The government believes the move will bring transparency in aid that INGOs bring into the country. Government officials have been complaining about non-transparency in resources utilisation by INGOs.

AMP provides information about donors, their funding, districts and regions they are operating in, sectors they are involved in, and reports about different projects and publications related to foreign aid.

According to the Finance Ministry, 90 INGOs have been so far registered with AMP, and it plans to bring all other INGOs under the platform by 2014-end. “We want at least all big INGOs associated with the Association of International NGOs in Nepal (AIN) to report to the AMP,” said an official of the ministry’s International Cooperation Coordination Division.

For the last one and half years, the ministry has been offering training to INGOs on how to report about their funding and programmers to the AMP.

According to AIN, 92 of its 112 members have received training and the rest will be given in the next round.

Although INGOs have started to report to the AMP, they have demanded they be offered a single window of reporting instead of the requirement to visit different government agencies for the purpose.

“We have been encoring our members to report to the AMP,” said AIN Chairman Ashutosh Tiwari. “But we also want a single window for the reporting, and we have recognised the Social Welfare Council as that window.”

Ministry officials said the INGOs which have started to report to the AMP were, however, not providing adequate details. But INGOs complain the AMP is not adequately user-friendly. “Many our members have complained the AMP seeks small details, creating confusion,” said Tiwari, who is also country director of Water Aid, an INGO. “It would be better if a broad heading is provided to particular sector.”

In order to encourage INGOs to report to the AMP, a facilitation committee headed by a joint secretary at the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare has been formed. The committee asks INGOs to report to the AMP before their programmes are approved. “We may make the provision compulsory for them,” said a Finance Ministry official.  

As of the last fiscal year, 14 INGOs reported to the AMP and they had promised to lend $40.88 million, according to Development Cooperation Report 2012-13.