Open Consultation on the TOSSD Recipient Data Review Mechanism (deadline: 29 August 2025)

 

The International Forum on TOSSD Secretariat organises an open consultation on the brand-new TOSSD Recipient Data Review Mechanism. The mechanism has been developed in response to a longstanding request by developing countries to ensure that development finance statistics accurately reflect the support they receive. Whether you represent a TOSSD recipient country, are a seasoned TOSSD data reporter, a data user, or someone passionate about global development, your voice can help shape this mechanism.

The consultation will be open until Friday 29 August 2025. Interested stakeholders can participate by filling in this survey, using the content below as a starting point. 

What is the TOSSD Data Review Mechanism?

The Data Review Mechanism is part of the broader TOSSD data quality assurance process and will serve to verify that the data published on www.tossd.online correctly estimate and describe the quantity and characteristics of development support, from the recipient perspective.

How has the TOSSD Data Review Mechanism been developed?

The Mechanism has been developed based on research, discussions at the International Forum on TOSSD, and piloting.

In 2021 and 2022, the then-International TOSSD Task Force tasked the Secretariat to undertake a pilot study about complementarities between TOSSD data and data collected on official support by developing countries. Bangladesh, Cameroon and Colombia participated in the study, which resulted in a recommendation to create a mechanism where TOSSD recipients “could verify and compare TOSSD data with their own data, ask for rectifications and completion of missing pieces of information, and improve overall transparency and completeness of the information on official support for sustainable development available to their citizens and globally”.

The findings of the study were discussed at the then-International TOSSD Task Force. In July 2022, the Task Force approved the creation of a data review mechanism and mandated the Secretariat to work on its operationalisation. A methodological proposal was developed, discussed and piloted, in 2024, with Cameroon and the Dominican Republic, to make sure the suggested process would be relevant, feasible and fit-for-purpose for TOSSD recipient countries and TOSSD data reporters.

Which countries can participate in the Data Review Mechanism?

All TOSSD recipient countries are welcome to participate in this Mechanism.

How will the Data Review Mechanism work?

• Expression of interest: Recipients of development support are invited to signal their interest in the Data Review Mechanism by sending an email to: contact@tossd.org.

• Checking the overview of TOSSD by recipient: The Secretariat will invite the recipient to first review the automated overview of TOSSD by recipient (available here), to obtain a complete panorama of the support received (total volume with breakdowns by provider, financial instrument, SDG focus, sector, etcetera).

• Preparation of a sample of activities for detailed review: The Secretariat will prepare a sample of activities for the data review, considering the recipient’s national development priorities and the availability of data in the country’s tracking systems. The sample will include at least 50 projects and represent at least 10% of disbursements to the country in any given year.

• Exchanges on the data: The recipient will review the sample and signal any mismatches (quantitative or qualitative) with their internal records. The recipient will also inform the Secretariat of any errors or omissions in the overview.

• Revision of the data: The Secretariat will verify the data flagged by the recipient as incorrect, involving the reporter and making revisions as required.

How will the Data Review Mechanism enhance overall TOSSD data quality?

The Data Review Mechanism promotes data integrity and the credibility of TOSSD as a measure of the full array of resources to promote the sustainable development of developing countries.

The mechanism will strengthen recipient country ownership and improve the quality of data for any given TOSSD recipient country. Additionally, the mechanism serves to bring into light broader reporting issues that may need to be addressed by the International Forum on TOSSD. The Secretariat will document such cases for discussion in the Forum’s Statistical Working Group.

When will the Data Review Mechanism start operating?

The Data Review Mechanism will be rolled out in Q2 2025, with the first reviews relating to TOSSD 2023 data.