As big donors and NGOs work to reimagine this sector, we’re celebrating groups whose approaches we believe already embody the principles emerging in high-level discussions and reports, such as an investment in youth leadership, a focus on narrative power, and the development of stronger information ecosystems and decentralized funding networks.
Position Title: Data and Research Associate (Business Development & Civic Strength Partners Implementation) Location: Remote or hybrid (preferably in a country where Accountability Lab operates) Reports to: Global Head of Development (matrix report to Civil Strength Partners Lead) Type: Full-time, 12-month renewable contract About Accountability Lab Accountability Lab (AL) is a global translocal network that supports active citizens, responsible leaders, and accountable institutions. We work across 10 countries to build creative, sustainable, and people-centred tools for accountability, integrity, and open governance. Our initiatives - such as Integrity Icon, Civic Action Teams (CivActs), and Civic Strength Partners (CSP) - amplify local [...]
The recent "When Aid Fades" report by the Global Democracy Coalition serves as a stark reminder that funding cuts to civil society aren't just numbers on a spreadsheet. They represent a systematic weakening of the global democracy ecosystem—one that has stripped protections from human rights defenders, undermined independent media, and emboldened authoritarian regimes that now operate with fewer external checks on repression. Understanding the Scale of the Crisis At Accountability Lab, our Global Aid Freeze Tracker has captured the human dimension of this shock. What began as a quick snapshot for our community evolved into a comprehensive survey including hundreds [...]
Rebalancing toward the relationships, translation work, and bilingual soft infrastructure that make democratic practice possible. Across conversations with practitioners, funders, researchers, and colleagues working on democracy, governance and civic space, the same diagnosis keeps surfacing. It’s no longer tentative; it’s becoming a quiet consensus: We need to rebalance away from technocratic prescriptions and toward supporting the connective, coalition-building work that keeps societies stitched together. This is not nostalgia for a pre-aid freeze era, nor a push for a new narrative cycle. It is an invitation to see the soft infrastructure and the people—invisible weavers—who maintain civic space in motion [...]
Civic Charge is Accountability Lab’s global learning programme that brings together changemakers strengthening accountability within their communities. Unlike fellowships built around deliverables, Civic Charge is designed as a learning accelerator – a space for reflection, skills-building, and peer connection, where leaders can step back from the urgency of doing and invest in how they are growing. Over the past two years, Programs & Learning Manager, Jaco Roets, has guided this journey with a steady, thoughtful approach – building a community where ideas are tested, values are practiced, and leadership is strengthened through honesty, care, and shared experience. Each session moves [...]
As I prepare to transition from my role as Country Director at Accountability Lab Mali, I find myself filled with deep gratitude and reflection. This journey has been one of purpose, growth, and connection, with incredible people and communities who continually remind me why integrity, empathy, and collaboration matter so profoundly in the work we do. Discovering Strength Through Community When I look back, I’m most proud of the community we built together, a team bound not just by a shared mission, but by a genuine sense of belonging and belief in change. Through countless brainstorming sessions, “Pause and Reflect” [...]
Accountability Lab Mali is announcing a leadership transition as our current Country Director, Doussouba Konaté, steps down from her role. After several years of consistent service to a growing team, Ms. Konaté is passing the responsibilities to Deputy Director Habibou Diaou. Ms. Konaté joined Accountability Lab in 2018 and has made significant contributions to the development and influence of the organization in Mali and the surrounding region. Under her leadership, AL Mali has strengthened its foundations, diversified its partnerships, and enhanced efforts to promote integrity and citizen participation through inclusive initiatives. She will officially step down on November 14, 2025, [...]
In one room, a booming Degan Ali from Adeso was sharing practical steps to follow for community organizations as the “Western rule based international system collapsed” - and along with it, Official Development Assistance (ODA). Her entrepreneurial case studies from countries like Somalia solve tangible problems for communities in a way that no longer requires external funding. Along a few corridors, Palestinian human rights expert Omar Da’na spoke to an intimate circle about preserving evidence and pursuing prosecutions on behalf of fallen journalists in Gaza. Sessions that studied digital ceasefires, remade engagement frameworks for peace, and invited participants to map [...]
In conversations around governance and democracy, I’ve been struck by how inclusion continues to emerge as both a challenge and a catalyst for change. From the International Democracy Day (IDD) Conference in Brussels to the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Summit in Vitoria-Gasteiz, one theme was consistently reaffirmed for me: young people are not just the future of democracy, they are the present. At the IDD conference, Namibian Deputy Minister of Information, Emma Theofelus, reminded us that while networks and youth movements are flourishing, many young people still don’t know how to navigate the systems that shape their lives. “That’s why [...]
As global instability deepens – from hybrid warfare and disinformation to climate shocks and civic repression – the link between democracy and security has never been clearer. Speaking at a high-level roundtable on “Leadership and Partnership in Security: The Leading Role of Civil Society,” Blair Glencorse, Co-CEO of Accountability Lab, reflected on how leadership, trust, and collaboration can help build the foundations of collective security. “It’s an honour to be part of this gathering, especially as Ukraine’s continued struggle for freedom and Moldova’s recent elections remind us that democracy and security are inseparable,” Glencorse began. “The question before us is [...]