Monitoring the Status of Multidimensional Poverty in the Arab Region Utilizing DFA Monitoring

Menna El Shiati, Programme Advisor, Community Systems Foundation

Rakkshet Singhaal, Programme Associate, Community Systems Foundation

Community Systems Foundation, in partnership with the League of Arab States, conducted a Regional Administrator Training Workshop in Amman, Jordan from October 26-28, 2021. The aim of the training was to strengthen the capacity of focal points from all the 22 member states.[1]

For the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic, CSF trainers  conducted an in-person training to further strengthen regional capacities to leverage Data For All (DFA) Monitoring for planning, monitoring, and reporting on the Arab Regional Multidimensional Poverty Alleviation Strategy and beyond.

The software is seen by participants, like Mays Abdeen, Social Researcher at National Social Protection Strategy Unit, Ministry of Social Development,  Jordan, as a way to adapt to the "rapidly changing world by providing a data systemization laying the way to success.”

From left to right: Tarek El Nabulsi, Minister Plenipotentiary and Director of Development and Social Policies Department, and Cabinet of Assistant Secretary-General for Social Affairs of the League of Arab States; Menna El Shiati, Programme Advisor, Community Systems Foundation, and; Mahmoud Falleh Algeboor, Assistant Secretary General for Development and Welfare​

The three-day training offered Ministry representatives an opportunity to see firsthand how plans can be designed and developed in DFA Monitoring, how data can be entered and reports be generated to support high-level policy planning across the region. The administrator training workshop resulted in a capacity transfer to Ministries across the region to come closer to the autonomous utilization of the tool.

From left to right: Menna El Shiati, Programme Advisor, Community Systems Foundation; H.E. Dr. Nivine El-Qabbage Minister of Social Solidarity, Egypt; and, Jon F. Kapp, Executive Director, Community Systems Foundation

In response to the success of the training, the Minister Plenipotentiary and Director of Development and Social Policies Department, and Cabinet of Assistant Secretary-General for Social Affairs of the League of Arab States, Tarek El Nabulsi, expressed his commitment to the sustained use of DFA Monitoring to support the monitoring of the regional and national multidimensional poverty plans. 

He noted that “Since 2019, the League of Arab States has partnered with Community Systems Foundation to monitor regional and national progress against the Arab Regional Multidimensional Poverty Strategy, that was adopted by the Arab Summit in 2019. Utilizing DFA Monitoring, member states will be able to produce reliable and timely data for programme planning and service delivery.” 

Affirming his commitment to utilizing DFA monitoring, he continued further and mentioned that, “The recent training held in Amman, Jordan, was crucial to building the capacity of member states' focal points.” 

The training was a follow-up to a high-level ministerial conference that took place in 2019, endorsing the use of  DFA Monitoring to support the monitoring of national and regional progress against the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).

Beyond continued cooperation at the regional level, CSF and LAS will work together to respond to the planning and reporting needs of countries - leveraging  DFA Monitoring when appropriate to support national efforts to eliminate multidimensional poverty.

CSF looks forward to continuing its partnership with the League of Arab States and is excited to work hand and hand with Member States to strengthen systems and processes for planning and delivering on commitments to improve the lives of those in most need across the region. 

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[1] ​22 Members of the League of Arab States - Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordon, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen