PIDG: why we’ve published to IATI

The Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) recently published to IATI for the first time. In this guest blog, Smita Biswas, Head of Monitoring and Evaluation for PIDG, tells why publishing to IATI ‘reaffirms and reflects PIDG’s commitment to enhance transparency about its activities’.

The Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) mobilises private sector investment in infrastructure to boost economic development and poverty reduction.

All PIDG funding is provided by our Members: nine government development agencies and the World Bank through the IFC. Their funds are invested via a group of subsidiary companies which offer customized specialist financing and project development expertise to get infrastructure initiatives off the ground.

Our investments are targeted at some of the poorest countries and most fragile states in the world and are expected to deliver significant development impact – for example, mobilizing investment, improving access to infrastructure, and creating jobs. Being able to demonstrate the impact of our investments and the projects they support has always been important to PIDG and our Members.

PIDG monitoring and evaluation systems are continuously evolving to set and reflect best practice, and results are published on our website. Publishing on the IATI Registry is another important means by which we can demonstrate PIDG’s ongoing commitment to transparency and accountability.

When we began our journey towards IATI-compliant reporting 18 months ago, we realized that PIDG, like other similar DFIs and IFIs working extensively with private sector counterparts, had different business models and practices as compared to traditional development cooperation and grant aid providers. Rather than proceeding on the basis of individual exclusion policies, a group of DFIs (including PIDG), led by IATI’s Technical Team at Development Initiatives, worked together to arrive at a common understanding of how we could publish to IATI. This has resulted in PIDG publishing our first IATI-compliant reporting to the IATI Registry: we are committed to publishing and updating our information on a quarterly basis.

We believe that IATI makes it easier for our Members taxpayers to see how we have utilized funds and the projects that have been supported. Publishing to the IATI Registry reaffirms and reflects PIDG’s commitment to enhance transparency about its activities, improve development effectiveness, promote good governance and build public confidence.