The UN Development Cooperation Forum has announced a Special Policy Dialogue to discuss philanthropic aid in the lead up to July’s Development Cooperation Forum.

Institute of Development Studies (IDS) Fellow Dr Noshua Watson addressed the UN Special Dialogue this week, advocating for greater participation from philanthropic organisations in existing aid transparency initiatives.

Speaking before the event, Dr Watson said: ‘Philanthropy can contribute a huge amount to development cooperation. Both private and corporate foundations directed $52.5 billion toward international development in 2009.’

She went on to say, ‘Coordinated responses from private and public bodies to development challenges is essential’

In January, A parliamentary report published by the UK’s International Development Committee (IDC) recommended that private foundations delivering aid money join the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) to improve their transparency and accountability. The report highlighted that whilst private foundations are responsible for delivering a large amount of aid money, there is little detail on how it is spent.

By publishing their information to IATI, the common international standard for reporting aid information, private foundations’ aid activities would be comparable with that of foundations already publishing (such as the Hewlett Foundation) but also to recipient and donor governments, multilateral institutions, and non-governmental organisations around the world.