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Press Release
4 September 2008
International Aid Transparency Initiative launched
A global initiative to make overseas aid work better in helping poor people and
to make it easier for them and their governments to track how aid is spent is
being unveiled today by International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander.
The UK is leading international efforts to improve openness in the way aid is
delivered to poorer countries and to increase scrutiny over how it is spent.
The International Aid Transparency Initiative would also allow the governments
of poor countries to plan more effectively by guaranteeing when aid would be
delivered to them.
Setting standards
At a High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Accra, Ghana, Mr Alexander is
proposing that all donors should agree a set of common standards against which
they can be judged.
The UK believes donors should agree to give:
- Full and detailed information on all aid in each country affected
- Details and costs of individual projects and their aims
- Reliable information on future aid to improve planning by recipient governments.
The initiative was launched with the backing of the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP), the World Bank, European Commission, the Hewlett Foundation
and a number of leading aid-providing countries.
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Improving the impact of aid
Mr Alexander said: “We see this as an important first step to increase
certainty for both donors and the countries receiving aid.
“The impact of aid in relieving poverty can be greatly increased if everyone can
see where the money’s coming from, who is spending it and what it should be
achieving.
“The UK is always vigilant against the misuse of aid and this initiative will be
a crucial tool in the fight against it. If local people can see where aid should
be going and question whether it has been effective the scope for bribery and
corruption is greatly reduced.”
Making aid reliable
The initiative is also aimed at increasing certainty for poor countries as to
how much aid they can expect and when it will be paid. Failure to deliver aid on
time has been identified by the international community as a key factor in
hampering development work and forcing recipient governments to increase their
debts to cover shortfalls.
The initiative is being launched at the HLF by Mr Alexander, Kemal Dervis, Head
of UNDP, James Musconi, Finance Minister of Rwanda, and Kumi Naidoo, honorary
president of Civicus.
Notes to editors
1. The High Level Forum in Accra aims to refocus international attention on
the need to meet the Millennium Development Goals to reduce global poverty.
2. The transparency initiative is expected to be joined by growing numbers of
international donors and to be in place by the end of 2009.
3. In Uganda, an information campaign of the type envisaged about education
programmes helped increase the share of funds reaching schools from 20 per cent
in 1995 to 80 per cent in 2001.
4. The already existing Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, an
agreement which covers mining, gas and oil, has helped Nigeria increase its
revenue collection by more than £500 million.
For further information, contact the DFID Press Office on 0207 023 0600, e-mail
pressoffice@dfid.gov.uk or call our
Public Enquiries Point on 0845 300 4100.