Caribbean Development Bank, KoboToolbox, World Bank, and African Development Bank observe the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

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 the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on Tuesday, October 17, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. AST/EST. The hybrid event, titled Applying Data and Innovation for Poverty Eradication, highlights best practices and lessons learned while seeking to inspire and equip participants with practical strategies for implementing sustainable poverty reduction programs. This will be the first time that CDB has participated in commemorating the event. The global theme for Poverty Eradication Day this year is Decent Work and Social Protection: Putting Dignity in Practice 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.” - Martin Baptiste, CDB’s Social Sector Division Chief

Dr. Baptiste explained that the objectives of the symposium are to: increase awareness about the value of reliable data in poverty reduction interventions and share 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.” - Tino Kreutzer, KoboToolbox Chief Operating Officer

The event features presentations from different partners on best practices and lessons learned from project implementation and showcases the voices of vulnerable communities and beneficiary groups. Examples from the CDB’s Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF), the Bank’s premier poverty reduction program, and its Enhanced Country Poverty Assessment program 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.” - Bernhard Metz, Senior Operations Officer, Program Manager, Geo-Enabling Initiative for Monitoring and Supervision at the World Bank

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

“To eliminate poverty, it’s crucial to implement development projects in impoverished areas, often characterized 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.” - 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 creation of a Community of Practice among participants.

Registration information for the event is available here.

About the Caribbean Development Bank

The Caribbean Development Bank is a regional financial institution established in 1970 for the purpose of contributing to the harmonious economic growth and development of its Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs). In addition to the 19 BMCs, CDB’s membership includes four regional, non-borrowing members (Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela) and five non-regional, non-borrowing members (Canada, China, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom). CDB’s total assets, as of December 31, 2022, were US$3.46 billion (bn). These include US$2.06 bn of Ordinary Capital Resources and US$1.40 bn of Special Funds Resources. The Bank is rated Aa1 Stable by Moody’s, AA+ Stable by Standard & Poor’s, and AA+ Stable by Fitch Ratings. Read more at caribank.org.

For media inquiries, please contact indi.lafayette@caribank.org.

About the African Development Bank

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) is Africa’s premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF), and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 44 African countries with an external office in Japan, the AfDB contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states. For more information: www.afdb.org

For media inquiries, contact media@afdb.org.

About KoboToolbox/Kobo Inc.

KoboToolbox is an open source platform for the collection, management, and visualization of data. As the most widely used primary data collection tool in the nonprofit sector, it is the tool of choice for over 14,000 social impact organizations worldwide. In virtually every country around the world, KoboToolbox is used by organizations involved in humanitarian action, global development, environmental protection, peacebuilding, and human rights, as well as by public health institutes, research organizations, and education facilities. KoboToolbox has more than 700,000 users globally who use the platform to collect over 20 million surveys a month.

For media inquiries, please contact mae-lin@kobotoolbox.org.