IATI Value Proposition Statement

Cutting across the diverse stakeholders is IATI’s universal value proposition: transforming transparency into an engine for accountability and effectiveness for international cooperation. IATI is not just an open data standard, it’s the AI-ready data infrastructure powering the future of international cooperation. We are inviting partners to join this ecosystem, making their data available and using the IATI dataset as part of the global intelligence network driving greater impact. The traditional model focused on whether organisations were publishing data. This was a critical first step: making aid and development finance information open and accessible, published frequently and support was available to data publishers.

But transparency today must go further…

We are now moving toward a more advanced model that not only tracks whether data is published, but whether it is usable and used. This approach recognises and advances efforts to improve the interoperability, relevance and ease of use. To capitalise on the expanding value of qualitative data, text and documents, particularly with AI tools, IATI will ensure the expansion and use of these data types, and their metadata and linkages to IATI’s foundational quantitative data.

…so transparency tomorrow can be transformative.

We also have ambitions for the future of transparency, a step beyond usability and uptake, towards measurable contribution to development cooperation impact: understanding and tracking how that data is actively used to improve planning, coordination, budgeting, programming, accountability, and decision-making at national and global levels, and offers the opportunity to discern economic, sector-level, or even political capital “returns” on investments in data-driven decision-making.

The ultimate goal for this third tier of transparency is to comprehensively demonstrate a clear line from publishing data → using data → achieving results. By 2030 we aim to have advanced to the point that IATI is ready to embark on this ambitious future phase and value proposition: to meaningfully measure transparency - by data availability and use - and also by its own contribution to effectiveness. IATI can make transparency truly work for international cooperation: driving better decisions, stronger partnerships, and more tangible outcomes for people and the planet.

Elaboration of IATI’s Value Proposition for Constituency Groups

IATI Members will be at the forefront of this movement, shaping and investing in the infrastructure that will underpin the next generation of development cooperation, and defining the underlying public data architecture with IATI’s unique data pipeline and data set at its heart. By building on these network effects of an expanding IATI Membership, the value of increasingly comprehensive, high-quality data and synergies across the ecosystem, IATI enables effective development cooperation. New Members will be accompanied on this journey across data publishing, data utilisation, and contributing to the stewardship of the IATI Standard and governance of the initiative.

Partner Country Governments

You can use IATI to exercise country ownership, lead on transparency, strengthen coordination, and ensure external finance aligns with national priorities.

• Track all development finance flowing into your country, including off-budget and NGO-led activities, by donor, sector, region, and delivery chain.
• Align IATI data with your national systems, such as Aid Information Management Systems, budget frameworks, and Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFFs).
• Use real-time, project-level data to support planning, budgeting, results tracking, and SDG alignment across ministries and partners.
• Access subsidised tools, tailored technical support, and regional peer learning to build national capacity and leadership in transparency.

Bilateral Donors and Financial Institutions

IATI will provide greater visibility and recognition as a leader in transparency, and help drive smarter financing decisions.

• Increase visibility and public trust: Support transparency portals and public dashboards to communicate impact, improve media narratives, and engage parliament and taxpayers.
• Demonstrate leadership and accountability: Use IATI to showcase your commitment to open, effective, and equitable financing, and to shape evolving global standards.
• Leverage data for smarter decisions: Integrate IATI into AI tools, dashboards, and risk analyses to monitor funding gaps, adjust portfolios, and align with national priorities.
• Publish once, report to many: Meet OECDDAC, SDG 17.3.1, climate finance, and internal policy reporting requirements through a single structured pipeline.
• IATI will provide recognition and quality incentives through dashboards, State of the Data analysis, and public acknowledgement.

International NGOs and Implementing Partners

You can use IATI to build trust, expand your visibility, and strengthen your position in a competitive funding landscape.

• Increase credibility, recognition, funding eligibility, and visibility by demonstrating open, accountable use of resources to donors, governments, and the public.
• Strengthen your MEL systems by integrating financial and results data for adaptive programming and learning.
• Inclusive Partnership - by showing how resources reach national and local partners - IATI enables inclusive partnership that will bring about enhanced impact.
• Meet multiple donor transparency requirements with one standardised data format— saving time and reducing duplication.

Academia, Policy and Research Institutions

You can use IATI to turn global transparency data into insights that shape policy, advance knowledge, and drive accountability.

• Access a rich, AI-ready dataset to research trends in aid flows, localisation, climate finance, and equity across countries and sectors.
• Partner with IATI to co-develop dashboards, simulations, or tools that demonstrate how transparency data supports real-world decisions.
• Inform global policy debates with rigorous, evidence-based analysis rooted in timely, open data.
• Integrate IATI into digital tools, academic courses and student research to equip the next generation of development leaders with practical data skills.

Multilateral Agencies

You can use IATI to lead by example, fulfil global mandates, align with donor priorities, and strengthen country systems through open, structured data.

• Increase credibility, funding eligibility, and visibility by demonstrating open, accountable use of resources to donors, governments, and the public.
• Improve cross-agency coordination and alignment with national plans by sharing real-time data with donors, governments, and partners.
• Enhanced resource mobilisation by generating donor intelligence that will allow diversification of funding and resource mobilisation.
• Lead on open and ethical data practices by shaping global standards and supporting country systems through consistent, timely, and accessible information.
• Strengthen your MEL systems by integrating financial and results data for adaptive programming and learning.
• Fulfil Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR), SDG, and Development Cooperation Forum (DCF)transparency mandates one structured, harmonised publishing standard across all operations and offices.

Community Organisations, Media and Local Partners

You can use IATI to be visible, be trusted, and drive accountability from the ground up.

• Gain visibility and credibility by publishing your data on a global platform trusted by donors, governments, and international organisations.
• Track how funding flows into your country, region, or sector and follow the money from donors to delivery. Hold duty bearers accountable.
• Access subsidised tools, training, and peer networks to publish, learn, and collaborate— without financial or technical barriers.
• Use IATI data in shadow reports, citizen monitoring, media investigations, or funding proposals to hold actors accountable and advocate for change.

Philanthropies and Foundations

You can use IATI to demonstrate your impact, align with global goals, and lead on ethical transparency.

• Share open data to build trust, strengthen accountability, and position your work alongside wider international cooperation flows.
• Align and map your funding to SDG targets and priority sectors, supporting strategic giving and public good outcomes.
• Coordinate more effectively with governments, donors, and private actors by making your investments discoverable and comparable.
• Influence global transparency standards to reflect philanthropic values: ensuring data systems are inclusive, ethical, and enabling for grantees.

Private Sector and ESG Investors

You can use IATI to report transparently, align with global goals, and lead in responsible development finance.

• Meet ESG and regulatory reporting requirements with structured, machine-readable data that aligns with global development priorities.
• Gain visibility and legitimacy in policy-relevant datasets, positioning your contributions alongside public and philanthropic finance.
• Identify investment opportunities by discovering aligned partners, sectors, and geographies.
• Shape future transparency standards to reflect the unique nature and potential of private capital in development.