UseofIATIinCountrySystemsFinalReportof2015-2016ProgramPreparedby:HamadounCisse,FernandoFerreyra,MarkIrura,FabriceMusoni,OusseynouNgom,JoshPowell,andVanessaSanchezDate:29June2016ResponsesWelcome:Mr.JoshPowell|Director,Innovation+1410-960-5423|jpowell@developmentgateway.org

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TableofContentsExecutiveSummary..................................................................................................................................3Background..................................................................................................................................................6RecapofPhaseI....................................................................................................................................6MethodologyofPhaseII....................................................................................................................6

Step1:UnderstandingPriorKnowledgeandUseofIATIAmongPartnerCountryGovernments...............................................................................................................................................7Step2:CreatinganOpenSourceToolforIATIIntegration....................................................8Step3:ImportingIATIDataintoAIMS............................................................................................9Step4:AssessingChangesinIATIKnowledgeandPerception...........................................10Conclusion:AssessingOpportunitiesforIATIinCountrySystems...................................12RecommendationsandNextSteps..................................................................................................12RecommendationstoIATICommunity.....................................................................................12NextStepsforDevelopmentGateway.......................................................................................14

AnnexA:UpdatestoJuneWorkingPaperRecommendations............................................15

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ExecutiveSummaryThispaperpresentsabriefsummaryofDevelopmentGateway(DG)activitiesandlearningthroughitsongoingyear-longprogram“UseofIATIinCountrySystems.”Thegoalofthisprogramistoequippartnercountrygovernmentswiththeskills,tools,andknowledgeneededtogainoperationalvaluefromexistingIATIdata,whileprovidingfeedbacktotheIATIcommunityonimprovementsthatcanhelpincreasetheuseandvalueofIATIdataforpartnercountries.ThisversionofthepaperincorporatesfeedbackgatheredthroughresponsestothispaperandfromanumberofIATIMembersAssemblymembers.Duringthefirstphaseoftheprogram,theteamassesseddataqualityforthelargestIATIpublishersineachofthefocuscountries.Thesecondphase,detailedinthispaper,focusedonimportingIATIdataintocountrysystems.Intheprocess,wedocumentedourlearningaboutcountryawareness,concerns,challenges,andopportunitiesforusingIATIdata.DGworkedcloselywiththegovernmentsofChad,Coted’Ivoire,Madagascar,andSenegal,trainingthemonthenewopensourceIATI-AIMSImportTooldevelopedthroughtheprogram,aswellasonIATIdataqualityassessment.Afteradelayduetopoliticalcircumstances,DGworkedwiththeGovernmentofBurkinaFasoinearly2016toimplementtheIATI-AIMSImportTool.SurveysaboutIATIdatausewereadministeredtoparticipatinggovernmentstaffinChad,Coted’Ivoire,Madagascar,andSenegalbeforeandafterDG’sactivities,andcomplementaryinterviewswereperformedduringtheprocess.WeaimtoinformtheIATIcommunityoncountryknowledgeofandattitudetowardIATIasadatasource.Intotal,20participantsfromgovernmentaidcoordinationunitsrespondedtothepre-andpost-surveys.Pre-surveysfoundlowlevelsofawarenessandlimiteduseofIATI–primarilyforthepurposeofcross-referencingAIMSdata.

1Figure1:ResponsesonKnowledgeandUseofIATIPriortoDGActivity(20respondentsfrom4countries)Beyondalackofawareness,reasonsforlimiteduseofIATIwereidentifiedas

i) MostdataareonlyprovidedinEnglish;ii) LackoftrustinIATIdatacollectionandpublicationprocesses;iii) Lackoftimely(atleastquarterly)publication;and,iv) Challengesinworkingwithxmlandcsvdataformats.

