Finding data on where resource partners are investing and identifying common priorities has now become much easier, with the help of a new online tool developed by FAO. The tool has gone live on Thursday, November 23 at 11am CST. Check out www.fao.org/aid-monitor.

To explain more about how AIDmonitor works, we sat down with Vanja Bozic from TCR’s market intelligence team to find out more.

Q: What is AIDmonitor?

A: AIDmonitor is a new online data tool that makes it quick and easy to extract data on Official Development Assistance (ODA) flows, with a specific focus on agriculture, food security, nutrition and rural development activities.

A pilot version of AIDmonitor was called Agricultural Development Assistance Mapping tool (ADAM), which was developed to support FAO country-level work in exploring potential synergies and joint programmes with other development partners and identifying resource mobilization opportunities.

ADAM has now been replaced by AIDmonitor. It incorporates a new advanced FENIX platform that makes it more user-friendly to retrieve reliable data and run in-depth analysis. Users can now produce graphic visualizations of ODA data, identify common priorities, and compile and compare historical data. It also features flexible analytical tools that adapt to the needs of users and helps in creating customized reports and analysis.

Q: How is AIDmonitor useful?

A: AIDmonitor is a user-friendly online tool that produces data that decision makers need to make informed choices on policies and priorities.

It does this by flexibly adapting to the needs of users to:

• retrieve reliable data and run in-depth analysis in an easy and user-friendly way;
• browse and collect data in the form of tables, charts and maps; 
• create customized analysis comparing historical data;
• explore potential synergies and joint programmes with other development partners; and
• identify more strategic resource mobilization opportunities.

Essentially, AIDmonitor allows users to be able to determine the most financed sectors in a specific country, identify common priorities among stakeholders and delineate resource mobilization strategies based on past ODA spending from the main resource partners in the region. The data collection is done at the level of the projects, allowing better analysis potential through different perspectives.

The research flexibility allows the creation of unique and personalized analysis and reports for resource mobilization and market intelligence purposes.

Q: Why is a tool like AIDmonitor important for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?

A: The June 2017 report card on the 2030 Development Agenda tells us progress is slow and data are incomplete*.

The future of development co-operation depends on hard evidence about the impact of ODA. A comprehensive tracking of dispersal funding is the necessary first step for any such analysis.

Q: Who is AIDmonitor designed for?

A: AIDmonitor is designed to provide extensive support to those working in the development community who are interested in researching ODA flows to support more strategic decision making, resource partner dialogue and negotiation, policy making, monitoring and accountability.

By providing easy-to-read data that supports analysis and reporting on ODA flows, AIDmonitor provides necessary information for agencies or offices who are taking the lead in resource mobilization and implementation.

Q: What data does AIDmonitor use?

A: AIDmonitor gathers information on ODA flows from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Creditor Reporting System.

In addition, AIDmonitor analyses World Bank indicators, UNDAF priorities and FAO’s Country Programming Frameworks to provide comprehensive and accurate information on ODA flows.

Q: Why did FAO produce this tool and how is it different from other tools available from other agencies?

A: FAO recognized that there was a gap in data analysis related to the food and agriculture sector and developed AIDmonitor in order to improve coordination and increase effectiveness of development assistance.

AIDmonitor is the only tool that analyses ODA flows with an FAO lens. It does this by extracting raw data from the most complete and detailed source of information on ODA flows — the OECD Creditor Reporting System — and aggregating the data to reflect the FAO-related sectors.

AIDmonitor is also project-based and this guarantees a high granularity of information. Other databases have information only about the level of ODA, but with AIDmonitor you can zoom in at the project level and produce a deeper analysis.

Q: How is AIDmonitor different to ADAM (the pilot version)?

A: The analysis on AIDmonitor is more dynamic and user-friendly and provides a larger variety of information, such as the development and macroeconomic indicators.

There is also a new feature called Compare where users can select different dimensions and compare them under different perspectives. In addition, AIDmonitor features new interactive charts and maps, and an extended Venn diagram application.

In every element there is the possibility to download Excel, PDF or JPG images to create immediate reports and the data undergoes a regular ‘cleaning’ process, guaranteeing reliable and up-to-date analysis.

Q: What are the limitations of AIDmonitor?

A: The OECD Creditor Reporting System does not have current year information. It only has data from up to two previous years. This means that in early 2018 AIDmonitor can incorporate information about 2016 flows.

*https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/files/report/2017/TheSustainableDevelopmentGoalsReport2017.pdf