Ask Your Government How Much It's Spending On Development Commitments
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The International Budget Partnership (IBP), along with nine other international organizations, has launched the most extensive cross-country exercise to access public budget information to date. In 84 countries around the world, IBP partners are asking their government to prove it is fulfilling its commitments to such challenges as ending maternal mortality and protecting the environment.
We know from the IBP’s Open Budget Survey that the state of budget transparency around the world is deplorable. This initiative is an ambitious effort to look at what this means on the ground for citizens and civil society advocates. It also aims to reveal the extent to which governments are actually fulfilling their commitments in the areas of access to information, maternal health, aid effectiveness, and environmental protection. The core idea is simple: what would happen if citizens in 84 countries ask their government for budget information that relates directly to key development goals? Would their government provide meaningful and comprehensive answers, or would it disregard the citizens’ right to know how public funds are used?
While quite simple as a concept, this effort to capture budget transparency on the ground is a complex initiative in practice and was only made possible by the efforts of many. The campaign is coordinated jointly by the IBP, Access Info Europe, and the Centre for Law and Democracy. Drawing on their expertise with regard to access to information, AIE and CLD prepared the guidelines for how partners would actually make the information requests and designed the system for recording the research process and the data obtained.
Given that the initiative covers issues relating to maternal health, aid effectiveness, and environmental protection, organizations in these fields played an important role in defining the focus and ultimately designing the questions. The maternal health questions were produced by the White Ribbon Alliance, Family Care International, and the Averting Maternal Death and Disability Program at Columbia University; the aid effectiveness questions were prepared by Publish What You Fund, Oxfam America, and Development Initiatives; and the environmental questions were prepared by the World Resources Institute, and the International Institute for Sustainable Development. Recently the coalition of international organizations supporting the Ask Your Government Campaign has been joined by Greenpeace International and the International Human Rights Internship Program.
Implementing Partners In 84 Countries
| Country | Organization |
|---|---|
| Algeria | Association Nationale des Finances Publiques (A.Na.Fi.P) |
| Albania | Centre for Development and Democratisation of Institutions (CDDI) |
| Angola | Episcopal Justice and Peace Commission of Angola and S. Tome Bishops Conference (Comissão Episcopal de Justiça e Paz da CEAST (CEJP) |
| Argentina | Asociación Civil por la Igualdad y la Justicia (ACIJ) |
| Armenia Association | "For Sustainable Human Development" |
| Azerbaijan | Public Finance Monitoring Center (PFMC) |
| Bangladesh | The Hunger Project-Bangladesh |
| Belarus | Ecological Association "Green Network" Working Group "Climate Change and Belarus" |
| Bolivia | Centro de Estudios para el Desarrollo Laboral y Agrario (CEDLA) |
| Bosnia-Herzegovina | Centar za promociju civilnog društva and Centar za istraživacko novinarstvo |
| Botswana | Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis (BIDPA) |
| Brazil | Instituto de Estudos Socioeconômicos (INESC) |
| Bulgaria | Access to Information Programme (AIP-Bulgaria) |
| Burkina Faso | Centre pour la Gouvernance Démocratique (CGD) |
| Cambodia | The NGO Forum on Cambodia |
| Cameroon | Budget Information Centre (BIC) |
| Canada | Center for Law and Development |
| Chad | Groupe de Recherches Alternatives et de Monitoring du Projet Pétrole Tchad-Cameroun (GRAMP-TC) |
| Chile | Fundacion Pro Acceso |
| Colombia | Corporación Foro Joven |
| Costa Rica | La Fundación para la Paz y la Democracia (FUNPADEM) |
| Croatia | Institute of Public Finance (IPF) |
| Dominican Republic | Fundación Solidaridad |
| DR Congo | Reseau des Organisations Partenaires de FIFES (ROPI) |
| East Timor | Lalenok Ba Ema Hotu (LABEH) |
| Ecuador | Transparencia Ecuador |
| El Salvador | Jaime López |
| France | Association de Journalistes Européens |
