Building (unfunded) accountability into the localization agenda – Part 1

This is the first of a two-part series of blogs about accountability in the non-profit sector and how funders can better understand how this relates to localization. Being accountable is expensive. At Accountability Lab we have found that since we first wrote about this issue 5 years ago, that while people are becoming more aware of the costs of being accountable, it is more difficult, and  more expensive to fund than ever. The much-needed localization agenda has committed development partners (in particular the US Government) to directly channel a larger portion of official development assistance (ODA) to local partners in [...]

2024-09-30T19:33:45+00:0019th September 2024|

Youth Protests: Supporting active citizenship in practice

In an era of growing youth uprisings, there is an increased need to support this latest indicator of active citizenship in the countries in which they erupt. Large-scale protests against corruption, nepotism and excessive taxation of populations already struggling economically, flared up in Kenya, Uganda and Bangladesh over June and July this year. Protestors in all three countries faced brutal crackdowns by government police and security forces resulting in arrests, intimidation, violence and death.  While young democracy and human rights defenders do take steps to secure their safety, there is a need for more support. Mahera Musharrat, a young democracy [...]

2024-09-19T09:24:49+00:0013th September 2024|

Reflections, insights, and lessons from implementing New Narratives for Accountability in Zimbabwe 

In 2020, when Accountability Lab considered working in Zimbabwe, partners, experts, and friends remarked that accountability work required a fresh approach to re-energize the sector after over two decades of solid governance and accountability civil society work. With our partners at Magamba, Kubatana, and others, we heeded this advice and co-created a program bringing together communities, academics, creatives, and development orthodoxy to build an accountability ecosystem. This approach looked at old problems with fresh eyes, fostering unusual partnerships, and novel approaches.  Our value-driven approach allowed us to support and reinforce existing networks rather than re-form them and to improve rather [...]

2024-09-12T08:06:32+00:0010th September 2024|

Igniting a movement in Nepal

Narayan Adhikari calls the deep footprint he’s made at Accountability Lab a “journey of learnings” in how to build communities and ignite movements. What stands out in his telling of the journey is how extensive the learnings and innovations are, spanning internal teams and external networks. “Even though the sociopolitical landscape has changed dramatically since we started Accountability Lab in Nepal 12 years ago, I think we’ve adhered quite strictly to our vision and values; doing work that we are committed to. We’re constantly trying out new ways of building our communities and also our organization,” the AL Nepal CEO [...]

2024-09-05T18:49:32+00:003rd September 2024|

Twelve years “walking the walk” with Accountability Lab

Accountability Lab recently celebrated its twelfth birthday with friends and allies at a rooftop soiree at the OpenGov Hub in DC. It was a wonderful moment to celebrate our journey with many of those that have helped us along the way. And it really has been a shared effort - we couldn’t possibly have got as far as we have without the love and support of our partners who have “walked the walk” with us (we handed out some very stylish Accountability Lab socks to recognize that fact! Our translocal network of Labs has seen everything over the past twelve [...]

2024-09-03T09:59:35+00:002nd September 2024|

We’re hiring a Junior Networks and Partnerships Officer

Junior Networks and Partnerships Officer - Terms of Reference The Organization Accountability Lab makes governance work for people. We are seeking a world in which resources are used wisely, decisions benefit everyone fairly, and people lead secure lives. The Lab supports active citizens, responsible leaders and accountable institutions and is one of the leading eco-system building organizations within the governance field. The Lab is a “translocal network” registered as a local non-profit organization in the US, South Africa and in all the countries in which we work across Asia, Africa and Latin America.  The Team While our organization is headquartered [...]

2024-10-04T15:25:30+00:0028th August 2024|

Measuring Success: Leading with a positive approach in Pakistan

Fayyaz Yaseen believes strongly in the democratization of information. And not any old information; the kind that takes context, framing and emerging issues into account. The kind that clarifies for people their place in the world and what they can do from where they stand. As Accountability Lab Pakistan’s Executive Director, Yaseen’s strong background in policy at the think tank Sustainable Development Policy Initiative (SDPI) in Pakistan sparked an initial love for knowledge creation and sharing, and social accountability. “We thought if we can begin including more people into the discussions around service delivery and good governance – if the [...]

2024-08-27T08:53:02+00:0026th August 2024|

Anti-corruption technologists in Indonesia use tool to flag fraudulent entities

Team Lexicon Beneficial Ownership’s enthusiasm is contagious. Whether around new tools they’re learning or being able to contribute their skills in a meaningful way, the Jakarta-based team has been squirreling away at their anti-corruption tool’s functionality as much as they’ve been growing networks of potential users both in Indonesia and Singapore.  We chatted to them about their progress since participating in the South East Asia edition of Hackcorruption in April this year, where they were one of five winning teams who went on to bootcamp and received $10 000 to further develop and launch their solution. Their tech platform flags [...]

2024-08-20T13:21:10+00:0020th August 2024|

Conscious music and youth commitments in South Africa

Collaborative leadership has been at the heart of our work in South Africa. The Accountability Lab South Africa (ALSA) team has worked hard on improving service delivery challenges through Action4Accountability - a Civic Action Teams project - as well as launching the very first amapiano conscious music album. Interim Country Director Sadia Khan explains that they have relied on particular values like transparency, practicality and collaboration to make sure all the different parts of the work are supported. “It’s about being true to yourself and taking responsibility for your actions,” she says. This philosophy is also evident in ALSA’s diverse [...]

2024-08-15T12:49:30+00:0013th August 2024|

Allowing young voices to lead the charge in Bangladesh

2024 was always set to be a watershed year. With more than 60 elections around the world—many in some of the biggest democracies on the planet—it is a year when citizens are shaping the future of their countries at the polls. Though the reckoning through ballots was anticipated, many could not foresee the groundswell of momentum and protests for change on the streets and the vigor with which young people are willing to push back against endemic injustice.  The end of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s rule in Bangladesh came after weeks of protests and at the cost of many young [...]

2024-08-13T04:19:18+00:0012th August 2024|
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