Last week, Narayan Adhikari, South East Asia Lead at Accountability Lab Nepal, participated in the Bay of Bengal Conversation (BoBC) in Dhaka – a regional forum convening policymakers, scholars, journalists, and sector leaders to examine South Asia’s shifting geopolitical landscape.

...Drawing on discussions from the 2025 theme, “Rivals, Ruptures, and Realignments – Navigating Power & Purpose in a Disordered World,” Narayan highlighted the trends shaping the region:

1️⃣ Rivalries: Intensifying geopolitical competition is influencing national decisions more directly, with India-China tensions continuing to shape the strategic outlook of Nepal, Bhutan, and other smaller states.

2️⃣ Ruptures: Recent political and economic crises have exposed structural vulnerabilities across the region. Sri Lanka’s economic collapse, for example, altered mobility, remittances, and the nature of international engagement.

3️⃣ Realignments: New forms of cooperation are emerging around shared risks such as climate vulnerability and regional security, signalling a move toward more pragmatic, issue-based partnerships.

Narayan noted that these dynamics are creating a more complex environment for smaller states, where strategic foresight, adaptability, and cross-border collaboration are increasingly important.

The BoBC serves as a valuable platform for nuanced dialogue and regional exchange, offering space for diverse perspectives on how South Asia can navigate evolving geopolitical realities with clarity and purpose.

#BoBC #SouthAsia #Geopolitics #RegionalCooperation #Governance

💡 Introducing a new AI tool to strengthen integrity in public contracting!
Together with Development Gateway, we are excited to launch a new AI-powered contract summary and analysis tool through the HackCorruption program, designed to help journalists, civil society, and the private sector ...detect red flags in procurement processes.

This open-source AI solution automates key parts of the data analysis process, identifies trends, and sheds light on the often opaque procedures of public contracting. By making procurement data more timely and accessible, the tool aims to strengthen transparency, heighten accountability, and ensure good governance in public contracting.

This matters because public procurement is one of the largest areas of government spending, accounting for nearly a third of budgets globally - approximately $10 trillion per year. Yet, despite the enormous volume of taxpayer dollars involved, procurement data remains difficult to access and even harder to analyze, contributing to an estimated 20–25% of spending lost to corruption globally, and even higher in some regions.

🔗 Read more about this open-source AI model trained to curb corruption in public contracting: https://developmentgateway.org/blog/building-useful-usable-ai-a-new-tool-to-curb-procurement-corruption/

#OpenContracting #PublicProcurement #AntiCorruption #DigitalPublicGoods #AI #AIForGood

Building Useful & Usable AI: A New Tool to Curb Procurement Corruption – Development Gateway: An IREX Venture – Data and digital solutions for international development.

DG, together with Accountability Lab, have launched a new AI-powered contract summary and analysis tool through the HackCorruption program, designed...

developmentgateway.org

A few weeks ago, we convened a few of our #HackCorruption teams in Mexico City for a reflective learning workshop to map out their possible next steps. Teams from four countries met with our mentors to discuss how to leverage their anti-corruption prototypes. Find out all the details in this video ...- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrKsgPxXmr8

🎥 Sebastian Marin

HackCorruption Convening - 2025

We convened some of our HackCorruption participants in Mexico City in October 2025 for a workshop. Catch up on proceedings in this video.

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Across different countries, Civic Charge fellows are shaping thoughtful approaches to accountability – reflected in the choices they make, the collaborations they nurture, and the spaces they open for engagement.

This roundup brings together the work emerging from our incredible 2024 ...and 2025 participants – including digital platforms addressing harmful information, improved access to civic tools, contributions to policy and participation processes, legal and justice initiatives, climate and community priorities, and creative public forums where art and dialogue foster civic connection.

👓 Read the full roundup here: https://bit.ly/4okXkeo

#CivicCharge #AccountabilityLab #LeadershipInPractice #CivicSpace #SocialAccountability

Civic Charge: Celebrating leadership rooted in people, place, and purpose | Accountability Lab

Civic Charge is Accountability Lab’s global learning programme that brings together changemakers strengthening accountability within their...

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