What are the appropriate codes for humanitarian organisations? START Network as example

Community Zone Humanitarian
#1

I’ve been speaking to the START Network who are starting to publish IATI data soon. They receive funding from multiple donors e.g DfID, MFA, Save the Children UK etc, which goes into a pool of money available for quicker-release humanitarian response agencies.

We’ve been looking at the Flow Type Codelist. Which one would be suitable for humanitarian response? Is it still ODA? What if they are receiving funds from national donors and NGOs alike?

Any thoughts welcome. Happy to clarify if needed.

Thanks,

Daniel

http://iatistandard.org/201/codelists/FlowType/

#2

Hi Daniel as the funds that DFID disburses to the START Network are marked as ODA there is no issue with also using the same flow type for payments made by START. However, the use of ‘Flow Type’ is really only relevant to those organisations that also report to the DAC so it would not be invalid if you didn’t report a ‘Flow Type’ at all. Also whilst there might be a case for trying to track ODA monies through the end-to-end delivery chain the reality of doing this would be extremely difficult if not impossible particularly where monies are flowing through organisations that pool funds from multiple sources.

#3

In our trainings we advise to use code 30: “Grants made by NGOs and other civil society organisations (e.e. philantropic foundations) based in the reporting DAC country”.

Maybe good to know: the first draft guidelines from the Dutch MFA do require flow type to be specified. The draft guidance note:

The funding the ministry provides is classified as ODA, but as soon as
partners use these funds, they become a private flow. Options are:
30 – Private NGO and other private sources
35 – Private Market
For traditional development projects this is typically code 30 – Private
NGO and other private sources. In cases where funds are provided as
loans against commercial rates, or capital is provided code 35 – Private
Market can be applied.

Feedback welcome of course, the guidelines are not final yet.

#4

Thanks Wendy, thanks Rolf, it’s good to get the different perspectives.

We’re having ongoing chats with START Network and other humanitarian response org, and quite a few issues are coming up. I’ll wait to hear more ideas on this topic before making a recommendation.