IATI to agree aid data standards

Almost two years ago donor agencies made a strong committment for more aid transparency at the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness at Accra in September 2008. "We will make aid more transparent. (...) Donors will publicly disclose regular, detailed and timely information on volume, allocation and, when available, results of development expenditure to enable more accurate budget, accounting and audit by developing countries." (AAA,24.a) On the 7th of July donors will hopefully honor this committment. On this date the steering committee of International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) created in Accra will meet in Paris to decide on the first phase of releasing aid data.

Since 2008 the technical advisory group (TAG) of IATI comprising donor representatives, partner country representatives, civil society and technical experts developed six categories of information standards that are suggested for approval to the Steering Committee.

Donors should publish forward planning budget information and documentation on individual aid activities on project websites. They should also agree to publish detailed description of aid activities relating to where, how and for what purpose aid is spent, amounts of aid funds planned and disbursed, loan and interest repayments. It is planned that in a second and third phase of IATI donors will agree on the publication of more data and aid related documents in a standardised way.

Among the issues for phase 2 and 3 are forward planning budgets for each recipient country, contact data for aid activities, monitoring and evaluation reports, detailed geographic locations and information about aid expenditure on goods and services. In the consultation process preceding the meeting in Paris several donors have already voiced concern about the standards proposed for the first phase as to being too ambitious in terms of scope and time line. Civil society organisations on the other hand are urging the donors to publish as soon as possible data that will allow citizens and recipient governments to hold donors to account. Together with other NGOs OpenAid has signed a letter to Minister Niebel asking him to ensure that Germany will honor its commitment to aid transparency.