Our WHS Commitments: Strengthening transparency and collaboration in decision making

Start Network's commitment

During 2016, the Start Network membership’s collaborative fund allocation and project selection decisions will be made transparent through the Start Network website, which will also enable live tracking of Start Fund decisions and learning. In the same year Start Network members will test an innovative pilot to enable more efficient, accountable and transparent decisions about funding for crisis response, using blockchain technology.

Meeting our commitment

The Start Fund is constantly looking to improve its transparency and accountability. In February 2017, the Start Fund launched its online portal, allowing members, donors, and other stakeholders to stay up to date in real time on alerts and explore data, collaborative decisions and learning from previous responses. The Start Fund has been reporting to the FTS since 2014, and in 2017 the Start Fund will start reporting to IATI.

The Start Fund portal is an important step towards greater transparency of the Start Fund

In 2017, the Estonian government has announced its support for the work on a Start Network blockchain. Over the course of the year, the Start Fund is partnering with the technology sector to build a pilot on blockchain technology, which will enable a cash transfer window to operate in a fully transparent and non-corruptible way. This pilot will allow the humanitarian sector to see the beginnings of a blockchain-based value chain that allows for tracking funding, from donor source all the way down to the end user. 

Read more about the blockchain pilot

Read more about the Start Fund portal

Keep reading about how we are meeting our other WHS Commitments