| Georgia | Transparency International Georgia |
| Germany | Netzwerk für Osteuropa-Berichterstattung n-ost |
| Ghana | Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC) |
| Guatemala | Asociación Centro Internacional para Investigaciones en Derechos Humanos (ACIIDH) |
| Honduras | Centro de Investigación y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos (CIPDH) |
| India | Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA) |
| Indonesia | Bandung Institute of Governance Studies (BIGS) |
| Iraq | Iraq Institute for Economic Reform (IIIER) |
| Italy | Transparency International, Italy |
| Kazakhstan | Sange Research Center |
| Kenya | Social Development Network (SODNET) |
| Kosovo | Organizata për Demokraci, Antikorrupsion dhe Dinjitet "Çohu" |
| Kyrgyz Republic | Reproductive Health Alliance Kyrgyzstan |
| Liberia | Actions for Genuine Democratic Alternatives |
| Macedonia | Florozon-Association for Protection of Natural Environment and Sustainable Economic Development |
| Malawi | Malawi Economic Justice Network (MEJN) |
| Malaysia | Centre for Public Policy Studies, Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute |
| Mali | Great Mali |
| Mexico | Fundar, Centro de Análisis e Investigación |
| Moldova | BIOTICA Ecological Society |
| Mongolia | Open Society Forum (OSF) |
| Montenegro | MANS-The Network for the Affirmation of the NGO Sector |
| Morocco | Transparency Maroc |
| Mozambique | Centro de Integridade Publica (CIP) |
| Namibia | Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) |
| New Zealand | Transparency International New Zealand |
| Niger | Alternative Espaces Citoyens |
| Nigeria | Civil Resource Development and Documentation Centre (CIRDDOC) |
| Norway | Chr Michelsen Institute (CMI) |
| Pakistan | Omar Asghar Khan Development Foundation |
| Papua New Guinea | Institute of National Affairs |
| Paraguay | Instituto de Derecho y Economía Ambiental (IDEA) |
| Philippines | Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) |
| Poland | The Gdansk Institute for Market Economics |
| Portugal | Amnistia Internacional Portugal |
| Romania | Centre for Independent Journalism |
| Russia | Foundation for the Support of Information Freedom Initiatives |
| Senegal | Universite de Dakar |
| Serbia | Transparency Serbia |
| Sierra Leone | Konima Development Association and Freedom of Information Coalition |
| Slovenia | The Peace Institute, Institute for Contemporary Social and Political Studies |
| South Africa | Institute of Democracy in South Africa (IDASA) |
| Spain | Access Info Europe |
| Sri Lanka | Public Interest Law Foundation |
| Sudan | Juba University, Sudan |
| Tajikistan | Jahon |
| Tanzania | Women’s Dignity |
| Trinidad y Tobago | University of the West Indies |
| Turkey | Cyber Law / Cyber Rights |
| Uganda | Uganda Debt Network (UDN) |
| Ukraine | International Centre for Policy Studies (ICPS) |
| United States | International Budget Partnership |
| Venezuela | Transparencia Venezuela |
| Yemen | Cultural Development Program Foundation (CDPF) |
| Zambia | Economics Association of Zambia (EAZ) |
| Zimbabwe | Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA) |
Access To Budget Information: The Six Questions And The Logic Behind Them
The partners in this research and advocacy initiative are asking their government to provide specific budget information for six questions on spending for interventions to prevent maternal mortality, funds flowing to national environmental agencies, subsidies for activities that pose environmental risks, and the transparency and predictability of aid. Budgets are at the heart of the initiative because governments fulfill their policy goals and commitments in large part through decisions about how to raise and spend public funds.
The questions cover issues relating to maternal health, aid effectiveness, and environmental protection. Organizations in these fields played an important role in defining the focus and ultimately designing the six questions that were asked from all 83 governments. The questions posed were:
Maternal Health
Q1. What was the total amount actually spent nationwide during the last two fiscal years on purchasing/procuring each of the following medications: magnesium sulphate used for eclampsia, and uterotonics used for post partum hemorrhaging? Please specify which uterotonic (such as oxytocin, misoprostol, ergometrine, etc.) was purchased. Please also include amounts spent by sub-national governments, or indicate clearly if you do not have this information.
