A coalition of over fifty civil society groups from twenty countries around the world today launched a campaign Make Aid Transparent, which calls on governments and other aid donors to publish more and better information about the money they give.

At the centre of the campaign, whose members include ActionAid, Publish What You Fund, Transparency International, ONE, and over twenty groups from developing countries, is a petition aimed at donor governments to make their aid more transparent.

“Providing more and better information about aid isn’t hard, and it will help save lives, reduce corruption and waste and deliver lasting positive change in the world’s poorest countries,” the petition reads.

Alongside the petition, which is hosted at www.makeaidtransparent.org and on a number of participating organisation’s websites, is an animation that explains why aid transparency is important.

Amy Barry, Campaigns Director at Publish What You Fund, said: “Governments have promised to make their aid more transparent but so far they haven’t done enough. At the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness at the end of the year their promises will be tested. This campaign will demonstrate public demand for aid transparency from citizens in both donor and recipient countries.”

The campaign goes live online today and there will be a physical launch at the Tea Time for Change event in London on June 9 where the animation will be screened and visitors will have the chance to sign the petition.

The first petition handover is envisaged for early July in Paris, at a meeting of aid donors hosted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Other activities and actions will take place through the year, with the campaign culminating at the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan, Korea from November 29 – December 1.

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Contact: Claudia Elliot, Publish What You Fund, 0207 9206401, 07792 114449

To view the petition and the video visit: www.makeaidtransparent.org (from June 8)

Participating organisations: 1 Goal, Access to Information Programme Bulgaria, ActionAid International, AidRating, AID/WATCH, Bahrain Transparency Society, Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication, Buddhism and Society Development Association, Centre for Law and Democracy, CONCORD Sweden, Dalia Association, Development Initiatives, Earthsavers Movement Uganda Chapter, Engineers Without Borders Canada, European NGO Confederation for Relief and Development, Foundation for Human Rights and Democracy, FreeBalance, Global Campaign For Education, Global Poverty Project, Global South Initiative, Global Witness, Gram Bharati Samiti, Groupe d’Action de Paix et de Formation pour la Transformation, Integrity Watch Afghanistan, International Budget Partnership, Lalenok Ba Ema Hotu, Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network, Network Movement for Justice and Development, New African Research and Development Agency, Ocasa, ONE, Open Forum for CSO Development Effectiveness, OpenTheGovernment.org, Oxfam International, Partners In Health, Revenue Watch Institute, Save The Children UK, SHERPA, Sightsavers, SNAPAP, Society Voice Foudation, Socio Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), Tearfund, The Afro-Egyptian Human Rights Organization, The Borgen Project, The Fight Against Corruption, Tiri – Making Integrity Work, Transparency International, Transparency International (Georgia), Transparency International (Italy), U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, Union des Églises Evangéliques des Frères.