Development Assistance Database
Encyclopedia
The Development Assistance Database (DAD) is a widely used Aid Information Management System (AIMS) developed by Synergy International Systems, Inc for Aid Management, Public Investment and National Budgeting. It has been established in more than 30 countries world-wide in close cooperation with UNDP and respective governments to promote transparency and accountability of funds, results-driven decision-making, and aid effectiveness. DAD is a Web
-based information collection, tracking, analysis and planning tool for use by national governments and the broader assistance community, including bilateral donors, international organizations, and NGOs
. The proven DAD package of solutions offers a number of key advantages to user countries, including the following:
The use of the DAD by national governments to strengthen the effectiveness of aid management fulfills basic tenets of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness by allowing each country to take ownership and lead the process of international assistance, ensuring that it is aligned to their needs and priorities. Implementation of this technology has empowered governments to truly drive the aid process and direct donors to priority sectors, regions or strategic goals.
system created for Russia
in 1996 by the G7 Support Implementation Group. The first Donor Assistance Database tracked 20,000 projects and over US $100 billion in Official Development Assistance delivered between 1991 and 2001. The DAD was then adapted as a tool for the Newly Independent States of the former Soviet Union to monitor development assistance from the international community. These first generation implementations include Armenia
, Georgia
, Kazakhstan
, Kyrgyzstan
, Turkmenistan
, Ukraine
, and Uzbekistan
. The DAD then developed into a Web-based tool, and shortly thereafter, Russia
graduated from being a recipient of international assistance.
This experience initiated DAD’s existence as a commercial-off-the-shelf product created for use in any national reconstruction or long term development environment to strengthen the effectiveness and transparency of international assistance.
The DAD has been implemented more than 30 countries, a selection of which are summarized in the following section. Most of these implementations have taken place through a strategic partnership between the software company Synergy International Systems, and the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP). This partnership led to the signing of a Long Term Agreement in July, 2005.
Central Asia
Development Assistance Database installations in Central Asia include systems in Georgia
, Kazakhstan
, Kyrgyzstan
, and Turkmenistan
.
Europe
Development Assistance Database systems have been installed in Macedonia
, Russia
, and Ukraine
.
Haiti
In response to the January 12, 2010 earthquake, Synergy designed and implemented the Haiti Reconstruction Platform (HRP) for the Government of Haiti. Developed in partnership with UNDP, the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Haiti, the Government of Haiti, and Development Gateway, this online portal serves as the central repository of data on the post-earthquake recovery and development process, and will help the Haitian government lead efforts based on timely and accurate information. Fully available to the public, HRP makes available dynamic tables, reports, charts and GIS maps to assist Haitian leaders and their partners in making informed, strategic decisions and to promote accountability and transparency of recovery funds. It also enables organizations involved in Haiti’s recovery to report and keep track of their data in an efficient and user-friendly manner through online, electronic forms. HRP is powered by Synergy’s Portal technology, Analytics, Dashboard and E-Form and Workflow technology, and is available online at http://www.refondation.ht.
.
Afghanistan
Under a contract with UNDP, Synergy implemented the Development Assistance Database (DAD), based on its IDM software, for the establishment of an Aid Management System in the government of Afghanistan. The DAD became the official source for the registration of projects that the government would implement, and played a key role in supporting the government’s budget planning process.
Synergy is implementing a National Budgeting System for the Ministry of Finance of Afghanistan that will facilitate top-down and bottom-up planning and execution for the entire budgeting process. The intelligent spread-sheet interface will assist in multi-year budget preparation and support budget negotiations between the Ministry of Finance and the various line ministries. This will enable revenue planning, expenditure requests, and forecast analysis. This contract was awarded through a competitive bidding process.
http://dadafghanistan.gov.af/
India
The Coordination & Decision Support System on External Assistance – India (CDSS - INDIA) is an External Aid Management and Coordination system that strengthens the effectiveness and transparency of international development assistance. The Project Management Unit (PMU), Department of Economic Affairs, leads this initiative and Synergy was brought in through our Long Term Agreement with UNDP. Such a system will help obtain regular feedback on Externally Aided Projects (EAP’s) progress in project activities, and facilitate timely initiation of remedial measures and mapping of the unserviced areas and sectors.
http://www.cdssindia.gov.in/
Maldives
Synergy was contracted to provide extensive technical and consultancy services to the government of Maldives. In Phase 1, Synergy implemented the Development Assistance Database (DAD), a Web Portal, IDM Knowledge Builder and Publishing capabilities, Executive Dashboard, and a database tracking requests/unmet needs. In Phase 2, the government requested an expansion of DAD for linking the National Recovery Reconstruction Plan (NRRP) with the funded projects database. This helped to implement a key tenet of the Paris Declaration by “aligning” projects with national priorities as outlined in the NRRP. In addition, Synergy provided additional technology services, including the development of a module to track internally displaced persons, along with further enhancements to the requests/unmet needs module. Finally, in Phase 3, Synergy was contracted to provide another year of technical support, as well as to develop a Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP) system by utilizing IDM/DAD technology.
