Gary Forster

Notes from the Field: Bangladesh

By Henry Lewis, Gary Forster and Guest | Oct 28, 2019 | Blog

Gary Forster and Henry Lewis are just back from Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh. They have been finishing the research stage of our humanitarian transparency project –trying to understand the data needs and challenges of humanitarian actors on the ground, and how they might be addressed. In a new blog with our partners Ruba Ishak and Max Seilern from Ground Truth Solutions, they reflect on their experience in Bangladesh and the insights shared by interviewees who are dealing with one of the biggest refugee crises in the world.

Notes from the Field: Iraq

By Gary Forster, Henry Lewis and Guest | Sep 24, 2019 | Blog

Information sharing during protracted humanitarian emergencies can often be complex and face a number of barriers, particularly for local and national responders. Therefore, since January 2019 we have been working with Ground Truth Solutions to better understand the data needs and challenges of these types of humanitarian actors. Building on desk based research, key stakeholder interviews and an online survey, the project has reached the on-the-ground research phase. Whilst it is too early to share the final findings of the work, in this blog we share some reflections from the first of our two country deep dives; our trip in August 2019 to Erbil, Iraq.

Humanitarian Transparency Webinar

By Henry Lewis and Gary Forster | Sep 11, 2019 | Blog

From the Ground Up: Taking a needs based approach to humanitarian transparency At the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, the Grand Bargain was launched, with the aim of tackling the humanitarian financing gap and improving the effectiveness and efficiency of humanitarian action. One of the commitments made during the meeting was to increase transparency […]

Foreign Aid Allocation Without Aid Transparency

By Gary Forster and Guest | Jul 3, 2019 | Blog

Governments should allocate ODA budgets through the channels that will most effectively alleviate poverty and contribute to the SDGs. How do we know that development finance institutions (DFIs) are an appropriate vehicle for ODA spend? In the latest blog in our series on DFI transparency, Gary Forster teams up with CAFOD’s Dario Kenner to explore how governments and shareholders can be confident that DFI investments are delivering impact and value for money. Taking the example of the UK’s CDC Group, they ask If CDC’s portfolio is making a game-changing contribution to the SDGs.

Fostering Trust – Why Aid Transparency Matters

By James Coe and Gary Forster | Jun 5, 2019 | Blog

We have encountered many citizens and activists who are seeking answers on aid spending. This blog recalls just a few of their experiences and examines how transparency can help to build trust.

Traceability, or not?

By Alex Tilley and Gary Forster | May 21, 2019 | Blog

Tracing resources along the development chain, from source to frontline expenditure, is an important element of transparency for all data users. We recently produced a visualisation of all the links between current IATI data. The results surprised us, and this blog explains why.