The International Aid Transparency Initiative Why is it relevant to private aid organisations?

1. The International Aid Transparency Initiative Why is it relevant to private aid organisations? Partos Plaza, Netherlands, 14th October 2010

2. Why does increased aid transparency matter? We believe that better information will lead to better aid because: • partner countries could plan and manage aid resources more effectively; • parliaments and CSOs would be better equipped to monitor performance, increasing accountability and reducing scope for corruption; • domestic taxpayers would be able to see where their money was going, maintaining public support for aid a time of financial stringency.

3. What is the International Transparency Initiative (IATI)? • launched in September 2008 at the Accra HLF; • a multi-stakeholder initiative to increase aid transparency in order to maximise impact on poverty; • will make more aid information available, more quickly; • ensure that aid information from many different sources is easier to find, use and compare.

4. Who is involved in IATI ? • Membership is open to all organisations who endorse the IATI Accra Statement; • 18 organisations have joined including 12 bilateral donors, five multilateral agencies and one private foundation; • 15 partner country governments have endorsed IATI; • the IATI Steering Committee brings together donors, partner county governments, CSOs and independent experts on aid information; • IATI is administered by a small Secretariat which includes DFID, UNDP and aidinfo; • Detailed proposals are developed by the Technical Advisory Group (TAG), membership of which is open to all.

5. agreement on what data and information will be published; • common definitions for each of these categories of information; • a common data format for the electronic transfer of aid data; • a Framework for Implementation that will outline members’ responsibilities under IATI. How will IATI work ? IATI is not building a new mega-database, but establishing a common standard for the publication of aid information, including:

6. IATI and private aid organisations Many private aid organisations are already involved in IATI: • The William And Flora Hewlett Foundation is a member; • Publish What You Fund, Transparency International, the BetterAid platform and the International Budget Project are members of the IATI Steering Committee; • NGOs and CSOs participated in regional consultation meetings on IATI; • Over a dozen NGOs already contribute to the work of the TAG; • Many NGOs have been powerful advocates for IATI.

7. Developing the IATI standard for private aid organisations IATI is keen to engage with NGOs, Foundations and CSOs to adapt the IATI standard in a way that makes it applicable to their work for three main reasons: • There is real demand for this information from stakeholders in partner countries, including governments, parliamentarians and CSOs; • These stakeholders want information that is standardised and comparable - transparency about overall resources, rather than transparency of individual organisations; • Full transparency that allows traceability throughout the system will require IATI members to apply the standard throughout the implementation chain. The IATI Accra statement was explicit on this point: “To the extent possible, we expect that organisations that deliver aid on behalf of our respective organisations should adhere to the same standards of transparency”.

8. Recognising existing transparency initiatives IATI welcomes existing initiatives to increase transparency by private aid organisations: • The Open Forum for Civil Society Development Effectiveness, which seeks to develop a framework for mutually shared development effectiveness principles; • The International NGO Accountability Charter, which outlines NGOs’ common commitment to excellence, transparency and accountability; • The Global Reporting Initiative which has developed sector-specific reporting guidelines for NGOs, recently adopted by the INGO Accountability Charter. • Grantsfire, a searchable database of real-time aid information compiled by US foundations – grant-makers can add their grant information using a simple, common format; • The Dutch NGO database – sponsored by CIDIN and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, covering 70% of total expenditure on international development by NGOs; • Results in Development – a joint initiative by DGIS and Partos to produce a common report on the results of Dutch international aid efforts. • All demonstrate commitment to increased transparency through the development of common standards.

9. Private aid organisations and IATI IATI wants to build on this commitment to adapt the IATI standard in a way that is relevant and applicable for private aid organisations. Organisations interested in engaging can: • Endorse the IATI Accra Statement, contribute to finalising the Framework for Implementation, and sign the final version of this document, which includes a commitment to develop an implementation plan for publishing their information to IATI; • Join a new Technical Advisory Group (TAG) Working Group on CSOs which will start work in January 2011, exploring how the IATI standard can be adapted to make it applicable to CSOs; • As part of their implementation plan organisations may also request an IATI visit to assess their systems with a view of complying with the IATI standard. These visits are aimed at developing a better understanding of the challenges and constraints individual NGOs may face in adopting the IATI standard; • Promote access to information and advocate for aid transparency as part of IATI. Expressions of interest in joining IATI or the TAG Working Group should be sent to Isabel Bucknall (Isabel@devinit.org).