Global aid transparency standard: progress, challenges and benefits prepared by Bill Anderson and Danila Boneva, IATI Secretariat 21st of June 2011

IATI is a partnership between traditional and new donors, partner countries and CSOs – 19 signatories, 20 partner country endorsers and a coalition of NGOs/CSOs → Established in 2008 at the Accra High-Level Forum The goal is to provide access to more detailed and timely information on aid and other official flows in a common format (open data) What is IATI?

Agreement on the IATI standard: February 2011 after 2 years of multi-stakeholder consultations DFID, Hewlett Foundation and the World Bank are the first implementers. Other signatories will follow in the lead up to HLF4 in Busan. Implementation tests with partner countries to import IATI data in their Aid Information Management Systems (AIMS) for better planning, budgeting and accountability. Where are we today?

2010 Transparency Assessment by Publish What You Fund

Implementation Plans of Signatories:

Publishing IATI: The road to Busan

1. Greater accessibility – the IATI approach has the potential to make it easier to find and use data on aid flows and link to other relevant data 2.Timeliness of data 3.Forward-looking data 4.Greater coverage – IATI is relevant for a diverse set of aid providers 5.Greater alignment & flexibility – IATI provides more detailed information on activities and provides flexibility (e.g. # of sector classifications that can be used) that enables greater alignment with partner country systems IATI’s value added (1):

6. Traceability of aid flows 7.Sub-national geographic data 8.Multiple sector codes 9.Includes documents 10.Re-use – an open data approach with standardized format that enables multiplicity of uses and reuse of data and software and the standard can be used and extended for other data-related initiatives IATI’s value added (2):

Meeting promises Yes Timely Multiple Sectors Transactions Greater Coverage Soon Documents Forward looking Traceability Geocoding Not Yet Conditions Results Budget Alignment

Meeting the standard Publish Properly Publish Now Create momentum Peer pressure to Improve No excuses Arguments over details Delays

The pragmatic approach … Commit to transparency Publish what you can now Improve data collection and publishing Comply with the standard

… only if Accra commitments are kept “We will share more detailed and more up- to-date information about aid in a form that makes information more accessible to all relevant stakeholders.” “We will, to the extent possible, provide more reliable and detailed information about intended future aid.” “We will be transparent about conditions attached to aid and expected project outputs and outcomes.”

A four-part standard for publishing aid information: 1.Scope of what will be published 2.Common definitions for sharing information 3.Framework for implementation 4.Common electronic data format (XML) What is the IATI Standard?

Project level information: –Project details –Financial information –Indicators, Targets and Outcomes –Project documentation Forward planning budgets and planned disbursements Non-aid flow related information: –Aid agreements, policies and procedures –Country, regional & sectoral strategies Scope

Signatories agree to a set of commitments: What to publish When to publish –Regularity –Timeliness Public access to information Monitoring mechanisms and evaluation Licence to use and republish Framework for Implementation

IATI xml schema All donors to publish in IATI xml on own websites IATI maintains central registry, i.e. a single point of discovery for users → Publish once – Use often Automatic data exchange Common Electronic Format

The IATI format (XML)

Publish often, use once

Publish once, use often

Donor keys data into their own management system. Donor prints report from their system. Donor keys data into the government’s AIMS or Excel spreadsheet or Donor keys data into spreadsheet and sends to ministry. Ministry keys data into AIMS Status Quo at country level: Manual Data Exchange

Donor keys data into AIMS Donor publishes in IATI xml format on their own website. Country system downloads and imports data. Ministry and country donor staff access data in country system to check and modify, as well as add any country-specific classifications (e.g. national development plan sectors, budget classifications, development results, etc.) What is IATI proposing instead? Automatic Data Exchange

Most country offices connected to HQ in real time Most country offices have control over data input Data validation takes place at HQ and country-level, but corrections at country-level Report outputs are designed by HQ HQs and country offices have the same access to the same data HQs choose to publish different reports from country offices How do donor information systems operate?

The donor dilemma HQCountry CautiousPragmatic AccuracyTimeliness Accountants/statisticiansAid practitioners Audited annual accountsMonthly management accounts

Malawi AIMS: donor scoring on reporting

Government staff spend much time individually negotiating with each donor to provide data. Most donor country offices are keen to assist the AIMS but are restricted by resources and lack of suitable reports. IATI will systematise this process. A clear standard and Framework for implementation for when and what donors will report. Partner countries can then focus on agreeing how to augment the information with local classifications and how to use it for national planning, budgeting and accountability purposes – both domestic and mutual accountability. Partner countries can also publish information from their AIMS and link it to the IATI Registry. Data collection/input

Most donors currently only publish audited or validated data. Audited data will always be published too late for planning purposes at the macro and sector level and to allow for information to be integrated in the different stages of the budget process. Donors need to publish planning data – i.e. unaudited disbursements and forecasts. If planning data is clearly labelled it cannot be misinterpreted. Forecasts are not legal commitments, but donors should be accountable for the reasons why forecasts change. Donor Publishing

Getting signatories and other donors to publish now rather than later even if the information is not perfect Getting more providers and partner countries on board IATI NGOs and IATI: who will be the first NGOs to publish? Developing a standard way of mapping aid information to recipient countries’ budgets Making the information accessible not only to specialists and users in developed countries, but for users in developing countries Leveraging transparency to deliver better results and greater accountability What are the challenges?

Faster progress in implementation of the standard by signatories prior to HLF4 in Busan and thereafter Widening IATI’s coverage: DAC and non-DAC donors, NGOs Use of the IATI information by partner countries and other stakeholders at the country level IATI pilots. Preparations and outcome document of HLF4: Delivering transparency for partner countries, CSOs and citizens Using the momentum generated by IATI to move forward with firmer, clearer transparency commitments and implementation, especially of those IATI elements, which are critical for partner countries: conditions, results, forward- looking data What are the critical next steps for IATI?

Secretariat: DFID, UNDP, Development Initiatives for Poverty Research (DIPR) Funding: Netherlands, Ireland, Finland, Switzerland, UK, Australia, Spain. Multi-stakeholder Steering Committee Multi-stakeholder Technical Advisory Group (TAG) Full IATI membership: donor signatories and developing countries who have endorsed 19 partner countries have endorsed IATI Partner country consultations led by UNDP IATI Governance & Management

Open data gives opportunities for innovation and social accountability ODA in 2009

Geo-coding: not only visually appealing, but also useful for sectoral overviews, DoL dialogues and more… Geo-coded projects of the World Bank in the DR Congo:

Bill Anderson and Danila Boneva