On a recent visit to Nigeria we were keen to find out how aid and development data is currently being used, if at all, and with what impact. We wanted to know if there is demand for aid and development data, and if these demands are being met. We found two very different sides of the aid transparency coin – one wholly practical, and one intangible but arguably more important.
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.
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 […]
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.
In this guest blog, Michael Roberts of Giveth.io reflects on the development of open data standards, the differing technology and approaches that have been adopted and what we can learn from this. He argues that initiatives like IATI must continue to focus on addressing internal organisational challenges on governance and capacity. He also contends that we should be open to new forms of technology integrations and not be locked into any one approach.
The Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act (FATAA) was passed by Congress in 2016 to require the US agencies involved in implementing foreign assistance to publish detailed country-based information on their activities. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recently assessed how well the 22 agencies are complying with the data requirements. Our US representative Sally Paxton and the Brookings Institution’s George Ingram have been analysing the OMB report and conclude that it falls short in a number of ways. In this blog they summarise the gaps and missed opportunities.
