MESSAGE FROM KARIN

 
The major transparency process of this year, the Open Government Partnership (OGP), kicks off its first annual meeting in Brasilia on the 17^th of April.  The multi-stakeholder initiative aims to improve the transparency and accountability of governments from across the world.  We are excited to host a panel discussion on aid and fiscal transparency at the event, exploring how different development commitments can be connected in countries’ action plans. At the end of the week, the Global Initiative for Fiscal Transparency (GIFT) will be launched – an exciting initiative aiming to advance budget transparency and accountability globally.

This month we're also delighted to welcome three great new team members: Sally Paxton, James Aufricht, and Nicole Valentinuzzi. Sally is our U.S. Representative, bringing a wealth of experience to our campaign. James is our new Research Assistant, working on our Aid Transparency Index 2012 and Nicole is our Senior Communications Officer, heading up our communications and media work. Find their bios and contact details here.
 

RECENT NEWS

A report released this week by CIVICUS includes a commentary by Publish What You Fund Managing Director, Karin Christiansen, on aid transparency and what it means for CSOs.

The UK CSO group has written to UK Government Minister Francis Maude ahead of the UK’s upcoming chairing of OGP, urging the UK to expand its Action Plan and promote a wider transparency agenda internationally. 

AusAID's Transparency Charter reached a significant milestone this week with the release of six updated country web pages.

The World Bank has demanded publically accessible data in an important World Bank-Google crowd-sourcing project, and launched a new 'Open Knowledge' website for its research and knowledge products.

The Independent Commission for Aid Impact, the organisation responsible for the scrutiny of UK aid, has published reports on aid to Afghanistan and UK engagement with World Bank, including areas for improvement in transparency.

In March, Transparency International-USA honoured Secretary Clinton with the Integrity Award which recognises transparency efforts around the globe. Watch Clinton’s acceptance speech here.

African aid, conflict and climate change data has been mapped by AidData and The Strauss Center’s Climate Change and African Political Stability (CCAPS) program. A pilot of the online visualisation tool can be explored here.

European NGOs expressed dismay as OECD figures show almost all European countries have cut their aid budgets. Tightening aid budgets mean transparency is needed to ensure aid money has the greatest possible impact.

A report by the UK Lords’ Economic Affairs Committee calls on the Government to scrap its 0.7% target for aid, despite failing to scrutinise available aid information in its evaluation of the impact and effectiveness UK aid.

Aid transparency was cited as a ‘big winner’ at last year's High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF-4), according to a civil society analysis of the Busan Outcome Document. 

The Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network launched a new microsite monitoring U.S. agencies' implementation of the Presidential Policy Directive on Global Development.