2014 Annual Report launched! Progress made but still more to do to achieve greater transparency

  • May 7, 2014

Today marks the publication of our second Annual Report, which looks at progress made from January to December 2013. The report demonstrates that IATI is truly a multi-stakeholder movement and is gaining momentum.

The provision of better quality data can enable developing country governments receiving development cooperation to make more informed decisions on budgeting and resource allocation, thus increasing the impact of their own resources as well as those from donors.

In her foreword to the report, UNDP Administrator Helen Clark says, “The work of IATI is highly relevant in the context of the deliberations on the post-2015 development agenda, where the issues of accountability and governance are central components. Among the 1.8 million people who have shared their priorities and perspectives in the UN-led consultations on the agenda, one of the most consistent and strong messages is the desire for better governance. IATI is well placed to make an important contribution to these discussions.”.

Key highlights include:

  • In 2013, we supported more than 109 new organisations to publish data to the Standard, almost doubling the total number of publishers by the end of the year. Many of the new publishers represent international, regional and national NGOs, philanthropic foundations and academic, training and research organisations, as well as the first private sector companies.
  • We welcomed five new members: The Adaptation Fund, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Bond, the European Investment Bank (EIB), and the Global Environment Facility (GEF). These five newcomers brought the total number of IATI members at the end of 2013 to 59.
  • Partner countries continued to make progress towards strengthening aid management capacity and improving the efficiency of development cooperation. The report contains examples covering:
      • Strengthening management for results (Tanzania);
      • Improving accountability (Honduras);
      • Geocoding and data literacy (Malawi);
      • Progress in implementing an IATI compatible AIMS (Bangladesh);
      • Improving timeliness and quality of data (Rwanda);
      • Developing an international co-operation map (Colombia);
      • Achieving development goals through improved transparency (Burkina Faso);
      • Strengthening governance by improving transparency (Ghana);
      • Improving aid transparency initiatives (Nepal);
      • Increasing use of IATI data (Madagascar); and
      • Improving data quality (Moldova).
  • The UK Department for International Development (DFID) launched a new web tool, Development Tracker, that visualises detailed information about UK development projects, and includes key information such as project documents and financial transactions. The Development Tracker uses IATI data, making it easier to compare between countries, incorporate data from other IATI publishers, and trace aid through the delivery chain.
  • The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) launched a new public aid tracker. The tracker uses only IATI data for all core visualisations.
  • The IATI Secretariat also took part in negotiations to define the first transparency indicator as part of the Global Partnership Monitoring Framework, and subsequently assisted the joint UNDP–OECD support team to pilot the indicator.
  • Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have also made notable progress to publish to IATI. The annual report provides case studies and lessons learned from CSOs, including Oxfam Novib and Plan International USA. Other stakeholders, including CDC and Climate Investment Funds have also contributed with case studies highlighting their commitments to strengthen transparency.
  • Lastly, the report highlights initial steps being made towards improving transparency in the publication of data on humanitarian aid. A working group has been established to work on integrating humanitarian needs into the IATI Standard in order to provide up-to-date information for humanitarian decision-making and planning for emergency response.

While IATI has reached critical mass in terms of membership and growth in publishers and has made progress, the message is clear – it is now important to improve the quality of data and ensure that it can be used to add value at country level.

In concluding her foreword, UNDP Administrator Helen Clark says, “I encourage providers of development assistance to redouble their efforts to publish timely, comprehensive, and forward-looking information. UNDP, as a founding member of the IATI Secretariat, is fully committed both to improving its own transparency and promoting transparency by all development actors.”.

Read the full report.

Media enquiries should be directed to [email protected] and further information can be found online and by following @IATI_aid and #IATI on Twitter.