1Notethattheterm“IATIdatabase”wasusedforfunctionalclarity2InMadagascar,importsarebeingdonedirectlybytheGovernment.Atthetimeofwriting,DGhas

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Afterconsultationwithgovernmentstaff,asub-setofdatafromIATIpublisherswasselectedforimportintotheAMPs.Theresultingimports(to-date)aredetailedbelow.

Total Disbursements Imported

Gates Foundation GAVI Global Fund

Total

Chad $4,259,022 $23,499,635 $27,758,657 Cote d’Ivoire $5,252,421 $61,325,088 $312,648,344 $379,225,853 Madagascar2 TBC TBC TBC TBC Senegal $31,527,771 $46,941,295

$78,469,066

Total $41,039,214 $131,766,018 $312,648,344 Table1:OverviewofTotalImportsPerformedThroughProgramDespitegainsinIATIawarenessandknowledge,levelsofcomfortinusingIATIdataremainedlowattheendoftheDGprogram,presentingneedsforfutureeffortsfromDGandtheIATIcommunity.Inparticular,weseeneedsfor:

i) OnlinetutorialsforusingIATIdata,ii) Continuoushands-ontraining,iii) ImprovedtoolsforaccessingrawIATIdatainuser-friendly,iv) Continuedimprovementindataquality;and,v) Datamadeavailableinofficialgovernmentlanguages.

Figure5:OutstandingPerceivedNeedsforPartnerCountryUse3DGrecommendationstotheIATIcommunityinclude:

1. PublicationofIATIdataintheofficialpartnercountrylanguage;2. Quarterly(preferablymonthly)publication;3. InvestmentinusabilityofcoreIATItoolsforaccessingdata(e.g.datastore);4. CreationofFAQsanddatanarrativeforeachIATIpublishertoincreasetrust;5. RaiseawarenesswithinDPcountryofficesofIATIpublicationprocess;

2InMadagascar,importsarebeingdonedirectlybytheGovernment.Atthetimeofwriting,DGhasnotyetreceivedconfirmationontheamountoffundingimportedbyGoM.3Amongrespondentswhoanswered“No”to“AreyounowcomfortablewiththeuseofIATIstandardsandtoolstoupdateAMPdata?”

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6. Creationof“howto”guidesforanalysisofon/offbudgetstatusandotherkeydataquestionsimportanttopartnercountries;

7. IncreasedpartnercountryconsultationduringIATIupgradeprocesses;8. Investmentsinlonger-term,hands-onsupporttogovernmentstaffinusing

IATIdata.WealsonotesomekeydesignweaknessesintheDGprogramtoinformfutureprogramming:

1. InsufficientengagementwithDPcountryofficestaff;2. Insufficienttimespentworkingdirectlywithgovernmentstaff,duetobudget

limitationsfortravelcosts;and3. Needforadditionalmaterials(tutorials,trainingmodules,userguides)for

refreshertrainingbygovernmentstaff.

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Background4

RecapofPhaseIAfullsummaryofthefirstphaseofthisprogramisavailableinEnglishandFrenchandwaspublishedinMay2015.Duringthefirsthalfof2015,theDGteamconductedadataqualityassessment,heldinitialremoteconsultationsontheIATIstandard,andscopedanddevelopedanopensourceIATI-AIMSImporttool.Basedupontheinitialdataqualityassessment,importslargelyfocusedondevelopmentpartners(DPs)whoarenotcapturedalreadyineachcountry’sAidManagementPlatform(AMP)(notablyBillandMelindaGatesFoundation,GAVI,andtheGlobalFundtoFightAids,Tuberculosis,andMalaria).OtherDPsshowedmorefundinginIATIthanwasrecordedincountryAMPs;theseweretentativelyselectedforimportconsiderationbyeachgovernment.However,governmentstaffraisedconcernsaboutdoublecountingoffunding–particularlyofmultilateralDPs–duetodifficultiesindetermininginitialfundingsourceformulti-donortrustfundsandcoresupporttoMDBs.Thischallenge,combinedwiththeperceptionoflimited“valueadded”ofreplacingalready-highqualitybilateraldatathroughlocalreportingwithIATIdata,ultimatelyresultedintheselectionoftheDPslistedabove.

