On 13th July we launched the 2022 edition of the Aid Transparency Index. This was the 10th anniversary of the Index, and it marked a special moment. For the first time we’re witnessing data use examples flourishing. We’re seeing a variety of stakeholders, both locally and globally, using open aid data for research, programme design and engagement. Gary Forster summarises his key takeaways from the launch event.
The majority of the agencies in the 2022 Aid Transparency Index now publish good quality aid data. 31 organisations, the highest number to date, now score “very good” or “good”. But this 10th anniversary report contains a stark warning about the deterioration in quality of data between editions of the Aid Transparency Index.
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The FCDO dropped 13.5 points in the 2022 Aid Transparency Index compared with DFID’s score in 2020. This means no UK agencies are in the “very good” category – the first time this has happened since the categories were introduced in 2013.
Many donors have adopted targets to direct more funding to local organisations. But past efforts to track funding flows have often struggled to agree on a definition of local. In this blog we present an approach we’ve been testing for six months. Using USAID as an example, we’ve been working to understand, interpret and present existing data in a way that enables stakeholders to undertake analysis and track funding based on their own definitions of local.
The way we think and talk about aid transparency is evolving. Our new three-year strategy sets out how we want to work and what we want to achieve by 2024. We are moving towards a definition of transparency which includes not just publication but engagement and accountability. In this blog, our Chair, Paul Lenz, and CEO, Gary Forster, provide more insights into our thinking, focus areas and goals.
Our DFI Transparency Initiative has benefitted from the input of experts from development finance institutions (DFIs) themselves, from civil society organisations, and from private sector investors. Aubrey Hruby has been on the Project Advisory Board since the initiative’s inception and brings a wealth of experience of helping investors understand and enter African capital markets. Aubrey shared her perspective on how better transparency can drive more equitable access to development finance when she sat down with our CEO, Gary Forster.
