PRESS RELEASE 7 February 2024 | Quezon City
Gov Data Initiative, Inc. (GDI), in collaboration with the Manila Observatory and Sustainable Development Strategies Group, officially launches the Community Development Agreement (CDA) Digital Innovation Hub as part of the Powering a Just Energy Transition Green Minerals Challenge (JET Minerals Challenge) by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The 15-month project aims to promote good governance, transparency, and accountability through data-driven analysis and storytelling for informed decision-making.
As part of the JET Minerals Challenge, GDI is set to pilot the Projecting Revenues from the Extractives for the Development and Investment in Communities (PREDIC) Tool in two mining communities in the provinces of Cebu and Palawan. This interactive dashboard, which emerged as the winner in the first-ever Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Datathon Competition in 2022, makes mining revenues and other community benefits more transparent for local stakeholders. GDI envisions the tool as a means to lower barriers for more people to understand the flow and volatility of mining revenues so that communities hosting energy transition minerals (ETMs) benefit from a transparent, accountable, and well-governed mining industry.
"The implementation of the CDA Digital Innovation Hub and PREDIC Tool is a vital step towards empowering communities hosting ETMs," said Marco Zaplan, Executive Director & Research, Data, and Policy Lead of GDI.
"We thank USAID and the JET Minerals Challenge for supporting these efforts to enhance local stakeholders' ability to monitor and analyze mining data, ensuring a more transparent and accountable mining industry."
PREDICT could be used by national and local economic planning agencies for budget and revenue policy design and implementation processes, by EITI implementing countries as a capacity-building and communications tool, and by civil society organizations advocating for fiscal policy reforms in the extractives sector.
Abigail Ocate, GDI’s Operations and Programs Director & Outreach and Capacity Development Lead, emphasizes the importance of communities accessing correct information and accurate data, “By increasing accessibility to mining data and strengthening the capacity of local stakeholders through the PREDIC Tool, the initiative empowers communities to monitor revenues, deter corruption, and better plan for their future.”
Key partners for the successful implementation of the project include the Department of Budget and Management - Local Government and Regional Coordination Bureau and the Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP) Secretariat, and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.
“Using data, tools, and involving communities are key aspects of GDI's strategy,” remarked Marianne Fabian, Partnerships and Grants Director & Monitoring and Evaluation Lead of GDI. “These approaches reinforce our commitment to empowering local communities and advancing a more transparent and responsible mining sector."
GDI is steadfastly committed to collaborating with diverse stakeholders to advance these initiatives and contribute to a just energy transition by harnessing data, leveraging tools, and engaging communities.
Together, we can make a significant impact on improving mining governance, empowering local communities, and shaping a sustainable future through the power of data.
Gov Data Initiative, a think-and-do tank consultancy, focuses on three interconnected workstreams: Data Analysis for Better Governance, Fiscal Transparency for Development Outcomes, and Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration and Public Participation.
For more information, visit www.govdatainitiative.org, follow @_GDItweets on X, or like @govdatainitiative on Facebook.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Dawn Po Quimque
Strategic Communications Officer
team@govdatainitiative.org | +63 917 358 4589
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