MethodologyofPhaseIIBasedupontheinitialsetofDPsidentifiedforeachcountry,DGworkedwiththegovernmentsofChad,Coted’Ivoire,Madagascar,andSenegal5toinstitutionalizetheintegrationofIATIdatawithcountrysystems.Eachengagementaimedto:

1) UnderstandpriorawarenessofIATI,bothasaninitiativeandasasourceofdata,byconductingasurveyofkeyaidmanagementstaffinthegovernment;

2) UpgradetheAMPtothelatestversionandintegratetheIATI-AIMSImportTool;

3) ProvidetrainingonpublicIATItools(e.g.datastore,d-portal)anddataqualityassessment;

4) Identifyaninitialsetofpublishersforimport,helpgovernmentsdecidewhichdatashouldbeimported,andconducttheimport;

5) ProvidetrainingontheIATI-AIMSImportTool;6) Discussupdatestothecountrydatamanagementplan6tosustainably

incorporateIATIdataforgovernment-selectedpublishers,and;7) Doapost-surveytodeterminehowknowledgeandconfidenceinIATIwas

improvedduringtheprogramandidentifystepstoincreasedatause.Thekeyresultsandlearningfromtheseactivitiesaredetailedbelow.

4TheprogramisgenerouslysupportedbytheFrenchForeignMinistry.AllviewpointsaretheresponsibilityofDGanddonotrepresenttheofficialviewsoftheFrenchgovernment.5WorkisalsoplannedinBurkinaFaso,butwastemporarilydelayedduetoeventsinthecountry.Theteamiscurrentlyre-engagingwiththegovernmenttodefinenextsteps.6Thedatamanagementplanisadocumentcreatedbythegovernmentthatdefinesrulesandschedulesforupdatingofdata,includingwhichfieldsaremandatory,howfundingfromtrustfundsshouldbereported,howfrequentlydisbursementsshouldbeupdated,etc.

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Step1:UnderstandingPriorKnowledgeandUseofIATIAmongPartnerCountryGovernmentsAtthebeginningofeachcountrytrip,asmallsurveywasadministeredtotherelevantstaffwithintheaidcoordinationunit.ThesurveyresponsesrevealedthatahighproportionofrespondentsareawareofIATIingeneralterms,largelyduetoparticipationinthe2014AMPworkshop,whichincludedasessiononIATIco-hostedbytheIATISecretariat.However,despitegeneralawareness,onlyMadagascarandChadreportedanyuseofIATI,withonlyMadagascarreportingoperationaluse(comparingIATIandAMPdatatoidentifygapsinAMP)whileChadhadsimplyreviewedIATIdatainaninformationalmanner.

7Figure1:ResponsesonKnowledgeandUseofIATIPriortoDGActivity(19respondentsfrom4countries)Morein-depthinterviewsidentifiedseveralpotentialreasonswhyIATIdatahadnotbeenconsultedbyaidcoordinationstaff.

• Language:TherelativelackofdataandinformationinFrenchprovedtobethelargestlimitingfactor,asmostdeskofficersinFrancophoneAfricaarenotcomfortableworkingwithdatainEnglish.

• Trust:MultipleparticipantsexpressedconcernatnotknowingmoredetailsregardingthepublicationandvalidationprocessforeachfunderinIATI.GreatercoherencebetweenfunderHQandcountryoffices,enablingcountryofficestoeffectivelyanswergovernmentquestionsonIATIdatapublicationprocessesandqualityassurance,couldpotentiallyoffsetthislackoftrust.Givenfrequencyofrotationandturnoverwithincountryoffices,thiswouldperhapsbestbeaccomplishedthroughstrongerdocumentationcreatedbyanIATIspecialistwithineachpublisher,whichcouldbereferencedbycountryofficestaff.