Pakistan
Synergy was contracted to customize the DAD for the government of Pakistan, subsequent to the earthquake that devastated the Kashmir region of the country. The DAD was developed, tested, and installed over a period of four months, and was eventually extended beyond the initial earthquake aid to track all assistance furnished to the country. The DAD Pakistan is fully integrated with Pakistan's Loan and Grant Tracking System. The DAD system also facilitates Monitoring and Evaluation by tracking Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in line with the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. Synergy also implemented an off-line data entry system for the government, a Web-Portal, along with a sector/donor profiles module. The DAD is tracking nearly $23 billion worth of commitments from bilateral, multilateral and other donors.
http://www.dadpak.org
Sri Lanka
Synergy implemented DAD-Sri Lanka for the government of Sri Lanka's Reconstruction and Development Agency (RADA) in order to increase visibility and accountability into how Asian Tsunami Relief funds are spent and how projects are progressing in the country. DAD-Sri Lanka allows agencies to report their projects and share information on objectives, funding sources, implementation partners and project progress online, with the ultimate goal of facilitating efficient aid coordination. Housing was an area of particular focus, as it was estimated that 100,000 homes required rebuilding, with a need for care and maintenance of nearly 55,000 transitional shelters. In order to address this specific need, Synergy implemented within DAD-Sri Lanka the Donor-Driven Housing Module which helps monitoring the progress of housing construction funded and implemented by development partners themselves for the Tsunami affected population. DAD-Sri Lanka was additionally integrated with Synergy's Portal, which provides live links to DAD Web Reports (including Housing Program data) and features other disaster and recovery-related information, maps and resources.
http://edims.mpi.gov.lk/app
Indonesia
Synergy designed and installed the Recovery Aceh Nias (RAN) Database installed for the BRR – Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency of the Government of Indonesia. Within the RAN Database, Synergy developed a number of other systems to build the capacity of the Government to track tsunami reconstruction and enhance the management of the work-flow processes. These included a Donor/Partner Profiles Module and a Concept Note Submission and Approval Module for organizing the bottom-up and top-down budget planning process of the reconstruction. The Concept Notes online submission and approval process involved the entire NGO community in sharing data on their planned activities for better coordination. The RAN has become the central coordinating database for Tsunami recovery data in Indonesia, tracking 1700 projects and a total of USD 3.7 billion in commitments.
Synergy worked with the government of Indonesia to define Sector specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for measuring progress of reconstruction at various levels including the project level and overall sector level. RAN provides a tool to analyze trends of KPIs against baseline and target values, as well as financial and other project data. The RAN was also integrated with the Regional DAD that includes information from other Tsunami affected countries including Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Maldives.
http://rand.brr.go.id
The RAN Database won the the Innovative Government Technology Award in the Information
Management category at the 2008 FutureGov Summit. RAND was chosen out of 450 nominations from 15 countries, including developed nations across
the region. It was recognised as an innovative model of information management that has successfully promoted
improvement in public services, modernisation of government administration and efficiency of public sector
management.
Papua New Guinea
Synergy customized the DAD for the Government of Papua New Guinea and developed a web portal for the Department of National Planning and Monitoring (DNPM), the government ministry in charge of development policy. DAD PNG (Papua New Guinea) serves to enhance national ownership of the development process through the collection, tracking, and analysis of data and presentation of reliable, comprehensive, and transparent information on development activities. Specifically, DAD PNG includes a Core DAD that captures critical and up-to-date information on all development projects in the country, and Development Partners module that evaluates donor responsiveness and effectiveness and offers a complete picture of donor aid by including all aid modalities, including pooled funds and trust funds. Synergy also developed a web portal for DNPM, which contributes to knowledge sharing and collaboration through the posting of events, press releases, discussion forums, key documents, and other relevant information. DAD PNG and DNPM’s website are linked so that reports (reports, charts, maps) generated through the DAD can be automatically published on the website.
http://www.planning.gov.pg/dadpng/
Thailand
Synergy customized the DAD for the Thailand International Cooperation Agency located within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In addition, Synergy developed a Web Portal, and implemented the Executive Dashboard, a request/unmet needs database, and training and technical support.
