In 2023, CoST International will continue promoting transparency in public infrastructure projects to ensure they are implemented to benefit people and improve their lives.

During this year our members in Ecuador and Panama will use the Infrastructure Transparency Index (ITI) methodology for the first time, while Costa Rica will publish the results of its second report.

The ITI is a tool that helps monitor the level of transparency and accountability in the implementation of public infrastructure projects by diverse procuring entities. The ITI score comes from a weighted sum of four areas:

• Enabling an environment for transparency
• Capacities and processes to publish data
• Citizen participation
• Data publication

The ITI scores are measured on the availability or non-availability of public information  and are independent of the perceptions or judgments of the evaluation team or interviewees. The ITI does not measure or evaluate the performance of procuring entities, the monitoring, accountability, regulation, judicial or investigative activities that exist or may exist in the country.

The ITI was validated in Guatemala and Honduras in 2019. Since then, it has been implemented in Afghanistan, Costa Rica, Ghana (Sekondi Takoradi), Uganda and Ukraine.

Transparency and accountability improve the efficiency of the money invested in public infrastructure and contribute to the strength of institutional systems based on observing International Data Standards. Data publication supports public infrastructure projects to make it accessible to the public for increased accountability.