• Timeliness:Misalignmentofpublicationschedulesacrossfunderswasalsoexpressedasasignificantbarriertouptakeofdata.Whereasunifiedin-countryreportingtimelinesaretypicallyagreedtobetweengovernmentandDPs,IATIdataarepublishedwithdifferenttimesandfrequenciesacrosspublishers.

7Notethattheterm“IATIdatabase”wasusedforfunctionalclarity

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• DataFormat:Asexpected,surveyrespondentsreportedlowlevelsofcomfortintheuseofxml,butalsosurprisinglylowcomfortlevelswiththemorecommoncsvformat(duetoalackofawarenessofhowtoproperlyopeninExcel).Respondentsexpressedastrongpreferenceforxls(x)formats,althoughtrainingoncsvcouldhopefullyoffsetthisgap.8

Step2:CreatinganOpenSourceToolforIATIIntegrationTheIATI-AIMSImportToolwasbuiltwithre-usabilityinmind.Todate,ithasbeeninstalledinmorethan10countries:Chad,Coted’Ivoire,Kosovo,Madagascar,Senegal,Moldova,andMalawi.AsthetoolisnowbecomingpartofthestandardAMPupgradeprocess,thiswillquicklygrowtoroughly20countries.ThetoolreliesonasetofAPIendpointsforintegration,meaningthat,withmodificationsitcouldbeintegratedtoanyAIMS(notjustAMP).ThistoolisavailableinapublicGitHubrepositoryandisavailableforre-useasanopensourceproject.Thetoolwasalsobuiltwithafocusonusability,incorporatingfeedbackfrompartnercountriesaftereachtrip.Awizarddesignisusedtoguideusersthroughastep-by-stepprocesstomatchIATIandAIMSfieldsandthenimportIATIdata.Currently,thetoolsupportsIATIversions1.03,1.04,1.05,2.01,and2.02.

Figure2:ScreenshotofIATI-AIMSImportToolShowingValueMappingProcess

8NotethatthenewIATI-AIMSimporttoolitselfdoesnotrequireanydirectuseofXMLorCSVdata.However,ifuserswishtodoadataqualityreviewprocessinordertoassessviabilityofdataimport,theywillhavetoworkwithrawdatainXMLorCSVformat.

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Figure3:WorkflowforImportingIATIDataIntoAIMSUsingDGTool

Step3:ImportingIATIDataintoAIMSTo-date,theprogramhasresultedintheimportofmorethan80newactivitieswith$485,453,576intotaldisbursementsintotheChad,Coted’Ivoire,Madagascar,andSenegalAMPs(seeTable1below).ExceptforthecaseofMadagascar,theseimportswereperformedbyDGstaffremotely,dueto(1)delaysinfinalizingtheIATI-AIMSintegrationtooland(2)theneedforongoingtrainingandsupporttogovernmentstaffinperformingsubsequentimports(seerecommendationsandweaknessessectionbelow).TheDGteamhascreatedauserguideforrunningtheimportprocess(inbothFrenchandEnglish)andwillhostfollow-onvideoconferences(andin-personmeetings,wherefeasible)withkeygovernmentstaff.Weaimtoco-implementthenextsetofdataimportsandensurethatthesecanbeperformedsustainablyinthefutureforselectedfunders.Afterimport,thedataarereviewedbygovernmentstafffori)qualityandcompleteness,andii)de-duplicationoffunding(ifneeded)withexistingAMPdata.Inparticular,itwasnotedthatGatesFoundationprogramsareoftenimplementedthroughFoundationcontributionstoexistingAMPdataproviders,requiringcarefulreviewofeachactivitypriortofinalvalidation.Oncevalidated,thedatawillbecomepartofthegovernment’sofficialAMPdata,usedinexistingplanning,reporting,andmonitoringprocesses.

