Data-Enabled Development Cooperation - High-level Roundtable

This was a successful event convening over 100 stakeholders from government, international organizations, and the development finance community to discuss how transparent, open data enhances financing for development (FfD) outcomes, in a near-capacity UN Conference Room. This event reinforced data’s role beyond a reporting tool, as an enabler of smarter decision-making, a powerful communications tool, stronger accountability, and more effective development cooperation.

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Below is a preview of the Liberia Project Dashboard which was demonstrated during the side event by Sarah McGill Mulbah, Assistant Minister of Budget, Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Government of Liberia

The co-organisers…

• endorsed IATI and called for the explicit reference to IATI’s open data standard as a key mechanism for making aid flows traceable and accountable, and a commitment to transparency for development cooperation in the FfD4 outcome document, building on decades of strengthening commitments across the international community.
• recognised real-world integration of IATI data into national budgeting and planning provides a working model for other countries.
• recognised that full end-to-end financial and results tracking from donor to contracting is demonstrably possible by strengthening both IATI and OCP data and interoperability.
• called for ongoing engagement and strengthening of financial tracking and tagging methodologies through the IATI standard.
• called for communications and advocacy partnerships to tell stories of impact through data.
• called for great data and statistical capacity building to countries.

Summary of key discussion points:

• Liberia demonstrated how it has fully integrated IATI data into its national budget system, leveraging open data to improve fiscal planning, project management, and donor coordination, on an ongoing basis, now for eight of its largest development partners. By using IATI’s timely, relevant, granular, project-level data, Liberia ensures better oversight and alignment of aid.
• Australia explained how integration of open data standards into the FfD4 process is an opportunity to strengthen global accountability and national attention to data-driven development. Open financial data captured through the IATI Standard is essential for making informed decisions, course correction, and ensuring confidence in development policies.
• Germany emphasized that accurate data interpretation and use is essential for rebuilding trust in global development cooperation, and that strong frameworks are needed to protect data integrity, ensuring that transparency leads to accountability and action. He noted that as the power of data analytics expands rapidly, so does the potential power and value of IATI data.
• IATI called for explicit inclusion of transparency commitments in the FfD4 outcome document and stronger global accountability mechanisms to ensure financial commitments translate into impact. The IATI Standard has matured, with growing uses and value through network effects.
• The World Bank’s Global Food and Nutrition Security Dashboard highlighted the importance of data-driven decision-making in improving food and nutrition security and the essential role of IATI data in providing standardised, timely data on resources.
• Open Contracting Partnership (OCP) urged policymakers to embed stronger open data commitments in the FfD4 outcome document to ensure that aid, procurement, and development finance are transparent and accountable, and enable end-to-end financial tracking.