(USA) – A conference at NYU debated the issues surrounding aid transparency, accountability and evaluation, including the Director of Publish What You Fund, Karin Christiansen. You can see her presentation here.
William Easterly argued inadequate transparency, feedback and accountability mechanisms are undermining aid effectiveness.
(UK) – The draft Power of Information Taskforce Report has been published for members of the community to comment on before it is formally handed in to the government. Among their recommendations, they argue that the public sector should release information more proactively and freely for the use of third sector organisations.
(USA) – This briefing note from September 2007 discusses an EC-funded attempt to get more information about Official Development Assistance in Mozambique. The system has had some success but the timely submission of reports by some countries has been problematic.
Read the full report (PDF)
The International Budget Partnership today releases their annual Open Budget Index. They recommend that international financial institutions and donors "Increase the transparency of aid flows and avoid off-budget funding. Wherever possible, channel aid flows through local budget systems. Where this is not possible, provide information on aid flows in formats that are compatible with local budget systems, using government classification systems and respecting budget calendars."
One day before the release of their annual Open Budget Index, the International Budget Partnership finds that "governments, the international community and CSOs must make further efforts to promote budget transparency and accountability"
Read this article in full on the International Budget Partnership website
(USA) – Publish What You Fund today welcomed the release of two memos by the Obama administration on transparency and open government. In the first, it sets out that government should be open, participatory, and collaborative, and the second urges a presumption in favour of disclosure.
Full text of the Obama transparency memos
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release January 21, 2009
January 21, 2009