Total Disbursements Imported

Gates Foundation GAVI Global Fund

Total

Chad $4,259,022 $23,499,635 $27,758,657 Cote d’Ivoire $5,252,421 $61,325,088 $312,648,344 $379,225,853 Madagascar9 TBC TBC TBC TBC Senegal $31,527,771 $46,941,295

$78,469,066

Total $41,039,214 $131,766,018 $312,648,344 Table1:OverviewofTotalImportsPerformedThroughProgram

9InMadagascar,importsarebeingdonedirectlybytheGovernment.Atthetimeofwriting,DGhasnotyetreceivedconfirmationontheamountoffundingimportedbyGoM.

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Beyondtheinitialimports,futuregoalsshouldincludetwotracks:i)quarterlyupdateofdatafromtheIATIpublisherslistedbelow(orasfrequentlyasIATIdataarepublished),andii)expansionofIATIimporttomorepublishers.Thesegoals,however,mayrequireadditionalinvestmentingovernmentskillsandprocesses.Updatestoalready-importedpublisherswillbemadeeasierbytheIATI-AIMSImportTool’scapabilitytosaveexistingmappings,meaningthatnewcommitments/disbursementsforalready-importedactivitiescanbequicklyupdatedandnewactivitieswillnotrequirere-mappingofsectororotherclassifications.However,expansionoftheimportprocesstomorepublisherswillrequirecarefuldatareviewbythegovernment,andpossiblymappingofadditionalfieldsandvalues.Further,ifthegovernmentwishestoreplacein-countrydatacollectionwithIATIimportforanexistingDP(e.g.ashasbeendiscussedforCanadianDFATDinSenegal),thiswillrequirematchingofIATIactivitieswitheachexistingAMPprojecttopreventdouble-counting–aprocessthatprovedtoolaboriousforgovernmentpartnersrightnow,butisunderconsiderationforupcomingefforts10.

Step4:AssessingChangesinIATIKnowledgeandPerceptionAttheconclusionofeachcountrytrip,DGadministeredabrieffollow-upsurveytolearntowhatextentthetraininganddiscussionhadincreasedtheleveloftrustandconfidencegovernmentstaffhadinusingIATIdataatanoperationallevelintheiraidmanagementprocesses.TheresponsesshowedevidenceofincreaseinknowledgeofIATI.However,inmostcases(75%)theseincreasesweresmall.InterviewssuggestedthisknowledgeencompassedbothIATIasaninitiativeandasasourceofdata(seechartonleftinFigure4).However,themajorityofrespondentsreportedstillfeelinguncomfortableinusingIATIdataandtoolstoupdatethedataintheirAMPs(seechartonrightinFigure4).

Figure4:ChangesinPerceptionandIntendedUseAmongProgramParticipants

10WhereexistingdataprovisionfromDPcountryofficesisstrong,itwasfoundthatgovernmentincentivestoimportIATIdataarereducedduetoreducedvalue-addofIATIoverAMPdata.

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Twosubsequentquestionsaimedtounderstandthereasonsfortheremainingdiscomfort.First,weaskedwhichtools,training,orothersupportareneededtoenablestafftofeelcomfortablewiththefunctionaltaskofusingIATI.RespondentsfeltthatexistingdocumentationforIATIislargelysufficient,butexpressedconcernovertheusabilityofandfunctionalityofexistingtools(particularlytheIATIdatastore)foraccessingrawIATIdataforqualityassessment.Inparticular,theinabilitytoaccessdatainxls(x)formatwasaconcernthataroseduringinterviews.Participantsalsofeltthat,whileinitialtrainingprovidedbyDGhadincreasedtheirknowledge,continuoustrainingandonlinetutorialsforanalyzingIATIdataforqualityandcontentwouldgreatlyincreasetheirabilitytouseIATI(seechartonleftinFigure5).WhenaskedwhichimprovementstoIATIdatawouldincreasethecomfortlevelofusingIATIinAMP,respondentsfocusedontwokeyissueareas:dataqualityandlanguage(seechartonrightinFigure5).Asnotedabove,governmentstaffineachcountryworkinFrenchandmosthavelimitedornocapabilitytoworkwithdatainEnglishorotherlanguages.Concernsoverdataqualitylargelyfocusedoni)lackofunderstandingortrustinthepublicationprocess(i.e.wherethedatacomefrom,withwhomtheycandiscussdataconcerns),andii)concernsoverdoublecountingoffunding.Forexample,Coted’IvoireparticipantsinitiallyexpressedconcernofimportingGatesFoundationdata,duetofundingforsomeprogramsbeingimplementedthroughUSAID,UNAgencies,INGOs,orotherfundersalreadypresentinAMP.Inordertoaddressthisissue,thesedatahavebeenimportedtoAMPasdraftactivitiesforreviewandvalidation,withnon-duplicatedfundingincorporatedintothecoreAMPdataset,onceapprovedbygovernmentstaff.

