Our transparency initiatives are in line with the Busan Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation as well as our commitments as a public body.

The more we can all see and understand how development funds are used, the greater the chance that these limited resources will be used effectively. There is ample evidence that transparency leads to better results. Improving transparency also helps governments in developing countries manage aid more effectively. This means that all funds used go as far as possible towards sustainable development.

The International Aid Transparency Initiative

The International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) aims to make all information about aid spending easier to find, compare and use. This means those involved in aid programmes will be able to better track what aid money is being spent on and what it is achieving.

UNOPS joined IATI in September 2011 and in October 2011 we were the first UN body to publish our operational data in the IATI format.

Interested parties range from taxpayers in donor countries, to those in developing countries who benefit from aid. Improving transparency also helps governments in developing countries manage aid more effectively. This means that all funds used will go as far as possible towards fighting poverty.

UNOPS is the 21st signatory to the IATI and joins, among others, the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme, the European Commission, and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Many donor countries, such as the UK, Australia, Sweden, the Netherlands and Spain are also signatories as are many developing countries. A full list can be found here.

Publishing operational and financial data

UNOPS now publishes project-level information on a quarterly basis, including all related financial transactions, for over 1,000 activities around the world.

Publishing in the IATI format means posting raw data online, in an open-source, ‘machine-readable’ file. This allows users to take the information and analyze it as they wish, combining and comparing it with data from other organizations that have implemented IATI standards.

In May 2012, UNOPS became the first organization to ‘geocode’ IATI data, adding latitude, longitude and ‘precision code’ information to each project entry. This allows users to see projects implemented by UNOPS on behalf of our partners at a provincial, district and village level, where possible.

The data can be accessed through the IATI Registry.

Launching a data hub

In 2012, UNOPS launched data.unops.org, a new online hub that presents project and expenditure information in a more interactive and accessible manner.

The site uses maps and infographics to provide easily-comprehensible information about operations, for the benefit of our partners, the public and the development community at large. The data is updated on a daily basis, subject to legal and practical concerns.

In addition, the hub displays interactive information about UN-wide procurement activities, based on data provided for the UN Annual Statistical Report on Procurement, which is compiled by UNOPS. It will also provide open aid data tools and resources that can be freely used.