In a recent article for the Washington Post Christine Fair (Rand Corporation) meets the news that Pakistan is to see an extra $100 billion development aid from the U.S by calling for a ‘well-structured trust fund’ to administer Pakistani aid flows.
The General Affairs and External Relations Council of the EU met on the 18th May for discussions over the organisation of development financing. The Paris Principles were used to frame a large part of the discussions, in which the Council agreed – amongst other issues such as mutual accountability – that EU Member States could increase the predictability of aid i.e. transparency of forward aid activities.
The ‘mark up’ of the new US Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform Act 2009 (HR 2139) has been postponed. The bill which includes major advance on aid transparency, has been delayed whilst debates around the National Strategy for Global Development elements of the Bill continue.
Congressman Berman is said to be committed to pushing the bill sooner rather than later and Publish What You Fund looks forward to continued improvements in US aid transparency efforts.
One week before EU Development Ministers meet in Brussels, a new report from AidWatch and CONCORD, the European coalition of development NGOS, reveals the rankings of European governments on the basis of aid transparency.
Publish What You Fund
The Global Campaign for Aid Transparency
www.publishwhatyoufund.org
ONE and Publish What You Fund today welcomed legislation that directs the Obama administration to develop and implement a national strategy to modernize US foreign assistance. This bill is an important opening move in a broader effort to make U.S. foreign assistance more strategic, effective, and transparent.
Yesterday U.S. Congressman Howard Berman (D-CA), Chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced the Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform Act of 2009 (HR 2139), a bipartisan bill designed to increase accountability and improve the effectiveness of U.S. foreign aid. The Bill lays the ground work for a major increase in the transparency of U.S. aid.
Publish What You Fund congratulates Chairman Berman and the other co-sponsors of this important piece of legislation.
