Greater transparency improves the impact of poverty-fighting assistance

WASHINGTON — The ONE Campaign today celebrates the House of Representatives’ passage of the bipartisan Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act (FATAA), introduced by U.S. Representatives Ted Poe (R-TX-2) and Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11), and by U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Ben Cardin (D-MD). The Senate passed the bill unanimously last week. ONE issued the following reaction from Tom Hart, ONE’s Executive Director for North America:

The fight against extreme poverty won’t be won with just more money. Our development assistance needs to be smarter and more efficient. For over a decade, ONE has worked hard to secure funding for critical programs dedicated to eliminating extreme poverty, stopping the spread of preventable diseases, and expanding economic opportunities that will improve the lives of the world’s most vulnerable people. Additional transparency and accountability for America’s aid dollars will ensure that taxpayers receive the maximum return on their investment, and that the vulnerable people whom we are trying to help receive the best possible assistance.

“We commend Judge Poe and Congressman Connolly, and Senators Rubio and Cardin for their commitment to improving the oversight and management of America’s foreign assistance programs. Because of their work, lawmakers, NGOs and the general public will now have greater access to information related to foreign assistance programs, including expenditures, effectiveness and other performance indicators. This kind of increased oversight will encourage more effective and efficient use of our scarce resources.

The Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act will require the President to establish and implement uniform monitoring and evaluation guidelines across U.S. international development and economic assistance programs, while also providing measurable goals, performance metrics, and monitoring and evaluation plans. The FATAA will also ensure that the ForeignAssistance.gov website contains detailed information regarding U.S. foreign assistance on a program-by-program and country-by-country basis that is updated quarterly. Finally, the FATAA will require the Government Accountability Office to evaluate relevant agencies’ adherence to these benchmarks.