Figure5:OutstandingPerceivedNeedsforPartnerCountryUse11

11Amongrespondentswhoanswered“No”to“AreyounowcomfortablewiththeuseofIATIstandardsandtoolstoupdateAMPdata?”

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Conclusion:AssessingOpportunitiesforIATIinCountrySystemsManyparticipantsfeltthatIATIpresentssignificantopportunitiestoenhancetheaidmanagementfunctionintheircountry,ifsomeofthebarriersdescribedabovecanbeovercome.Inparticular,MadagascarrepresentativesexpressedinterestinthepresenceofsomehistoricaldatainIATI,whichtheycouldusetodosometrendanalysis.MadagascarrepresentativesalsonotedthatUSAIDdatainIATIarepresentedattheproject/activitylevel,whereasUSAIDreportstotheAMPinMadagascaratahigherlevelofaggregation(programlevel).Ivorianparticipantsnotedthepresenceofdatafromnon-traditionalfunders,particularlyGatesFoundation,GAVI,andGlobalFundasastrongvalue-addforIATI.Traditionally,datafromthesefundershasbeendifficulttoacquirebecausetheydonotmaintainofficesin-country.DatafromthesefundershavebeenimportedintoAMPandarecurrentlyundergoingvalidation(seebelow).ChadianparticipantsfeltIATIdatacouldplayasignificantroleincapturing“offbudget”datawhilecomplementing“onbudget”dataalreadyavailableinAMP.Thepresenceofnon-traditionalfunderswasalsocitedasakeyvalue-addforIATI.

RecommendationsandNextStepsWhiletheDGteamfeelsthatsignificantprogresshasbeenmadethroughthisactivityduring2015,weacknowledgethatthereismuchmoretobedoneinpartnershipwiththeIATISecretariatandbroaderIATIcommunity.Aninitialsetofrecommendationsandnextstepsarelistedbelow.Itisimportanttonotethatthispaperisintendedtofacilitateadiscussionresultinginnewapproachesandresourcesforpartnercountrygovernments,continuedimprovementtoIATIdataquality,andultimatelybetterdataforgovernmentandDPdecision-makersatcountrylevel.

RecommendationstoIATICommunity• Publicationintheofficiallanguageofthepartnercountrymustbeafocusfor

allIATIpublishers.Thisrepresentsacrucialblocker,particularlytousingIATItoupdate/enrichdataforfundersalreadypresentinAIMS,asthisprocessrequiresmatchingofprojectsbytitle.Thisalsorepresentsabarriertomappingofcategoryvalues,althoughthisislargelyoffsetwhennumericcodesareusedasinversion2.01+.Inconversationwithmultiplepublishers,itisevidentthatlanguagepresentsasignificantpublicationcostandchallenge,althoughpublishersliketheCanadianDepartmentofForeignAffairs,Trade,andDevelopment(DFATD)demonstratethatthisprocessistechnicallypossible.12ItislargelyunrealistictoexpectthatpartnercountrygovernmentswillswitchfromcurrentdatasourcesinthenationallanguagetoIATIdataavailableinonlyEnglish.Atminimum,publishersshould

12CanadianlawrequirespublicationofofficialdatainbothEnglishandFrench.Whilethisrepresentsauniquesituation,itillustratesthetechnicalfeasibilityofpublishingdatainmultiplelanguages.