In Synergy’s work to support post-Indian Ocean Tsunami reconstruction tracking, after national-level DADs in all four countries (Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Thailand) were stable and operational, a regional DAD system, regularly updated with data from national-level DADs, was launched for comprehensive analytical reporting. A central portal housed at the UNDP Regional Centre in Bangkok provided easy access to analytical reports from a regional or national perspective on live DAD data. The Regional DAD was automatically updated on a weekly basis from the DADs in the tsunami countries. Furthermore, a Private Sector DAD was developed to track donations for companies, foundations and other organizations made to support tsunami relief efforts.
http://dadthailand.mfa.go.th/dad
http://privatesector.tsunamitracking.org
Vietnam
Synergy customized the DAD for the Foreign Economic Relations Department of the Ministry of Planning (MPI). DAD Vietnam managed to harmonise the reporting procedures of 52 donor agencies, aligning them at the same time to a Government-Owned DAD system. The DAD Vietnam Report, presented to the CG in December 2006, noted that agencies providing data into the system cover more than 95 percent of the annual ODA flows. The entire data-entry process was accomplished by donors themselves, as 234 focal points from 52 agencies entered data into the system. Information on over 6,500 ODA projects implemented since 1993 are stored in the system. The DAD is tracking billions of dollars worth of assistance: there were about 3 billion US dollars of committed funds and 1.7 billion of disbursed funds in 2005 alone.
Central African Republic
Synergy developed a Francophone Development Assistance Database (DAD) for the Central African Republic. DAD CAR is bilingual, like the DADs in all other countries, but is the first to be implemented with French language capabilities. Thanks to its powerful multilingual capability, the DAD can be customized to any country’s language needs. DAD CAR also offers Mobile Off-line capabilities, with identical user-interfaces and functionalities to the online system. The Mobile Off-line DAD was developed to address the needs of developing countries with limited internet connectivity. DAD CAR is utilized by the Ministry of Planning, Economy and International Cooperation to track and publicize detailed information on humanitarian and development assistance projects in the Central African Republic.
http://dad.minplan-rca.org/
Kenya
Synergy developed the Electronic Project Monitoring Information System (e-ProMIS) as a Web-based database system for the Government of Kenya to provide project information for policy making, planning, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation. The system will be used by all government ministries and agencies implementing projects funded by both government and development partners. This system will facilitate the management, coordination and control of the development budget as well as recurrent budget items. The system will facilitate project scrutiny to ensure that they satisfy certain minimum conditions necessary for their sustainability and effective/efficient implementation.
Rwanda
Synergy has worked closely with the External Finance Unit of the Ministry of Economy and Finance in the implementation of the DAD. After completing its original technical support in Dec 2006, Synergy has continued to provide technical support and consulting services, and has expanded the DAD to cover Monitoring & Evaluation, Key Performance Indicators, Paris Declaration Indicators, and a Donor Profiles module.
http://dad.synisys.com/dadrwanda
Sierra Leone
Synergy was contracted by the United Nations Development Programme in Sierra Leone to customize the DAD for the Development Assistance Coordination Office (DACO) of the government of Sierra Leone. In procuring the DAD, DACO sought to obtain an accurate picture of the aid landscape in Sierra Leone in order to strengthen the country’s national aid policy. The DAD Sierra Leone provides data on Official Development Assistance to the public, strengthens informed decision-making with up-to-date data, provides data on sectoral and regional distributions of aid, reports on aid flows and usage, and enhances transparency and accountability. As in the Central African Republic, a Mobile Off-line DAD module was developed to allow access to DAD capabilities and functionalities in locations where internet access is not regularly available.
http://dad.synisys.com/dadsierraleone/
Zambia
Synergy customized the DAD for the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, and hosted the application on its servers in Washington on behalf of the Ministry. Furthermore, a Harmonization Web Portal was created for knowledge sharing, and enhanced coordination between all stakeholders involved in humanitarian and development activities in Zambia.
