EU mentoring programme to strengthen development finance data reported to IATI

The European Commission has launched a new mentoring programme to strengthen the transparency of development finance across EU Member States. Led by the Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA), the scheme aims to increase and improve development finance data reported to the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI).

The European Commission was a founding member of IATI in 2008 and today, 16 of the 27 EU Member States publish their development cooperation data to IATI. The scheme will support Member States with experience in publishing IATI data to become mentors to countries that are newer to IATI.

DG INTPA launched the programme at a workshop in Brussels in January 2025. Steven Flower from the IATI Secretariat attended in person, contributing to discussions on practical publishing challenges and opportunities, and sharing insights from across the IATI community. Interest in the scheme has since been expressed by representatives from Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and Sweden

Last year, DG INTPA collaborated with IATI to deliver a seminar bringing together 40 transparency and development finance experts from EU Member States and institutions. The new mentoring programme directly responds to participant feedback at this event, calling for continued support to strengthen open data practices.

The EU has a long-standing commitment to transparency and accountability in development cooperation. In 2017, the EU and its Member States endorsed the European Consensus on Development, which underlines the importance of transparent and accessible data in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. This commitment is further reflected in the Global Gateway Strategy, launched in 2021. As the EU’s values-based contribution to narrowing the global infrastructure investment gap, the strategy supports partner countries in their twin green and digital transitions. ‘Good governance and transparency’ is one of its six core principles, reinforcing the EU’s approach to transparent international partnerships.

In 2026, the new mentoring scheme will further support this commitment by promoting more consistent and higher-quality publication of development finance data. Currently data projects and expenditure by the EU and its Member States is made publicly accessible through the Team Europe Explorer, which brings together datasets published to the OECD’s Creditor Reporting System (CRS), Total Official Support for Sustainable Development (TOSSD), and IATI.

The IATI Secretariat looks forward to working closely with DG INTPA and participating Member States as the mentoring scheme begins. Regular exchanges will provide a practical space for mentors and mentees to share experiences, address common challenges, and support continuous improvement in development finance data.