Introducing Civic Strength Partners

It feels both embarrassingly obvious and profoundly necessary to start by acknowledging what a year it’s been – not just for international development or civil society or the social sector writ large, but for the people whose collective hopes, work, and sacrifice have found ways to do good in the world. Each of us were, long before we were professionals, people who cared about contributing to something bigger than ourselves, and the last six months have brutally (and often, illegally) threatened to undo so much of what we’ve achieved, learned, and built.  The work we do now to build a [...]

2025-07-22T17:15:16+00:0022nd July 2025|

The World Justice Forum 2025: Why the rule of law is ours to protect

As the World Justice Forum 2025 drew to a close in Warsaw, Poland, Blair Glencorse, Co-CEO of Accountability Lab, delivered the Forum’s final plenary remarks. The Forum, hosted by the World Justice Project, convened a global network of justice advocates, civil society leaders, policymakers, and reformers to reflect on how civic space, institutional integrity, and citizen participation can be protected at a time when democratic backsliding is accelerating around the world. Speaking on behalf of the Lab’s translocal network and partners, Glencorse reflected on what made this year’s gathering so urgent, and shared how the Lab is putting the newly [...]

2025-07-01T08:33:36+00:001st July 2025|

From Austria to Action: YouthLED Board Members Begin Planning Regional Anti-Corruption Consultations

In April 2025, we joined 27 other passionate young anti-corruption leaders in Vienna, Austria, for the YouthLED Integrity Advisory Board Anti-Corruption Workshop, organized by the GRACE Initiative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).  The workshop allowed board members to exchange ideas on anticorruption, build strategy on combating it in our various countries and regions, and deepen our shared mission: to strengthen youth-led integrity board initiatives globally. The workshop was both energizing and inspiring. There’s something powerful about being in a room full of young changemakers from across the globe. Each board member came from different contexts [...]

2025-06-24T12:05:58+00:0023rd June 2025|

Fighting for gender equality: between challenges and progress

Nearly 30 years after the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, I reflect on my journey with civil society organizations committed to advancing gender equality. As African women, our involvement in this work is both intentional and transformative. My passion for supporting women and girls is also personal – shaped by lived experience and a clear understanding of the systemic barriers that limit access to opportunity and growth. Significant progress has been made in changing attitudes and implementing more inclusive public policies, notably with the adoption of the Maputo Protocol. The Gorée Institute's Power Of Dialogue (POD) [...]

2025-04-17T09:38:39+00:0017th April 2025|

Combat pour l’autonomisation des femmes et des filles entre challenges et progrès

Près de trois décennies après l’adoption de la Déclaration et de la Plateforme d'action de Beijing, je mène cette réflexion personnelle  sur mon implication auprès des organisations de la société civile qui initient et participent activement aux initiatives qui nous permettent en tant que femmes africaines  de poursuivre activement ce travail pionnier en faveur de l'égalité des genres. Le combat pour l’autonomisation et la promotion des droits des femmes et des filles est une passion innée car mon parcours personnel et mon expérience m’ont permis de prendre conscience des défis auxquelles sont confrontées les femmes et les filles, limitant leurs [...]

2025-04-17T09:38:41+00:0017th April 2025|

Restoring Public Trust Though Openness: Reflections From The OGP Regional Meeting And The GDC Africa Forum

Recently Nairobi hosted two pivotal events: The Open Government Partnership (OGP) Africa and Middle East Regional Meeting, and the Global Democracy Coalition (GDC) Africa Forum. These gatherings cemented the critical role of open governance and public participation in strengthening democratic innovations across the continent. Accountability Lab joined a host of governments and organisations in solidarity with Africa’s pursuit for more accountable and transparent governments.  The OGP Regional Meeting, themed "Rebuilding Trust through Open Government," convened government officials, civil society leaders, and private sector executives to deliberate on enhancing transparency and citizen engagement. Discussions spanned topics such as anti-corruption, digital governance, [...]

2025-04-11T11:26:54+00:0010th April 2025|

Rethinking CSO sustainability: from dependency to self-reliance

At the 2025 OGP Africa and Middle East Regional Meeting, young leaders, civil society actors, and digital governance experts came together to tackle a shared challenge: how to move from aid dependency to homegrown resilience. From bold strategies for CSO self-reliance to youth-led digital innovations and the power of local movements, this article captures the key conversations shaping the future of governance in Africa. The discussion on civil society sustainability highlighted the pressing challenges of diminishing donor funding and the shift towards performance-based financing. According to René Edouard Mendis, “Funding cuts aren’t just coming from USAID, they’re also hitting partners [...]

2025-04-11T09:14:22+00:0010th April 2025|

4 ways to build resilient networks: Lessons from Accountability Lab Nepal

If it’s one thing the past couple of months have shown the development sector it’s the necessity of community.  As civil society organizations working to build the world back better, we can’t do it on our own. It takes a village, and we have to be the villagers who make the village possible. I had the privilege of visiting my colleagues at Accountability Lab Nepal who haven’t cracked the village code as much as they live it. I also chatted with Program Manager Prekkshya Bimali about what it takes to be a home for governance champions and a base for [...]

2025-04-04T10:38:28+00:004th April 2025|

Defending press freedom: Five key takeaways from Danai Nhando and Nkosikhona Dibiti

Around the world, journalists are facing growing pressure—from legal threats and online harassment to financial constraints and shrinking civic space. These challenges don’t just affect individual journalists—they impact our collective ability to access credible, independent information and hold those in power to account. In a recent episode of the AccountabiliTea podcast, Cheri-Leigh Erasmus, Co-CEO of Accountability Lab and host of the podcast, spoke with Danai Nhando, a Human Rights Lawyer and Social Entrepreneur, and Nkosikhona Dibiti, Executive Director of Community Podium and Journalist, about the state of media freedom today. Their insights speak to a global moment of reckoning for [...]

2025-04-03T08:28:58+00:002nd April 2025|

Launching a partnership matching service for nonprofits

While a lot of us have talked about the potential, value, and - in some cases - need for more mergers and acquisitions in the non-profit space, recent events have made it clear: now is the time. Immediately after recent US aid cuts, our team circulated a survey to civil society and international development organizations - and the resulting data, from more than 700 organizations, suggests that nearly 60% of organizations may close within the next 6 months. Given the recent stop work orders, contract and grant cancellations, and cascading effects of international civil society support shifts, a large number [...]

2025-04-10T11:45:20+00:0027th March 2025|
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