Accountability Lab is a global translocal network that makes governance work for people by supporting active citizens, responsible leaders and accountable institutions. Our goal is a world in which resources are used wisely, decisions benefit everyone fairly, and people lead secure lives.
Accountability Lab is a global translocal network that makes governance work for people by supporting active citizens, responsible leaders and accountable institutions. Our goal is a world in which resources are used wisely, decisions benefit everyone fairly, and people lead secure lives.
WHAT WE DO
Accountability Lab’s flagship training program for young change-makers to build sustainable, effective tools for change.
A global campaign powered by citizens in search of exemplary government officials.
A pioneering community feedback and dialogue platform to ensure accountability in the development process.
Supportive, impactful member networks and co-working spaces for small and big nonprofits.
A conscious music campaign supporting musicians who advocate for greater representation, participation and accountability.
Channelling civil society voices into high-level decision-making at the C20, G20, and the Open Government Partnership for stronger accountability and open government.
NETWORK LABS
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PARTICIPANTS
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GLOBAL PROGRAMS
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HOW WE’RE BUILDING A TRANSLOCAL NETWORK
HOW WE’RE BUILDING A TRANSLOCAL NETWORK
LATEST NEWS
NEWS
February 14, 2025
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Renowned for its rich ecosystems and iconic...
Renowned for its rich ecosystems and iconic wildlife, Zimbabwe's tourism industry and ...cultural heritage rely heavily on its natural assets, which are increasingly threatened by environmental degradation.
As the country works to reform parks and wildlife management,…
Renowned for its rich ecosystems and iconic wildlife, Zimbabwe's tourism industry and ...cultural heritage rely heavily on its natural assets, which are increasingly threatened by environmental degradation.
As the country works to reform parks and wildlife management, here are some recommendations from a recent policy note by Accountability Lab Zimbabwe:
Introduce robust forest protection mechanisms that establish designated areas to conserve biodiversity, ecosystem services, and social needs
Promoting and preserving biological carbon sequestration
Restricting the expansion of agricultural and mining activities to slow down land degradation.
Distinguishing between consumptive and non-consumptive tourism.
The Human-Wildlife, Conflict Relief Fund, should provide physical, emotional,
social, intellectual, and occupational support and financial assistance, improve its
governance, and protect it against corruption.
Parliament should be empowered to conduct an open process that allows the public to scrutinise the recruitment of key personnel as public officers
Imports and exports (s129(1)(r) and regulation and prohibition on matters
concerning possession, sale, transfer, etc. of rhino horn and ivory (s129(1)(x)
should be subjected to parliamentary processes.
Read it in full here: https://bit.ly/4lc4bGU
Honoring bold leadership: Narayan Adhikari in #FellowFridays
We’re excited to ...share that Narayan Adhikari, co-founder and South Asia representative of Accountability Lab, is featured in Asia Society India Centre’s #FellowFridays series!
Narayan’s leadership has been instrumental in redefining civic engagement and public service in Nepal, South Asia, and beyond. From the inception of the Integrity Icon campaign—which celebrates honest public servants—to supporting young people to hold power to account through creative and constructive channels, his work continues to shape stronger systems of accountability.
His story is one of curiosity, courage, and commitment to meaningful change.
Read more here: https://bit.ly/4j4y8H3
#AccountabilityLab #LeadershipInAction #IntegrityIcon #CivicEngagement #GoodGovernance #NarayanAdhikari
Accountability, integrity and good governance with Narayan Adhikari
asiasociety.org
Honoring bold leadership: Narayan Adhikari in... Honoring bold leadership: Narayan Adhikari in #FellowFridays
We’re excited to ...share that Narayan Adhikari, co-founder and South Asia representative of Accountability Lab, is featured in @AsiaSocietyIC's #FellowFridays series!
Narayan’s leadership has been instrumental in…
When we talk about helping people — those struck by a disaster, for example, or caught in the ...vicious cycles of poverty — we tend to talk about it as unidirectional. Those who have give to those who have not. Whether it’s called aid, charity or donations, the idea is that rich people give money to poor people without ever changing those essential categories.
But there are many other models of how people can help each other, and the confusion and sense of betrayal following the destruction of U.S. international aid institutions makes this a crucial time to start building toward a new system. Think of mutual aid, for example — through which groups come together to provide support to each other, share resources and collaborate.
In this piece for Inside Philanthropy, AL Co-CEO Blair Glencorse and Global Voices CEO Malka Older unpack the many benefits of mutual aid - https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/the-future-of-international-development-is-mutual-aid-not-donor-aid
#mutualaid #foreignassistance #aidfreeze
Blair Glencorse of Accountability Lab and Malka Older of Global Voices discuss one solution to the U.S. dismantling of international aid...
www.insidephilanthropy.com
What’s at stake when we fail to defend the truth?
