Liam Creedon

An initiative which aims to improve the way that international aid is tracked was unveiled yesterday by the UK Government.

The move, which has been introduced by the Department for International Development, is intended to make it easier for governments and people who are receiving aid to find out exactly how the money is being spent.

The International Aid Transparency Initiative would also allow the governments of poorer countries to plan more effectively by guaranteeing when aid would be delivered to them.

At a forum on aid effectiveness in Accra, Ghana, International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander has proposed that all donors should agree to a set of common standards.

These standards are that there should be full and detailed information on all aid in each country affected, details and costs of individual projects and their aims, and reliable information on future aid to improve planning by recipient governments.

Mr Alexander, speaking at the forum, said: "We see this as an important first step to increase certainty for both donors and the countries receiving aid."