Shortly after the devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010, Synergy built an online platform that serves as the one-stop-shop for information on Haiti’s post-earthquake recovery. This endeavor is being carried in partnership with UNDP, the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Haiti, the Government of Haiti, and Development Gateway.

The Haiti Reconstruction Platform is intended to help the Government of Haiti lead the reconstruction process based on timely and accurate information. It will also be used by donors to coordinate effectively their activities and align them with the Haitian government’s needs and priorities. As an online, publicly accessibly tool, the Platform will promote accountability and transparency by allowing the media, researchers, and the general public to know how reconstruction funds are being spent

For the March 31st international donors’ conference on Haiti’s post-earthquake recovery, Synergy developed the first ever online system for reporting and presenting pledges. This tool enabled donors to submit pledges before the conference through electronic forms, and it also allows them to revisit their forms and update their pledge information.

Synergy also created a user-friendly and visually-captivating live feed that projected pledges in real-time on a large screen at the conference as they were being announced or updated.

This endeavor was groundbreaking in three important ways. First, it was the first time that donors submitted written pledges prior to and during a conference. Second, it was the first time that individual pledges were projected in real-time during a conference. Lastly, for the first time in the history of donors’ conferences, accurate pledge figures were released to the world media and public on the day of the conference.

Leading up to and after the conference, Synergy worked closely with the Pledge Support Group, the UN team created expressly to ensure the accuracy of pledge information. The entirety of pledge data is the Haitian government’s online portal on recovery and development.

The Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, held in Accra, Ghana, from 2-4 September 2008, convened 1700 international development policymakers and practitioners from governments, donor agencies, NGOs, private foundations and the private sector to review progress made to date on implementing the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. A testament to public-private partnership, Synergy’s President & CEO, Mr. Ashot Hovanesian and Aid Management Advisor, Mr. Richard Bradley attended the Accra Summit and participated in a number of workshops and plenary sessions on the global aid effectiveness agenda. A number of country delegations requested presentations of the Development Assistance Database (DAD) and its key extensions (for example, the Monitoring & Evaluation module), which led to productive discussions on the expanding use of the DAD to pressing needs of developing countries.

For example, Mr. Hovanesian and Mr. Joseph Lelang, Papua New Guinea’s Secretary of the Department of National Planning and Monitoring (DNPM), discussed the potential implementation of the DAD in Papua New Guinea. After the summit, Synergy, DNMP, and the UNDP office in Papua New Guinea partnered up to put in place a DAD and an Aid Effectiveness Web Portal in that country, both of which were officially launched by the Government of Papua New Guinea on 19 January 2009. Moreover, several countries where the DAD is currently operational (such as Central African Republic, India, and Iraq) presented “DAD Case Studies” in the Marketplace of Ideas that illustrated how successfully customized aid management systems can significantly advance the process of making aid more effective.

Notably, Ms. Reetu Jain, deputy director of the Department of Economic Affairs (DE) at India’s Ministry of Finance, made a presentation of the DAD that Synergy developed and customized specifically for the Government of India, in close cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Called the Coordination Decision support System (CDSS), this comprehensive Web-based aid management system provides a full picture of all development aid to India and thus makes government officials better placed to align external aid with India’s national development priorities.

In her presentation, Ms. Jain highlighted that CDSS, which is fully integrated with the Government’s Financial Management System, supports the Government of India in effectively managing development aid and promoting the accountable and transparent use of resources. In addition, CDSS has also greatly improved the efficiency and coordination of donor activities in India and thus promotes good governance, transparency, and accountability. A key lesson learned from this project is that effectively combining high levels of political support and good technical assistance is a key success factor.

The Development Assistance Database (DAD) Vietnam was launched by Synergy International Systems through the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Vietnam.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the MPI Deputy Minister Cao Viet Sinh spoke on the need for the DAD Vietnam by stating, “it is significant not only to government agencies or donors involved, but also to aid beneficiaries.”  UNDP Resident Representative Subinay Nandy stated that the DAD was part of the overall ODA management effort to realize the commitments set forth in the Paris Declaration and the Hanoi Core Statement on Aid Effectiveness.

The DAD Vietnam will allow the government of Vietnam to track up-to-the-minute information on ODA commitments, disbursements, and project status.  The DAD will support ODA reporting, monitoring and evaluation, harmonization, and will enhance government and development partner accountability and transparency.

Historical data from the past decade of ODA has been released by UNDP to be included in the DAD.  This will facilitate monitoring and evaluation and aid tracking as Rwanda’s development partners look toward the future.