The launch of the International Aid Transparency Initiative Standard in 2011 triggered a wave of excitement. The creation of a framework within which donors, nongovernmental organizations, development banks, funds and private sector contractors would commit to publishing timely, comparable data about the projects they financed or implemented aimed to shine much-needed light across the international aid chain and help the development sector provide better targeted support to beneficiaries.
Four years on from the IATI Standard and more than seven years since the launch of the initiative, IATI has, by its own admission, had little to no practical impact on the lives of development beneficiaries. With its steering committee meeting this week, many are now looking for tangible results, while others wonder whether IATI has had enough time to demonstrate progress.
Annelise Parr and Carolyn Culey, United Nations Development Program coordinator and senior policy advisor, development initiatives, respectively, at the IATI Secretariat argue it’s too early to expect a direct impact on aid. Bolstered by widespread support from the development community and a few well-publicized victories — for example, getting the United States Agency for International Development to sign up to the IATI open data standard — the initiative doesn’t seem in immediate danger of failing, yet.
About the author
Helen Castell@flippinowl
Helen Castell is a London-based financial journalist with nearly 20 years’ experience covering trade, energy and risk for TXF, Shares Magazine, Global Trade Review, Newsbase, Trade Finance Magazine and other Euromoney publications. At Devex, she writes about development banking, private sector engagement and funding trends. She studied English Literature at Sheffield University and International Journalism at London’s City University, and speaks English, Spanish and Japanese.
