Transparency in UK aid

Our approach

This rapid review looks at what has been learned about good practice on aid transparency and how this learning has been applied by DFID/FCDO over the period since 2015, by examining compliance with aid transparency standards. In examining the impact of previous transparency investments on promoting the outcomes of improved accountability for and effectiveness of UK aid, this rapid review also explores: how different stakeholder groups have made use of UK aid information; whether this information has supported these groups to pursue such outcomes; and whether UK aid transparency has promoted these outcomes in other ways.

The review builds on previous scrutiny of the government’s policy and practice on making information on its aid expenditure available to country partners, the UK Parliament and the general public, including ICAI’s How UK aid learns review published in 2019, the section on the How UK aid learns review in the follow-up review published in 2021, and general reflections on transparency in the follow-up review of 2019-20 ICAI reports.

Review questions

We sought to answer the following review questions:

• Does the UK have a clear and coherent approach to aid transparency?
• To what extent has the UK achieved its aid transparency objectives?
• To what extent has the UK sought and learned from feedback from users of UK aid data, both in the UK and in partner countries?