Dear Friends and Colleagues

Next week Oxford University will be hosting the great and good of aid transparency with the International Aid Transparency Initiative's Technical Advisory Group and the launch of the AidData site with a major international conference.

I would like to welcome and introduce you all to Rachel Rank, who has joined us from the Commonwealth Secretariat to head up our Research and Monitoring workstream and has been working on the first draft of our Index.

We don't have many places left for the Aid Information Challenge on 10th April at the Guardian newspaper in London. If you know developers or data visualisers that would love to join us please email cormac.nolan@publishwhatyoufund.org or apply here and we will do our best to make space.


Best wishes

Karin


Our recent activities

It's been an exciting month in the U.S. with the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR)'s initial findings to be released any day now. Questions, concerns and suggestions are already being posted on the MFAN blog. The Society for International Development has organised a major event to discuss the review. In addition, a question for the Clinton Hearings submitted through MFAN resulted in both Senator Lugar and Representative Crenshaw addressing transparency and accountability of foreign assistance.

The EU AidWatch Survey of aid in 27 member states has been launched with a major focus on aid transparency. Federico Pirzio-Biroli ran training on the aid transparency questions for the Annual Report which included National Civil Society Platforms from Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia. Also in Europe, the European Commission Spring Package is to be submitted soon. EU AidWatch has sent a recommendation letter urging technical engagement in the International Aid Transparency Initiative.

News this month:
American Prospect magazine interviewed Karin Christiansen for the article ‘An Eye on Aid’.

Publish What You Fund hosted the UK launch of 'Untying Aid' with Ed Clay and ODI. The report of the meeting can be found here.

BetterAid proposes priorities including aid transparency: 'Development Cooperation: Not Just Aid'.

The brilliant Guide to Donors is published by HIPC CBP.

Survey shows government transparency is central to public finance reform: A lesson for aid?

For a full list of the latest aid transparency news, click here.


Upcoming events:
The Aid Information Challenge 10 April, London, UK.

International Aid Transparency Initiative Technical Advisory Group 22-23 March, Oxford, UK.

Aid Transparency and Development Finance conference, 15-22 March, Oxford, UK.

Oxfam America disussion of recipient country ownership, 25 March, Washington D.C.

Society for International Development discussion of the Interim QDDR, 31 March, Washington D.C.

InterAction Forum 2010 2-4 June, Washington D.C.
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