• Discussion paper
  • 23 March 2017

Implementing and monitoring the Grand Bargain commitment on transparency

Grand Bargain signatories made commitments to be more transparent by adhering to IATI and using a common digital platform. This post assesses progress.

Development Initiatives is working with the Grand Bargain transparency workstream to improve humanitarian transparency and take forward the Grand Bargain commitment on transparency.

At the World Humanitarian Summit in May 2016, Grand Bargain signatory organisations agreed to work towards greater transparency by identifying and implementing a shared open data standard and common digital platform to enhance transparency and decision-making.

As a first step they committed to publishing timely, transparent, harmonised and open high-quality data on humanitarian funding and activities within two years of the Summit and identified the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) as the basis for a common standard. Development Initiatives is working with the Grand Bargain transparency workstream to improve humanitarian transparency and take forward the Grand Bargain commitment on transparency. Through this paper we are consulting on proposals to:

  1. Improve the IATI Standard to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of the humanitarian community.
  2. Develop a framework and methodology to support Grand Bargain signatories and the wider humanitarian community in monitoring progress against the transparency commitment.

This consultation paper sets out a number of questions on which we are inviting feedback.

The first part of the paper briefly summarises what IATI is and how the IATI Standard has been adapted to better meet the needs of humanitarian stakeholders. It presents a number of proposals for further enhancements to the IATI Standard and asks some questions for your consideration.

The second part of this paper presents a framework and methodology for measuring IATI data quality and use to support Grand Bargain signatories and the wider humanitarian community in monitoring progress against the transparency commitment. It asks some questions for your consideration.

Feedback

Organisations are invited to submit their views by 30 April 2017. Comments can be provided via our feedback form or by emailing comments to Liz Steele at liz.steele@devinit.org.

We are also hosting a series of multi-stakeholder events to consult on this paper in the coming weeks.

Survey

We are carrying out a survey to better understand the current state of play and the perceived challenges and incentives for Grand Bargain signatory organisations to publish high-quality data on their humanitarian activities. Please take ten minutes to complete our survey before Wednesday 12 April 2017.

More information

Download An introduction to IATI for humanitarian actors

Listen to our webinar series Improving humanitarian transparency with IATI

Read the Grand Bargain commitment from the World Humanitarian Summit 2016

Read The Grand Bargain explained An ICVA briefing paper

 

Image credit: Pablo Tosco/Oxfam