Armenia
Synergy was selected by the Judicial Reform PIU of the RA Ministry of Justice as prime contractor for the implementation of an Automated Enforcement Services Management System (AESMS) Database within the Judicial Reforms Project (component: Improving Enforcement of Court Decisions). The mission of the project was to improve the quality of enforcement services and to raise efficiency of the ESD. Main deliverables of the project included, 1) Automated Enforcement Service Management System (AESMS) Database development, 2)Web Site development for Enforcement Service Department (ESD), 3) Installation of the systems developed, 4) Training of the staff.
Iraq
Synergy has provided a Development Assistance Database to the Ministry of Planning and Development Cooperation in Baghdad, as well as a regional DAD in Kurdistan. The DAD was originally developed through the Department of Defense for the Coalition Provisional Authority but was later transferred to MoPDC. Synergy has provided extensive training and has continued to upgrade and extend the system to cover Public Investment, M&E, donor pledges and additional Ministry level needs.
Synergy is currently also working with UNDP to provide IT Services and Capacity Building through the Rule of Law project with the High Judicial Council and Ministry of Justice. Synergy is developing a national Courts Case Management System.
http://www.mop-iraq.org/dad/
http://krgdad.com/dad/
Lebanon
Working directly with the Prime Minister’s office, Synergy customized the Development Assistance Database for the government of Lebanon, and provided intensive capacity building services in the aftermath of the conflict. Considering this emergency situation in Lebanon, the Government placed tight deadlines for the delivery of the complete system. Synergy’s team managed to collect the requirements, implement, and successfully deliver the system within 3 weeks in close collaboration with UNDP, the Government and other stakeholders on the ground.
Yemen
Synergy has worked closely in Yemen with the recently closed Aid Harmonization and Alignment Unit in the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, implementing a Development Assistance Database (DAD) and Web Portal for national aid coordination and knowledge management. Synergy worked directly with other donors and government counterparts conducting recent training workshops for the DAD.
The DAD is used to collect, track, analyze and plan Official Development Assistance
. This web-based system includes several modules that include listing, report building, a charting and GIS mapping component as well as an executive dashboard that allows several different reports to be displayed at once. Ad hoc reports and queries are all executed on live data.
Each DAD is customized according to the needs of the country. Although each DAD is unique, there is a common user interface, and a similar foundation of data, including detailed information on projects, financial commitments, and disbursements. Comprehensive analytical tools are also included, which empower users to effectively query through data, dynamically create reports, charts and GIS results and easily export items to commonly used formats such as word, pdf and xls.
In addition, Web-Based ICT
tools such as DAD provide an environment for donors and implementing partners to better harmonize their efforts, thus greatly minimizing duplication of resources and activities. Finally, this technology empowers citizens with easy access to knowledge on the reconstruction progress, thereby promoting transparency and accountability.
Synergy International Systems, Inc. is actively engaged in improvements, enhancements, and is working with government line ministries and international organizations in the process of research and development for newer models of the DAD. DAD is currently in its sixth version.
While there have been a few locally developed aid management systems, e.g. in Cambodia
, DAD only has one major competitor: the Aid Management Platform (AMP). AMP was created by Development Gateway in partnership with the World Bank
, the UNDP, the OECD, and the governments of Ethiopia
and India
, and has been implemented in 14 countries around the world.
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
-based information collection, tracking, analysis and planning tool for use by national governments and the broader assistance community, including bilateral donors, international organizations, and NGOs
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
. The proven DAD package of solutions offers a number of key advantages to user countries, including the following:
- Analytical reporting tools
- Data visualization
- Results-based aid management
- Online and offline capabilities
- Integration with financial management and other third party systems
- IT and Aid Effectiveness Advisory Services
- Sustainable results
The use of the DAD by national governments to strengthen the effectiveness of aid management fulfills basic tenets of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness by allowing each country to take ownership and lead the process of international assistance, ensuring that it is aligned to their needs and priorities. Implementation of this technology has empowered governments to truly drive the aid process and direct donors to priority sectors, regions or strategic goals.
History
Originally known as the Donor Assistance Database, the DAD was re-branded as the Development Assistance Database on August 2, 2005. The first Donor Assistance Database was a PCPersonal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
system created for Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in 1996 by the G7 Support Implementation Group. The first Donor Assistance Database tracked 20,000 projects and over US $100 billion in Official Development Assistance delivered between 1991 and 2001. The DAD was then adapted as a tool for the Newly Independent States of the former Soviet Union to monitor development assistance from the international community. These first generation implementations include Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
, Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
, Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
, Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, and Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
. The DAD then developed into a Web-based tool, and shortly thereafter, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
graduated from being a recipient of international assistance.
