The International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) is a global campaign to create transparency in the records of how aid money is spent. The initiative hopes to thereby ensure that aid money reaches its intended recipients. The ultimate goal is to improve standards of living worldwide and globally reduce poverty.[1]
The initiative was launched on September 4, 2008, at a High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness held in Accra, Ghana. The goal of the forum was to refocus attention worldwide on the steps needed to reach the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals. It was presented by the United Kingdom's Secretary of International Development Douglas Alexander; along with Kemal Dervis, Head of the UN's Development Program; James Musconi, the Rwandan finance minister; and Kumi Naidoo, president of CIVICUS.[2] Mr. Alexander recommended creating a common set of openness standards by which donors can be judged. 14 international donors pledged to expand transparency as a result, and an agreement was reached to develop a common format for the release of aid information by 2010.[3] A statement was issued by the signatories, which formally accepted the policies set forth in the Accra Agenda for Action and agreed to form the IATI. The text of the statement suggests that aid donors should:
- "publicly disclose regular, detailed and timely information on volume, allocation and when, available, results of development expenditure to enable more accurate budget, accounting and audit by developing countries."
- "support information systems for managing aid."
- "provide full and timely information on annual commitments and actual disbursements."[4]
The statement was agreed to by a variety of international donors, including the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Irish Aid, the World Bank, the UK's Department for International Development, the United Nations Development Program, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. The IATI Standard was agreed on 9th February 2011 in Paris[5].
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On 8th June[6], the Make Aid Transparent Campaign[2] was launched, supported by over 60 organisations[3] from North and South.
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