What transparency and accountability for foundations were issues discussed in this article in the Guardian.
As Dr Noshua Watson, a research fellow at the Institute of Development Studies at Sussex University, told the international development select committee recently that philanthropy could provide a real source of innovation in development. Without the political accountability and economic spending constraints that most donors face, she argued, foundations are better placed to take on more risk and foster new approaches and partnerships.
The flipside, however, according to Watson, is a lack of accountability and transparency. A lack of publicly available information on the aims, objectives and decision-making processes of private foundations goes against the grain of Paris and Accra with their emphasis on transparency, accountability and policy coherence. This issue was raised at a hearing of the parliamentary development committee on Tuesday, which featured Jeff Raikes, chief executive of the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation.
Comments