This experience initiated DAD’s existence as a commercial-off-the-shelf product created for use in any national reconstruction or long term development environment to strengthen the effectiveness and transparency of international assistance.
The DAD has been implemented more than 30 countries, a selection of which are summarized in the following section. Most of these implementations have taken place through a strategic partnership between the software company Synergy International Systems, and the United Nations Development Programme
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to...
(UNDP). This partnership led to the signing of a Long Term Agreement in July, 2005.
Central AsiaCentral AsiaCentral Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
Development Assistance Database installations in Central Asia include systems in GeorgiaGeorgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
, Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
, and Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...
.
EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
Development Assistance Database systems have been installed in MacedoniaRepublic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
HaitiHaitiHaiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
In response to the January 12, 2010 earthquake, Synergy designed and implemented the Haiti Reconstruction Platform (HRP) for the Government of Haiti. Developed in partnership with UNDP, the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Haiti, the Government of Haiti, and Development Gateway, this online portal serves as the central repository of data on the post-earthquake recovery and development process, and will help the Haitian government lead efforts based on timely and accurate information. Fully available to the public, HRP makes available dynamic tables, reports, charts and GIS maps to assist Haitian leaders and their partners in making informed, strategic decisions and to promote accountability and transparency of recovery funds. It also enables organizations involved in Haiti’s recovery to report and keep track of their data in an efficient and user-friendly manner through online, electronic forms. HRP is powered by Synergy’s Portal technology, Analytics, Dashboard and E-Form and Workflow technology, and is available online at http://www.refondation.ht.Other Latin America/Caribbean Installations
Development Assistance Database systems have also been installed in GuatemalaGuatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
.
AfghanistanAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
Under a contract with UNDP, Synergy implemented the Development Assistance Database (DAD), based on its IDM software, for the establishment of an Aid Management System in the government of Afghanistan. The DAD became the official source for the registration of projects that the government would implement, and played a key role in supporting the government’s budget planning process.Synergy is implementing a National Budgeting System for the Ministry of Finance of Afghanistan that will facilitate top-down and bottom-up planning and execution for the entire budgeting process. The intelligent spread-sheet interface will assist in multi-year budget preparation and support budget negotiations between the Ministry of Finance and the various line ministries. This will enable revenue planning, expenditure requests, and forecast analysis. This contract was awarded through a competitive bidding process.
http://dadafghanistan.gov.af/
IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
The Coordination & Decision Support System on External Assistance – India (CDSS - INDIA) is an External Aid Management and Coordination system that strengthens the effectiveness and transparency of international development assistance. The Project Management Unit (PMU), Department of Economic Affairs, leads this initiative and Synergy was brought in through our Long Term Agreement with UNDP. Such a system will help obtain regular feedback on Externally Aided Projects (EAP’s) progress in project activities, and facilitate timely initiation of remedial measures and mapping of the unserviced areas and sectors.http://www.cdssindia.gov.in/
MaldivesMaldivesThe Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...
Synergy was contracted to provide extensive technical and consultancy services to the government of Maldives. In Phase 1, Synergy implemented the Development Assistance Database (DAD), a Web Portal, IDM Knowledge Builder and Publishing capabilities, Executive Dashboard, and a database tracking requests/unmet needs. In Phase 2, the government requested an expansion of DAD for linking the National Recovery Reconstruction Plan (NRRP) with the funded projects database. This helped to implement a key tenet of the Paris Declaration by “aligning” projects with national priorities as outlined in the NRRP. In addition, Synergy provided additional technology services, including the development of a module to track internally displaced persons, along with further enhancements to the requests/unmet needs module. Finally, in Phase 3, Synergy was contracted to provide another year of technical support, as well as to develop a Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP) system by utilizing IDM/DAD technology.PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
Synergy was contracted to customize the DAD for the government of Pakistan, subsequent to the earthquake that devastated the Kashmir region of the country. The DAD was developed, tested, and installed over a period of four months, and was eventually extended beyond the initial earthquake aid to track all assistance furnished to the country. The DAD Pakistan is fully integrated with Pakistan's Loan and Grant Tracking System. The DAD system also facilitates Monitoring and Evaluation by tracking Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in line with the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. Synergy also implemented an off-line data entry system for the government, a Web-Portal, along with a sector/donor profiles module. The DAD is tracking nearly $23 billion worth of commitments from bilateral, multilateral and other donors.http://www.dadpak.org
Sri LankaSri LankaSri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
