New data shows U.S. aid programs among the best in the world

WASHINGTON — The ONE Campaign today applauded new data from Publish What You Fund that highlights the transparency of U.S. development programs and major multilateral institutions that the U.S. supports. In its 2018 report, the AID Transparency Index — which serves as an independent measure of aid transparency — found U.S. aid programs, including USAID, PEPFAR and the Millennium Challenge Corporation, were among the best in the world. Moreover, several multilateral institutions that the U.S. supports, like the Global Fund and GAVI, were also ranked among the top half of the world’s major development agencies.

Tom Hart, North America executive director at The ONE Campaign:

“This data affirms that U.S. development programs are efficient, effective and transparent. The notion that our nation’s generosity flows blindly from the pockets of American taxpayers to the wallets of brutal dictators is just ignorantly false. Transparency is always the best vaccine against corruption, and under intense scrutiny, America’s development initiatives remain some of the most impactful and accountable programs in the world.

“Efforts to make America’s development programs more transparent have been historically bipartisan, and this data proves those efforts have paid off. Over the past few decades, U.S. development programs have been reformed and modernized to make sure that every dollar invested in overseas development is spent as wisely as possible. As Americans, these results should make us incredibly proud. But our efforts to make our development institutions more transparent must continue.

“America’s foreign aid investments have never been as efficient, effective, or accountable as they are right now. We hope leaders in Congress will continue to separate the signal from the noise in the ongoing conversation over America’s global investments and fully fund these accountable agencies that have worked together to save millions of lives and help millions of people.”

Released this week, the 2018 Aid Transparency Index analyzed 45 of the world’s major development agencies. Read the full findings here.