European CSOs tell IATI what aid information they want
The International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) held a consultation with European CSOs in Brussels last Friday, 3rd July. The meeting was organised by DFID on behalf of the IATI Secretariat and aimed to understand and document CSOs priorities for accessing information on aid flows. Participants were also asked to consider the main points for inclusion in the code of conduct.
Participants were split into groups and asked to prioritise the aid information that they need for their work. In the group I participated in, most participants agreed that information on future aid flows is crucial to their work. Other top demands included more timely data, information on the geographic location of aid projects, information on channels of delivery, and more non-statistical information such as documents relating to strategy, aid agreements, procedures, and evaluation. Participants were also keen to access information from a wider range of donors, such as foundations.
During the second half of the meeting participants discussed the code of conduct which will describe how donors will publish information and how frequently, how users may expect to access that information, arrangements for verification and quality control, and how donors will be held accountable for compliance.
The findings of the consultation will be published on the IATI website. The CSO representatives on the IATI Steering Committee (BetterAid platform, Publish What You Fund, Civicus, and Transparency International are now responsible for ensuring that the views expressed in Brussels are incorporated into the IATI standard.