Q2. What was the total amount spent during the last two fiscal years for pre-service training of midwives (or midwife equivalents) and how many midwives graduated from pre-service training?
Development aid – For Aid-Recipient Countries
Q3. What was the total amount of overseas development assistance received during the last fiscal year from the European Development Fund, the World Bank, and the following three US government agencies: i) the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), ii) the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), and iii) the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Were you notified and if so, what were the dates (month and year) on which each of these agencies notified you (recipient government) about the assistance?
Q4. What is the total amount of overseas development assistance committed for the next three fiscal years by the European Development Fund, the World Bank, and the following three US government agencies: i) the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), ii) the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), and iii) the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Were you notified and if so, what are the dates (month and year) on which each of these agencies notified you (recipient government) about the assistance?
Development aid – For Donor Countries
Q3. What was the total amount of overseas development assistance actually provided during the last fiscal year (not your fiscal year, but the fiscal years of each of the relevant recipient government) to each of the following governments: Rwanda, Liberia, Ethiopia, Colombia, and Vietnam, and what were the dates (month and year) on which you notified the governments about the assistance?
Q4. What is the total amount of overseas development assistance committed during the next three fiscal years (not your fiscal year, but the fiscal years of each of the relevant recipient government) to each of the following governments: Rwanda, Liberia, Ethiopia, Colombia, and Vietnam, and what were the dates (month and year) on which you notified the governments about the assistance?
Environment
Q5. As a share of the national budget, what was the total amount actually spent on all national agencies in charge of environmental protection and conservation during the last two fiscal years?
Q6. What was the total amount actually incurred during the past three fiscal years on subsidies for oil, gas and coal production and consumption?
To learn more about the logic and desired response for each question, read the following document in English, French, and Spanish.
The Protocol To Request Information
The following documents are the Information Request Protocols that were provided to the researchers in all 84 participating countries. Written by freedom of information experts at Access Info Europe and the Centre for Law and Democracy, the Protocol was drafted based on international best practices and established standards regarding the right to access public information. The purpose of the Protocol is to guide the process of formally submitting information requests for each question to the responsible government agencies. Options are provided for procedures in countries with and without access to information laws. Guidelines were also provided for following up on each request, and keeping detailed records of the process and experience for each participating organization. To learn more about the process outlined for requesting information see this flowchart, or read the full protocol in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic.
Petition To The MDG Summit
One goal of this research and advocacy effort is to demonstrate and disseminate the real-life experiences of citizens going through the process of requesting practical budget information from their governments. The results of this process will be disseminated in a variety of arenas, both at the international level and within the participating countries. One of the first such opportunities for sharing the results are the many spaces leading up to the Millennium Development (MDG) Summit.
Governments worldwide have committed to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. To know what still needs to be done, we need to know what is already being done. In “Keeping the Promise,” the U.N. Secretary General states that the MDGs cannot be achieved without accountability and transparency. This requires detailed, comprehensive budget information.
To achieve the Goals, the MDG Summit must:
- declare government budget transparency an indispensable precondition for meeting the MDGs;
- require all governments to report complete budget information on their efforts to realize the goals, on a yearly basis, from 2011 to 2015; and
- require donor countries to publish information on their MDG-related funding, including that reported by countries to whom they provide aid.
All of the reported information must be made available to the public (in useful and accessible formats) in each participating country and through relevant U.N. websites.
Sign the Petition to Call on the MDG Summit to Demand Budget Transparency
While this is the first of such actions, others will be announced as they are scheduled. Please stay tuned to hear about how the initiative will play a role in future events, as well as join forces to ask the UN to make budget transparency a priority in the MDG process!
Look Out For Results By Country (Coming Soon!)