In the latest episode of the ...AccountabiliTea podcast, Cheri-Leigh Erasmus sits down with Danai Nhando and Nkosikhona Dibiti to unpack the legal, financial, and digital threats facing journalism today—and what it will take to protect media freedom.
Listen to the full episode: https://bit.ly/4c1h8iG
Read the blog on our website:
#PressFreedom #SocialJustice #ProtectJournalists #AccountabilityLab #TruthTellers #HumanRights #CollectiveAction #AccountabiliTea
What’s at stake when we fail to defend the truth?
In the latest episode of the ...AccountabiliTea podcast, Cheri-Leigh Erasmus sits down with @DanaiNhando and @NkosiDibiti to unpack the legal, financial, and digital threats facing journalism today—and what it will take to protect…
We're in Nairobi this week as Kenya hosts the 2025 @opengovpart Africa and the Middle East ...Regional Meeting. Digital governance was on the agenda this morning with key contributions from the African Observatory on Responsible AI and diverse digital democracy activists. In the…
We're in Nairobi this week as Kenya hosts the 2025 Open Government Partnership Africa and the ...Middle East Regional Meeting. Digital governance was on the agenda this morning with key contributions from the African Observatory on Responsible AI and diverse digital democracy activists. In the wake of the African Union adopting an AI strategy for Africa, we heard how some African governments are playing a key role in the technological advancement of fellow countries, either through data or tech hardware.
Sarah Wesongo from ARTICLE 19 reminded guests of the centrality of freedom of expression as the “core of digital democracy”.
"Dissenting voices are being targeted by governments under disinformation and misinformation laws. Journalists that report on government injustices are silenced or harmed in the course of their work.
“National security laws are said to be flouted when civil society organizations convene to share information widely. This is a misconception that is threatening the work of civil society organizations. We need to create pathways for basic constitutional rights to shine. Access to information is embedded in parent legislations across the world,” she shared.
Accountability Lab Zimbabwe
We’re in Nairobi this week as the OGP Africa Summit kicks off!
New AccountabiliTea episode!
How can journalism drive social change? In this ...AccountabiliTea episode, Cheri-Leigh Erasmus & guests @NkosiDibiti & @DanaiNhando discuss the challenges journalists face and how we can defend media freedom.
Listen now:…
New AccountabiliTea episode!
What happens when journalism is under attack? In ...this episode of AccountabiliTea, Cheri-Leigh Erasmus, Co-CEO of Accountability Lab, dives deep into the challenges journalists face with Nkosikhona Dibiti and Danai Nhando.
From government crackdowns to the weaponization of social media, the conversation explores how independent journalism plays a crucial role in advancing social justice. How can we protect journalists, and what can we do to defend media freedom?
Tune in now for an eye-opening conversation. 
https://bit.ly/4c1h8iG
#PressFreedom #SocialJustice #ProtectJournalists #AccountabilityLab #TruthTellers #HumanRights #CollectiveAction #AccountabiliTea
Lessons from 25 years of anticorruption efforts in Nigeria
Despite a raft of ...anti-corruption legislation and government bodies being established over the years, corruption in Nigeria remains endemic at multiple levels of society. At a Chatham House Africa Programme conference in Abuja stakeholders from across the country's anti-corruption network examined why this could be.
Possible solutions for current limitations:
- Citizen inclusion in reform: According to Nigeria's National Bureau of Statistics 70% of Nigerians don't want to pay bribes. This shows citizen buy in for anti-corruption efforts, but people need to be meaningfully included in the creation of anti-corruption policies. Social behavioural interventions and collective action would then have a greater impact.
- Data informed frameworks: For more targeted and effective anti-corruption efforts, evidence from research should be fed into interventions and policy frameworks to ensure they are informed by data.
- Leverage technology: to track public spending and reduce opportunities for rentseeking by automating public services where possible.
- Building coalitions that resonate: CSOs and others need to gather reformers from across, civil society, the private sector, the public sector and media.
The effectiveness of top-down policy and legislative responses to a loss of public trust in government has shown limited effectiveness. As the above takeaways show, there is an increased appetite for behavioural change approaches to anti-corruption – similar to Accountability Lab's Integrity Icon campaign.
Accountability Lab Nigeria's Icon campaign is cited in a recent paper by Chatham House exploring how to empower anti-corruption role models and coalitions to change social norms:
Empowering anti-corruption role models and coalitions to change social norms
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