Synergy implemented DAD-Sri Lanka for the government of Sri Lanka's Reconstruction and Development Agency (RADA) in order to increase visibility and accountability into how Asian Tsunami Relief funds are spent and how projects are progressing in the country. DAD-Sri Lanka allows agencies to report their projects and share information on objectives, funding sources, implementation partners and project progress online, with the ultimate goal of facilitating efficient aid coordination. Housing was an area of particular focus, as it was estimated that 100,000 homes required rebuilding, with a need for care and maintenance of nearly 55,000 transitional shelters. In order to address this specific need, Synergy implemented within DAD-Sri Lanka the Donor-Driven Housing Module which helps monitoring the progress of housing construction funded and implemented by development partners themselves for the Tsunami affected population. DAD-Sri Lanka was additionally integrated with Synergy's Portal, which provides live links to DAD Web Reports (including Housing Program data) and features other disaster and recovery-related information, maps and resources.http://edims.mpi.gov.lk/app
IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
Synergy designed and installed the Recovery Aceh Nias (RAN) Database installed for the BRR – Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency of the Government of Indonesia. Within the RAN Database, Synergy developed a number of other systems to build the capacity of the Government to track tsunami reconstruction and enhance the management of the work-flow processes. These included a Donor/Partner Profiles Module and a Concept Note Submission and Approval Module for organizing the bottom-up and top-down budget planning process of the reconstruction. The Concept Notes online submission and approval process involved the entire NGO community in sharing data on their planned activities for better coordination. The RAN has become the central coordinating database for Tsunami recovery data in Indonesia, tracking 1700 projects and a total of USD 3.7 billion in commitments.Synergy worked with the government of Indonesia to define Sector specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for measuring progress of reconstruction at various levels including the project level and overall sector level. RAN provides a tool to analyze trends of KPIs against baseline and target values, as well as financial and other project data. The RAN was also integrated with the Regional DAD that includes information from other Tsunami affected countries including Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Maldives.
http://rand.brr.go.id
The RAN Database won the the Innovative Government Technology Award in the Information
Management category at the 2008 FutureGov Summit. RAND was chosen out of 450 nominations from 15 countries, including developed nations across
the region. It was recognised as an innovative model of information management that has successfully promoted
improvement in public services, modernisation of government administration and efficiency of public sector
management.
Papua New GuineaPapua New GuineaPapua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
Synergy customized the DAD for the Government of Papua New Guinea and developed a web portal for the Department of National Planning and Monitoring (DNPM), the government ministry in charge of development policy. DAD PNG (Papua New Guinea) serves to enhance national ownership of the development process through the collection, tracking, and analysis of data and presentation of reliable, comprehensive, and transparent information on development activities. Specifically, DAD PNG includes a Core DAD that captures critical and up-to-date information on all development projects in the country, and Development Partners module that evaluates donor responsiveness and effectiveness and offers a complete picture of donor aid by including all aid modalities, including pooled funds and trust funds. Synergy also developed a web portal for DNPM, which contributes to knowledge sharing and collaboration through the posting of events, press releases, discussion forums, key documents, and other relevant information. DAD PNG and DNPM’s website are linked so that reports (reports, charts, maps) generated through the DAD can be automatically published on the website.http://www.planning.gov.pg/dadpng/
ThailandThailandThailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
Synergy customized the DAD for the Thailand International Cooperation Agency located within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In addition, Synergy developed a Web Portal, and implemented the Executive Dashboard, a request/unmet needs database, and training and technical support.In Synergy’s work to support post-Indian Ocean Tsunami reconstruction tracking, after national-level DADs in all four countries (Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Thailand) were stable and operational, a regional DAD system, regularly updated with data from national-level DADs, was launched for comprehensive analytical reporting. A central portal housed at the UNDP Regional Centre in Bangkok provided easy access to analytical reports from a regional or national perspective on live DAD data. The Regional DAD was automatically updated on a weekly basis from the DADs in the tsunami countries. Furthermore, a Private Sector DAD was developed to track donations for companies, foundations and other organizations made to support tsunami relief efforts.
http://dadthailand.mfa.go.th/dad
http://privatesector.tsunamitracking.org
VietnamVietnamVietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
Synergy customized the DAD for the Foreign Economic Relations Department of the Ministry of Planning (MPI). DAD Vietnam managed to harmonise the reporting procedures of 52 donor agencies, aligning them at the same time to a Government-Owned DAD system. The DAD Vietnam Report, presented to the CG in December 2006, noted that agencies providing data into the system cover more than 95 percent of the annual ODA flows. The entire data-entry process was accomplished by donors themselves, as 234 focal points from 52 agencies entered data into the system. Information on over 6,500 ODA projects implemented since 1993 are stored in the system. The DAD is tracking billions of dollars worth of assistance: there were about 3 billion US dollars of committed funds and 1.7 billion of disbursed funds in 2005 alone.Central African RepublicCentral African RepublicThe Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...