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immediatelymovetopublishingin2.01+withnumericcodes,andshouldpublishprojecttitlesinthelocallanguagetofacilitatematchingofIATIactivitieswithAMP.

Figure6:InterfaceforMappingofEnglishProjectTitles(IATI-Left)toFrench(AMP-Right)

• Publicationshouldoccurataminimumonaquarterlybasisandpreferablymonthly.Thisiscriticalfori)eliminatingthechallengeofmappingfundingbetween/acrossdifferingfunderandpartnercountryfiscalyears,andii)meetingtheneedsofpartnercountriesforup-to-datefinancialinformationtobeusedinpublicfinancialmanagement.

• ToolsforexploringandevaluatingIATIdataqualityshouldbestrengthened.Inparticular,theIATIdatastoreshouldbestrengthenedthrough:

o Improvedsystemstability,asthetoolwasfrequentlyinaccessiblewhenneeded;

o Addedfiltercriteria(e.g.disbursementchannel,year)toreducetheamountofmanualdatamanipulationrequiredbyusersinevaluatingIATIdataforpossibleimport;

o Considerationofanxls(x)export,or(recommended)provisionofbrief“how-to”guideforopeningIATIcsvdatainMicrosoftExcel.

o Additionally–frequentbugsandgapsindataobtainedthroughtheIATIDataStorepresentedasignificantchallengethroughouttheproject.ItisrecommendedthattheIATISecretariatinvestheavilyintheDataStore(oranalternativeapplication)astheprimarydatasourceforIATIimporttools.

• ToincreasetrustfrompartnercountriesinIATIdata,eachpublishershouldprovideabriefpublicationnarrativeorFAQs,explaining:

o Howdataarecollected,calculated,andselectedforpublication;o Whatqualityassurancemethodsareinplace;and

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o WhatpotentialdifferencesbetweenHQandcountryoffice-leveldataexistandwhy.

• PublishersshouldincreaseIATIawarenessatthecountryofficelevel(basedontherecommendationsabove)toensurethatpartnercountrygovernmentscaninteractwithcountryofficeteamswhenconcernsoverdataaccuracyordefinitionsoccur.Currently,partnercountriesarenotsurewhomtocontactwhentheyhaveconcernsaboutthedataandarethusdiscouragedfromusingIATIdata.Theyprefertorelyondataprovidedlocallyasaresultofface-to-facediscussionsandlocally-agreedprocesses13.

o BasedupontherecommendationofDFATD,theIATISecretariatshouldcreatedocumentation/how-toguidesforhandlingmorenuanceddatamappings,forexampleusingdisbursementchannelandaidtypefieldstodetermineon/off/throughbudgetstatus.14

o ConsideraugmentingthecurrentupdateprocesstoincludemoredirectconsultationofpartnercountrygovernmentstaffoutsideofformalTAG,SteeringCommittee,andinternetmessageforumstoobtainuserfeedbackthatinformspriorityitemsforupgrade.15

• PublishersshouldidentifywaysinwhichtheycandirectlycontributetosupportingaidcoordinationunitsinusingIATIdata(e.g.technicalassistance,how-toguidedevelopment,etc.)

NextStepsforDevelopmentGatewayThereareseveralremainingtasks,whichDGintendstoperformboththroughandbeyondthecurrentsupportfromtheGovernmentofFrance.TheseareaimedtowardthesustainabilityofIATIuseineachcountry,andinclude:

• Updatecountrydatamanagementplanstoincludeguidanceoncontinued/repeatedimportofinitialsetofpublishersselectedforeachcountry(seeTable1above),includingfrequencyofimport,flaggingofdataqualityorfundingduplicationconsiderations,andfieldmappings.

