Vienna- The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed today in Vienna a new three-year partnership agreement in support of the Arab Development Portal (ADP) – an online multi-source and bilingual (Arabic and English) platform that offers high quality knowledge and data to improve the scope, depth, reliability, availability and use of development information to advance progress in the Arab region. The ADP was initiated by the Coordination Group (CG) comprised of Arab National and Regional Development Institutions (CG), the Islamic Development Bank and OFID, in 2006.

“The ADP represents an important resource, not only for the Arab region, but for the global development community as a whole. OFID is focusing on strengthening its partnerships to increase our development impact. We are delighted to formalize our support for this multi-stakeholder initiative for a further three years,” stressed OFID Director-General Dr Abdulhamid Alkhalifa. “Via the ADP, we will continue to play our part in improving data for development in the Arab region – a crucial ingredient to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”

The ADP provides quality data, analyses and information management services to a diverse audience. Providing access to over 6,500 indicators from more than 140 sources covering 14 themes, the ADP is the leading platform for nationally produced data in the Arab region. Capitalizing on new open source technologies, in 2018 the ADP also launched the first regional SDGs Tracking Tool – an important asset for the global development community.

Mourad Wahba, UNDP Acting Associate Administrator and Regional Director for Arab States, said: “The ADP represents a unique multi-stakeholder partnership among the key regional development players in the Arab region. We are proud to witness its ripple effects, not only in the region, but also throughout the global development community. What began as a modest intervention in 2013 has become a global pioneer, harnessing new technologies to enhance knowledge for sustainable development. The CG has shown great leadership, commitment and forward-thinking, and UNDP is always ready to support such inspired collective action.”

The ADP works closely with more than 70 partners and stakeholders from international organizations, national statistical offices, ministries, universities, research centers, civil society organizations, entrepreneurs and media institutions. The ADP pays special attention to its youth audience through two flagship initiatives: Visualize 2030 annual data camp; and the ADP 3D (data-driven debate). These initiatives encourage Arab youth, who make up one-third of the population in the Arab region, to contribute actively to social progress by leading data-driven advocacy campaigns, contributing constructively to ongoing public debates and designing innovative solutions to pressing development challenges.

For further information, please contact:

Farah Choucair Arab Development Portal Project Manager - UNDP Mobile: +9613918672 Email: farah.choucair@undp.org