NEW YORK, Nov. 14, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Foundation Center, the leading source of information about philanthropy worldwide, has endorsed the Open Aid Partnership (OAP) and its efforts to improve the openness and effectiveness of development assistance worldwide. The Foundation Center's expertise in knowledge management, its role as a driver of transparency, and its data resources for global philanthropy align with the Partnership's approach to facilitating positive change in the arena of international aid.
Established by the World Bank Institute (WBI) and donor partners, along with foundations and civil society organizations, the Open Aid Partnership focuses on the following actions and objectives:
- Produce a collaborative Open Aid Map that helps improve coordination, efficiency, transparency, and accountability of development assistance.
- Support developing countries in building their own mapping platforms.
- Promote citizen feedback initiatives in order to better monitor impact and foster accountability.
- Build the capacity of civil society, data journalists, and citizens to use open aid data, which will be made more easily accessible.
"The World Bank Institute welcomes the Foundation Center's endorsement of the Open Aid Partnership," said Aleem Walji, director, Innovation Labs, WBI. "This Partnership will help improve development results on the ground. We will create an open and common mapping platform to translate project information into easy-to-understand visual information at the country level. So, whether you are a government official, journalist, student, NGO representative or a citizen trying to understand what's happening in your country or within a local community, you will be able to easily find and see the data."
To date, the Open Aid Partnership has been endorsed by eight countries (Canada, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom), along with the NGO alliance InterAction, the grassroots advocacy organization ONE, and the World Bank.
"The Foundation Center is thrilled to join the Open Aid Partnership and contribute data and analysis on global philanthropy to this international aid effort," said Jeffrey Falkenstein, vice president for data architecture at the Foundation Center. "The challenges facing our world can only be met through collaboration that is both strategic and tenacious. The stakes are too high for anything less than this kind of bold initiative."
The Open Aid Partnership will be working in close collaboration with the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI), a key partner in the Foundation Center's efforts to build the global data platform for philanthropy. Earlier this year, the Foundation Center announced a strategic partnership with Development Gateway, to link information on global philanthropy and global development to produce a clearer picture of international aid flows.
Cheryl Loe
Communications Project Manager
The Foundation Center
(888) 356-0354 ext. 701
communications@foundationcenter.org
About the Foundation Center
Established in 1956, the Foundation Center is the leading source of information about philanthropy worldwide. Through data, analysis, and training, it connects people who want to change the world to the resources they need to succeed. The Center maintains the most comprehensive database on U.S. and, increasingly, global grantmakers and their grants — a robust, accessible knowledge bank for the sector. It also operates research, education, and training programs designed to advance knowledge of philanthropy at every level. Thousands of people visit the Center's web site each day and are served in its five regional library/learning centers and its network of more than 470 funding information centers located in public libraries, community foundations, and educational institutions nationwide and around the world. For more information, please visit foundationcenter.org or call (212) 620-4230.
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