Salutations 
 

• Dr Wayne Henry, Director-General, Planning Institute of Jamaica, 
  Ms. Barbara Scott, Deputy Director General
  Team members of other Ministries, Departments and Agencies
  Members of the media 
  Other distinguished guests

Good morning. 

I am delighted to witness the fulfilment of the Planning Institute of Jamaica’s vision to facilitate public access to Jamaica’s development progress through a robust digital experience. 

Sustainable Development efforts require accessible data to track progress and promote accountability, particularly for those at risk of being left behind. 

With 232 indicators, the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals can be a monitoring and evaluation challenge. Your brand-new “Data for Development Online Platform”, launched today, provides the Government and People of Jamaica with a centralized digital system to support monitoring of the country’s progress in implementing the SDGs and Vision 2030. 

By offering data on demand which can be visualized in user friendly formats, the PIOJ has not only digitized Agenda 2030 monitoring and evaluation but also curated a fully accessible experience for a wide range of stakeholders - Policy Makers, Planners, Sector Specialists, M&E Practitioners, Researchers, Academics, Students, Decision Makers, Development Partners, Implementers, Citizens. Data 4 Development welcomes them all. 

Jamaica’s data for development platform ushers the PIOJ’s Agenda 2030 monitoring, evaluation, and planning ambitions into the digital era. 

Supporting this vision aligns with UNDP’s digital strategy which advances investments into creating a world in which digital is an empowering force for people and planet. 

To this end, UNDP remains committed to supporting countries in their inclusive digital transformation journey.

Through our “Advancing the SDGs through Vision 2030 Jamaica” project, UNDP Multi Country Office invested 13.5 million Jamaican dollars equivalent in advancing Jamaica and the PIOJ’s vision for data centric digital transformation. 

I commend the PIOJ for matching UNDP’s seed investment, significantly expanding the capabilities of the digital platforms and securing its sustainability through capacity building and human resource allocations.

As you focus on further building out the capabilities of the platforms, I encourage you to ensure that persons with disabilities can access the data through inclusive design and outreach to these communities.  

Globally UNDP continues to make the case for inclusive design that can empower vulnerable populations to access digital services, help to mitigate risks from digital platforms, and establish accountability.  

UNDP has just supported a fully accessible mobile app for the Bahamas’ National Commission for Persons with Disabilities which is providing groundbreaking access to these communities. Our support to Jamaica’s digital transformation journey was recently advanced through Wi-Fi support in 17 communities, and notably, we have supported the completion of Jamaica’s first Digital Readiness Assessment, findings of which will be unveiled in due course led by the Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology.

PIOJ’s data centric platform plugged into an indicator-based data warehouse is another proud moment in this journey. Thank you for permitting us the honour of supporting these action items in your national development agenda. 

UNDP welcomes this latest watershed moment, another of many being scored by Jamaica in its digital transformation journey. Please remember UNDP remains your partner on standby to bring your goals and ambitions to life. Thank you.