN) System. Learn more about DevInfo