Synergy developed a Francophone Development Assistance Database (DAD) for the Central African Republic. DAD CAR is bilingual, like the DADs in all other countries, but is the first to be implemented with French language capabilities. Thanks to its powerful multilingual capability, the DAD can be customized to any country’s language needs. DAD CAR also offers Mobile Off-line capabilities, with identical user-interfaces and functionalities to the online system. The Mobile Off-line DAD was developed to address the needs of developing countries with limited internet connectivity. DAD CAR is utilized by the Ministry of Planning, Economy and International Cooperation to track and publicize detailed information on humanitarian and development assistance projects in the Central African Republic.http://dad.minplan-rca.org/
KenyaKenyaKenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
Synergy developed the Electronic Project Monitoring Information System (e-ProMIS) as a Web-based database system for the Government of Kenya to provide project information for policy making, planning, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation. The system will be used by all government ministries and agencies implementing projects funded by both government and development partners. This system will facilitate the management, coordination and control of the development budget as well as recurrent budget items. The system will facilitate project scrutiny to ensure that they satisfy certain minimum conditions necessary for their sustainability and effective/efficient implementation.RwandaRwandaRwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
Synergy has worked closely with the External Finance Unit of the Ministry of Economy and Finance in the implementation of the DAD. After completing its original technical support in Dec 2006, Synergy has continued to provide technical support and consulting services, and has expanded the DAD to cover Monitoring & Evaluation, Key Performance Indicators, Paris Declaration Indicators, and a Donor Profiles module.http://dad.synisys.com/dadrwanda
Sierra LeoneSierra LeoneSierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
Synergy was contracted by the United Nations Development Programme in Sierra Leone to customize the DAD for the Development Assistance Coordination Office (DACO) of the government of Sierra Leone. In procuring the DAD, DACO sought to obtain an accurate picture of the aid landscape in Sierra Leone in order to strengthen the country’s national aid policy. The DAD Sierra Leone provides data on Official Development Assistance to the public, strengthens informed decision-making with up-to-date data, provides data on sectoral and regional distributions of aid, reports on aid flows and usage, and enhances transparency and accountability. As in the Central African Republic, a Mobile Off-line DAD module was developed to allow access to DAD capabilities and functionalities in locations where internet access is not regularly available.http://dad.synisys.com/dadsierraleone/
ZambiaZambiaZambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
Synergy customized the DAD for the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, and hosted the application on its servers in Washington on behalf of the Ministry. Furthermore, a Harmonization Web Portal was created for knowledge sharing, and enhanced coordination between all stakeholders involved in humanitarian and development activities in Zambia.ArmeniaArmeniaArmenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
Synergy was selected by the Judicial Reform PIU of the RA Ministry of Justice as prime contractor for the implementation of an Automated Enforcement Services Management System (AESMS) Database within the Judicial Reforms Project (component: Improving Enforcement of Court Decisions). The mission of the project was to improve the quality of enforcement services and to raise efficiency of the ESD. Main deliverables of the project included, 1) Automated Enforcement Service Management System (AESMS) Database development, 2)Web Site development for Enforcement Service Department (ESD), 3) Installation of the systems developed, 4) Training of the staff.IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
Synergy has provided a Development Assistance Database to the Ministry of Planning and Development Cooperation in Baghdad, as well as a regional DAD in Kurdistan. The DAD was originally developed through the Department of Defense for the Coalition Provisional Authority but was later transferred to MoPDC. Synergy has provided extensive training and has continued to upgrade and extend the system to cover Public Investment, M&E, donor pledges and additional Ministry level needs.Synergy is currently also working with UNDP to provide IT Services and Capacity Building through the Rule of Law project with the High Judicial Council and Ministry of Justice. Synergy is developing a national Courts Case Management System.
