On 23 November, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released its aid information to its open data portal, and crucially, to the IATI Registry.

UNDP publishing its data means that members of the public can now access aid information on its most recent fiscal period. The development will allow people to see where aid money has gone, and will enable partner country governments to better see what is happening in their country. We look forward to exploring the data, and to seeing the additional sets which will be released over the next year.

UNDP Administrator, Helen Clark, said “UNDP is committed to being transparent and to being accountable for all the contributions we receive […] Accountability ensures we can be more effective in our work to make a real difference in people’s lives – from fighting poverty and boosting democratic space, to working with governments on their plans for sustainable and just societies.”

The data release comes at a pivotal time for the future of aid transparency; less than a week before the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness. We hope that other donors at this meeting will show similar commitment to aid transparency and pledge to deliver on the promises made at the High Level Forums in 2005 and 2008.