• DiscusswithIATISecretariati)possibletutorials,trainingmodules,andoutreachmethodstoincreaseIATIproficiencyamongpartnercountrygovernment,andii)methodstoimproveIATIupgradeprocesstodirectlyengagepartnercountrygovernmentsaskeydatausersinanon-technical,user-centereddesignapproach.

• ContinuedworkwithadditionalcountriestoinstalltheIATI-AIMSImportToolandprovidetrainingonitssustaineduseforcontinuedincreaseinuptakeanduseofIATI.

13TheDGteamacknowledgesintensiveDPengagementthroughUNDP’ssupporttotheGovernmentofBangladesh,andlooksforwardtolearningfromtheBangladeshcontextbeingshared.14NotethatthisrepresentsasolutionbasedonexistingIATIfieldstotherequesttocreateaspecificon/off/throughbudgetfieldasrecommendedintheinitialworkingpaper.15ThisrecommendationispartiallytheresultofconversationswiththeSecretariat,inadditiontogeneralDGobservationanddiscussionwithpartnercountrygovernmentstaffonthechallengesofprovidingfeedbackontechnicaldatadiscussionsinalargelyonlineandEnglish-speakingforum.

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AnnexA:UpdatestoJuneWorkingPaperRecommendations16• WiththeapprovalofthebudgetidentifierworkledbyPublishWhatYou

FundandDFATD,andfurtherconsultationwithpartnercountries,theinclusionofon/offbudget,Sub-Sector,andNationalPlanningObjectivefieldsarenolongerrecommendedforconsideration.Instead,increasingtheawarenessofcountryofficestaffwillassistincreatingaccuratemappingsfromIATIdefinitionstoAIMSNationalPlanningObjectivesandSub-Sectorfields,whenquestionsarise.Similarly,mandatoryadoptionanduseofupdatedOECDDACcodeswillensurethatgovernmentsonlyneedtocreatemappingsonce,includingtobudgetcategories,ratherthancustommappingsforeachpublishertheyhopetoimport.

• Sub-nationaldataremainanareaofemphasisforIATIpublication.WherethisinformationisnotavailableinIATI,ahybridprocessforinputoflocationdatapost-importshouldbeconsidered.However,thisprocessisnotviableforpublisherswithoutacountryofficepresence.

• ContinuedemphasisoneffortstoincreasedataqualityinthecoresetoffieldsidentifiedinTable2belowshouldbemadebypublishers.

FieldName FieldDefinitionTitle TitleofProjectStartDate(planned) PlannedinitiationofprojectactivitiesStartDate(actual) ActualinitiationofprojectactivitiesEndDate(planned) PlannedcompletionofprojectactivitiesEndDate(actual) ActualcompletionofprojectactivitiesRecipientCountry CountrynameRecipientCountry%(ifmultiple) Ifmultiplecountriesarefundedthroughaproject,%of

fundingtoeachcountrySector(primary) PrimarysectororpurposeofprojectReportingOrg OrganizationreportingtheactivitytoIATITransactionTypeCode Typeoftransaction(e.g.commitment,disbursement,

expenditure)TransactionDate DateoftransactionTransactionCurrency CurrencyusedforamountsintransactionTransactionValue Financialamountoftransaction(inspecifiedcurrency)

FundingOrg OrganizationprovidingthefundingSub-nationallocations Individuallocationsinwhichprojectactivitieswilltake

placeDisbursementChannel TobeusedinconjunctionwithAidTypefordetermination

ofon/offbudgetstatusAidType TobeusedinconjunctionwithDisbursementChannelfor

determinationofon/offbudgetstatus

16See:http://www.developmentgateway.org/2015/05/21/iati-and-country-systems-dg-working-paper/