http://www.mop-iraq.org/dad/
http://krgdad.com/dad/
LebanonLebanonLebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
Working directly with the Prime Minister’s office, Synergy customized the Development Assistance Database for the government of Lebanon, and provided intensive capacity building services in the aftermath of the conflict. Considering this emergency situation in Lebanon, the Government placed tight deadlines for the delivery of the complete system. Synergy’s team managed to collect the requirements, implement, and successfully deliver the system within 3 weeks in close collaboration with UNDP, the Government and other stakeholders on the ground.YemenYemenThe Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
Synergy has worked closely in Yemen with the recently closed Aid Harmonization and Alignment Unit in the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, implementing a Development Assistance Database (DAD) and Web Portal for national aid coordination and knowledge management. Synergy worked directly with other donors and government counterparts conducting recent training workshops for the DAD.DAD Extensions
In addition to the Core DAD, which tracks and manages all humanitarian and development projects, Synergy International Systems offers a number of flexible, customizable DAD extensions. These include:- Offline DAD - Offers all the data entry and analytical capabilities of the Online Core DAD in situations of limited or no Internet connectivity
- Executive Dashboard - A Powerful decision-support tool for high-level executives providing a complete workspace with on-click access to up-to-date information and simultaneous viewing of all analytical outputs (reports, charts, maps)
- Development Partner Profile and Sector Profile - Captures all aid modalities (pooled funds, trust funds, Sector Wide Approaches, etc.), offering a complete picture of aid and evaluating development partner effectiveness, sectoral coverage, and alignment of aid with national priorities
- Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) - Tracks Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to monitor project level progress in respect to targets/goals. Proejcts are linked to Millennium Declaration Goals (MDGs), Paris Declaration indicators, and nationally-defined indicators in a National Development Strategy or a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) to track progress toward development results
- Aid Effectiveness Portal - Provides a full range of knowledge management and professional collaboration tools designed to streamline and enhance the work of organizations and individuals in the field of aid effectiveness
- Public Investment - Plans and allocates Public Investment Program and can be integrated with external assistance modules, budgeting tools, or financial management systems
- Budgeting - Facilitates top-down and bottom-up budget planning and execution, provides intelligent spreadsheet interface for multiyear budget preparation, and supports budget negotiations
Functions and Capabilities
The DAD serves to enable the effective management of international assistance, to provide a consolidated overview of aid flows, and to expand public information and awareness on development.The DAD is used to collect, track, analyze and plan Official Development Assistance
Official development assistance
Official development assistance is a term compiled by the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to measure aid. The DAC first compiled the term in 1969. It is widely used by academics and journalists as a convenient indicator of...
. This web-based system includes several modules that include listing, report building, a charting and GIS mapping component as well as an executive dashboard that allows several different reports to be displayed at once. Ad hoc reports and queries are all executed on live data.
Each DAD is customized according to the needs of the country. Although each DAD is unique, there is a common user interface, and a similar foundation of data, including detailed information on projects, financial commitments, and disbursements. Comprehensive analytical tools are also included, which empower users to effectively query through data, dynamically create reports, charts and GIS results and easily export items to commonly used formats such as word, pdf and xls.
Effectiveness
The effectiveness of a DAD depends largely on a clear government mandate, quality of data available, and donor cooperation. The United Nations Development Programme has analyzed the use of the DAD and is actively involved in reviewing current best practices and building sustainable capacity within government ministries to get the most out of their DAD. UNDP’s package of support combines DAD aid information management systems with intensive capacity development and training to bolster the government agencies leading the coordination response and to promote the effective and accountable use of aid.In addition, Web-Based ICT
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
tools such as DAD provide an environment for donors and implementing partners to better harmonize their efforts, thus greatly minimizing duplication of resources and activities. Finally, this technology empowers citizens with easy access to knowledge on the reconstruction progress, thereby promoting transparency and accountability.
Synergy International Systems, Inc. is actively engaged in improvements, enhancements, and is working with government line ministries and international organizations in the process of research and development for newer models of the DAD. DAD is currently in its sixth version.
While there have been a few locally developed aid management systems, e.g. in Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, DAD only has one major competitor: the Aid Management Platform (AMP). AMP was created by Development Gateway in partnership with the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
, the UNDP, the OECD, and the governments of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and has been implemented in 14 countries around the world.
External links
- Synergy International Systems, Inc.
- Haiti Reconstruction Platform
- DAD Afghanistan
- DAD Central African Republic
- DAD India
- DAD Indonesia Recovery Aceh Nias (RAN)
- DAD Iraq
- DAD Kurdistan (Iraq)
- DAD Pakistan
- DAD Papua New Guinea
- DAD Rwanda
- DAD Sierra Leone
- DAD Sri Lanka
- DAD Thailand
- Aid Effectiveness Portal