THE Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it was ranked the top major aid donor organization in terms of transparency by the Aid Transparency Index (ATI) report.
In a statement Thursday, the ADB said the bank’s sovereign portfolio was awarded a score of 98 in transparency, placing it in the top or “very good” category of the 2020 ATI report by Publish What You Fund, a British non-government organization.
“I take great pride in ADB’s first position in an index that is playing a key role in helping to promote greater transparency and openness among international agencies,” ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa was quoted as saying.
The bank said it was the second time ADB topped the ATI, which started in 2011.
“ADB has continuously worked to improve the disclosure of its aid data in terms of quality and scope. Our top ranking reflects the dedication of staff, across the organization, to ensure adherence to aid transparency standards,” Mr. Asakawa added.
Of the 47 organizations ranked in the study, the other leading aid agencies were the World Bank-International Development Association with a score of 97.1, followed the United Nations Development Programme (96.6), the African Development Bank-Sovereign portfolio (95.5), the Inter-American Development Bank (95.4), the United Nations Children’s Fund (92.9), and the US Millennium Challenge Corp. (92.1).
The 2020 ATI covers data collected between December and April.
The 2020 ATI said transparency improved overall, with donors reporting more and higher-quality data.
The five categories are very good, good, fair, poor and very poor.
Bringing up the rear in the “very poor category” were China’s Ministry of Commerce with a score of 1.2, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (6.3), Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (16.3), and the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs (17.7). — Beatrice M. Laforga
