Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has joined the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) that aims to improve the public availability and accessibility of information on aid. The announcement in this regard was done by the Minister of International Cooperation, the Honourable Beverley J. Oda during the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF4).
“Accountability and transparency are the hallmarks of Canada’s international assistance and Aid Effectiveness Agenda,” said Minister Oda during the event. “Increasing aid transparency is key to fostering the accountability needed for ensuring development effectiveness and results,” added Oda.
This is one more step of CIDA that would allow donors, partner countries, civil society organizations and citizens to access and use Canadian information and compare it with data from 22 other participating organizations and countries.
“Aid transparency is only a first step in ensuring accountability and results,” noted Minister Oda. “We look forward to working with others to further improve transparency in both donor and recipient countries to achieve the results our citizens expect and deserve.”
CIDA has found the objectives of IATI program consistent with the Government of Canada’s Open Government initiative. CIDA is taking important steps under Open Government Initiative to give Canadians better access to open data and open information. Through CIDA’s Open Data, the Agency already publishes statistical and project-level information on international aid activities in searchable machine-readable formats, and project-level information for CIDA’s Countries of Focus through web-based geo-mapping.
About Open Government Initiative
The Government of Canada’s Open Government initiative has been started to foster open government by offering Canadians greater opportunities to learn about and participate in government, in the economy and in democratic process.
The expansion of open government is being pursued through Open Data (offering government data in a more useful and machine-readable format), Open Information (proactively releasing information, including government activities, to Canadians on an ongoing basis) and Open Dialogue (giving Canadians a stronger say in government policies and priorities).
This commitment to open government is part of the Government of Canada’s efforts to foster greater openness and accountability, strengthen the democratic reform agenda and drive innovation and economic opportunities for all Canadians.
About Open Government Partnership
The Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a new multilateral initiative intended to secure concrete commitments from governments to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance. To become a member of OGP, participating countries must embrace a high-level Open Government Declaration, deliver a country action plan developed with public consultation and commit to independent reporting on their progress going forward.
The Open Government Partnership was formally launched on September 20, 2011, when the 8 founding governments (Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Norway, Philippines, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States) endorsed an Open Government Declaration, and announced their country action plans, and welcomed the commitment of 38 governments (including Canada) to join the partnership.
