A coalition of more than forty civil society groups from twenty countries around the world today launched a campaign Make Aid Transparent, which calls on governments and other aid donors to publish more and better information about the money they give.
At the centre of the campaign, whose members include Oxfam International, Transparency International, One, Global Witness and eighteen groups from developing countries, is a petition aimed at donor governments to make their aid more transparent.
“Providing more and better information about aid isn’t hard, and it will help save lives, reduce corruption and waste and deliver lasting positive change in the world’s poorest countries,” the petition reads.
Alongside the petition, which will be hosted at www.makeaidtransparent.org, is an animation that explains why aid transparency is important.
Amy Barry, Campaigns Director at Publish What You Fund, said “Governments have promised to make their aid more transparent but so far they haven’t done enough. At the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness at the end of the year their promises will be tested. This campaign will demonstrate public demand for aid transparency from citizens in both donor and recipient countries.”
The campaign goes live online today and there will be a physical launch at the Tea Time for Change event in London on June 9 where the animation will be screened and visitors will have the chance to sign the petition.
The first petition handover is envisaged for early July in Paris, at a meeting of aid donors hosted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Other activities and actions will take place through the year, with the campaign culminating at the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan, Korea from November 29 – December 1.
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Contact: Claudia Elliot, Publish What You Fund, 0207 9206401, 07792 114449
Oliver Courtney, Global Witness, +44 (0)207 492 5848
To view the petition and the video visit: www.makeaidtransparent.org
Participating organisations: Access to Information Programme Bulgaria, ActionAid, Aid Watch Australia, Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC), Buddhism for Social Development Action (BSDA), Centre for Law and Democracy, Concord Sweden, Dalia Association, Development Initiatives, Earthsavers Uganda, Egyptians Against Corruption, Engineers Without Borders Canada, Féderation des Eglises Evangéliques des Frères (FEEF), FOHRD, Free Balance, Global Poverty Project, Global South Initiative, Global Witness, Gram Bharati Samiti, Groupe d'Action de Paix et de Formation pour la Transformation (GAPAFOT), Integrity Watch Afghanistan, International Budget Partnership, Lalenok Ba Ema Hotu (LABEH), MFAN, New African Research and Development Agency (NARDA), Network Movement for Justice and Development, Ocasa, One, Open Forum for CSO Development Effectiveness, Open the Government, Oxfam International, Partners for Health, Publish What You Fund, RWI, Save the Children, Sightsavers, Society Voice Foundation Palestine, Socio Economic Rights and Accountability Project Nigeria, Tearfund, TFAC South Africa, TIRI, Transparency International