Plenary Summary: Staying Honest With Donors And The Public

The Thursday luncheon plenary---Tough Times, Good Times--Staying Honest with Donors and the Public---began with the presentation of InterAction's annual Excellence Award for International Reporting to Josh Rogin of Foreign Policy magazine and its daily "The Cable" blog. Rogin writes regularly about relief and development issues. 

During some brief remarks, Rogin said that NGOs need to continue their work in international development because it provides essential care to communities in developing countries.

Lindsay Coates, InterAction's Executive Vice President, led the panel discussion that followed the award presentation. Panelists highlighted the need for NGOs to effectively report the impact of programs and services to donors and the local communities being served.

The panel, comprised of Caroline Anstey, World Bank Vice President for External Affairs; Jean-Louis Sarbib, Development Gateway CEO; Tony Pipa, USAID Deputy Assistant to the Administrator in the Bureau of Policy, Planning, and Learning; and Bradford Smith, Foundation Center President, voiced their opinions on the barriers and opportunities in the area of transparency.

Anstey discussed the policy shifts taking place at The World Bank to better assess the mistakes and waste that occur when their resources are employed. She stressed the idea that the future of international development is tied to transparency and the need to release data to the public. The idea of accountability was reinforced by Pipa, who stated that USAID owes it to the taxpayers to be accountable. He went on to say their information must be publicly disclosed because it shows positive program impact to their key constituencies.

Smith added an essential viewpoint to the discussion by elaborating on the factors that drive transparency; NGOs and foundations need to publish interactive information because it enables better feedback from the communities they serve and the general public. Sarbib was able to deliver valuable information on how essential technology is in providing transparency by explaining the need to provide accessible and easy-to-understand information to the public.

All of the panelists agreed that there must be a link between beneficiaries and data to ensure a greater program impact.

The session ended with consensus that transparency will force NGOs to become more efficient and effective because they will be given the opportunity to assess mistakes and make necessary adjustments. The future of international development is transparency and NGOs must adapt to the changing environment.

By Tawana Jacobs, associate director of public relations at InterAction