PRESS RELEASE: Campaigners welcome G8 commitment to aid transparency
The G8 is finally delivering on aid transparency promises with all countries committing to full and timely implementation of the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI). This includes France, Italy and Japan, for the first time.
Implementation of IATI is achievable and consistent with the goals of the Lough Erne Summit, as it provides a standard for publishing aid information that is open, easy to read and reuse. It can also serve as a model for open data standards in other development flows, such as climate finance
IATI will enable governments, parliaments and citizens in both developing and donor countries to follow the money and make sure that aid delivers results, increasing accountability and effectiveness. This will ensure G8 countries don’t fall short on promises they have made to developing countries.
David Hall-Matthews, Director of Publish What You Fund, said:
“We are pleased IATI was not forgotten amongst all the newer transparency asks. Ensuring companies are transparent is vital, but ‘putting your own house in order’ has to mean G8 governments are fully transparent about where their own money goes too. We look forward to seeing rapid progress on this now that the commitment to IATI has been reaffirmed.”
Harpinder Collacott, Director of Director of Engagement and Impact, Development Initiatives said:
“IATI is absolutely central to meeting the information needs of developing countries and in turn the overall goal of ending poverty.”
Read the full G8 Communiqué.
/ENDS
Nicole Valentinuzzi Publish What You Fund +44 (0) 2031 762 512
Tom Berry Development Initiatives +44 (0) 1179 388 597
–Notes to editor–
- Publish What You Fund is the global campaign for aid transparency, advocating for a significant increase in the availability and accessibility of comprehensive, timely and comparable aid information. The organisation monitors the transparency of aid donors in order to track progress, encourage further transparency and hold them to account.
- Development Initiatives (DI) exists to end absolute poverty. Through objective, high-quality research and analysis, DI informs decisions at all levels that deliver better use of resources. DI champions transparency, enables effective use of information and support others to deliver practical tools and systems for people to hold their representatives to account and to inform policy and practice.
- The International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) has 37 signatory donors committed to publishing to its common standard. These donors account for over 75% of Official Development Finance (ODF).
- Harpinder Collacott and David Hall-Matthews are available for interview, please contact press offices at numbers above.
[…] However, if delivered, the specific commitments made in the technical annexe to opening national election and budget datasets, and to improving their quality by December 2013, would signal progress for a number of states, Russia included. Elsewhere in the G8 communiqué, states also committed to publishing open data on aid to the International Aid Transparency Initiative standard, representing new commitments from France, Italy and Japan. […]