Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 July 2013
48. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will explain the way the Government's commitment to the International Aid Transparency Initiative processes on the work of his Department; if his Department has entered into any commitments under this process; what this process entails for his Department; and what, if any, timeframes are involved. [35642/13]
View answerAt the High Level Forum of Aid Effectiveness, which was held in Accra, Ghana in 2008, international donors, including Ireland, agreed to increase the availability of information that is made publicly available about programmes supported through Official Development Assistance. The intention was to improve the transparency and predictability of funds committed by international donors as a means of improving its quality. In order for aid to be transparent donors must provide information about the aid they give in a manner that is publicly available and in a way that people can easily understand. The International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) was established to oversee the delivery of commitments made at the Accra meeting. It brings together donors, developing countries and civil society organizations with the aim of agreeing how to make aid information more accessible and comparable. Ireland has been a member of the International Aid Transparency Initiative since its inception in 2008.
During the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness held in Busan, South Korea, in 2011, Ireland reaffirmed its commitment to aid transparency. In December 2012, a detailed implementation schedule for the publication of aid data was published on the Irish Aid website. This schedule commits Ireland to publishing aid information in line with the International Aid Transparency Initiative guidelines by the end of 2015. Implementation of this commitment is currently underway.
