Civil Society Engagement in the Summit for Democracy- What Does Online Data Show?

Written by Blair Glencorse Last week, the US government hosted the Summit for Democracy (S4D)- the beginning of a process to focus on the challenges and opportunities facing democracies around the world. The official Summit itself was a two-day series of high-level conversations, speeches and events (with other official side events over the past few weeks) that have kicked off what the Biden Administration is calling a “Year of Action” (YoA) during which participating countries will then work towards commitments made as part of these efforts. Around the Summit itself there are many unofficial ongoing side efforts to support the [...]

2021-12-15T15:59:56+00:0015th December 2021|

Citizen engagement in the fight against corruption – the C20 and the Italian G20 Presidency

Written by Jean Scrimgeour - 2021 co-chair of the C20 Anti-Corruption Working Group and Global Director of Growth and Strategy at Accountability Lab   The key aims of the Italian G20 Presidency were centred around three broad, interconnected pillars of action: People, Planet, and Prosperity. Within these pillars, there has been a focus on ensuring a swift international response to the pandemic through equitable, worldwide access to resources that can reduce inequality, ensure women’s empowerment, support young people, and protect the most vulnerable. Achieving these goals is impossible without directly confronting corruption, building accountability of governments and businesses, and supporting [...]

2021-10-21T11:43:27+00:0013th October 2021|

The G20 must recognize the power of procurement for social and economic good

Public contracts are how governments do business. They are governments’ number one corruption risk, and where public funds leak into the illicit financial system. At over US $13 trillion annually, the public procurement market wields enormous economic power. From improving equity to fighting climate change to improving the quality of education and delivering world class infrastructure, G20 governments can do better by buying better. Written by Kristen Robinson and Charlene Migwe-Kagume   Procurement deserves a strategic seat at the top table across all of the Italian G20 presidency’s anti corruption priorities and open contracting solutions can drive progress on all [...]

2021-10-12T11:24:07+00:0012th October 2021|

The Mad Queen of the South – Wardah Noor

Written by Syed Ommer Amer All fairy tales start with the phrase “once upon a time” but the story of Wardah Noor is not a fairy tale with a prince charming or a happily-ever-after. It is a saga of relentless struggles and miseries faced by a woman from her patriarchal community. It is the epitome of bravery that will inspire the upcoming generations for centuries. The protagonist of my story lives in the poorest district of Punjab, Layyah where the per capita income is around 10,000 PKR, far below the poverty line. Most of the community either does farming, works at the local [...]

2021-10-08T12:45:15+00:008th October 2021|

Lack of political will deepening underdevelopment in Akwa Ibom communities – Survey

A survey carried out by Accountability Lab Nigeria, in collaboration with Ford foundation, has revealed that lack of political will by elected representatives has remained one of the factors causing underdevelopment in some communities in Akwa Ibom State. The Program and Learning Manager of Accountability Lab Nigeria, Mrs Ehi Grace, who stated this on Saturday during a Town Hall meeting with some stakeholders in the State, disclosed that the conclusion of the survey was based on the findings in Upenekang and Uquo in Ibeno and Esit Eket local government areas of the State. Mrs Ehi, while decrying the reported cases [...]

2021-10-18T09:58:28+00:0026th September 2021|

Protecting civic space and encouraging accountability in Liberia

Written by Tirelo Makwela Accountability Lab Liberia Country Director, W. Lawrence Yealue II, is a passionate civil society leader with a wealth of experience working in the development sector, focusing on governance and anti-corruption. He lives by the four pillars of his work which are integrity building, system building, anti-corruption, and transparency. “I am driven by what I see around me. Growing up, I witnessed and still see a lot of injustices happening. I believe that standing up for what is right is important - even if no one is watching. I think these four pillars that I believe in [...]

2021-08-18T14:34:11+00:0018th August 2021|

COVID-19 and the invisible divide of digital outreach regarding government services for the vulnerable population

Written by Momina Sahar While one of the most promising and appealing steps taken by the government of Pakistan was the digitization of government services during the unprecedented times of a global pandemic, the uncritical embrace of technology for dissemination of information and services along with the lack of availability of digital services in certain areas of Pakistan creates a hierarchy in terms of access to information. Disparate access to the internet is a multilateral issue, the causes for which stem from various reasons such as infrastructure unavailability, gender disparity, and the economic and digital literacy divide.  As pointed out [...]

2022-11-10T06:46:21+00:0014th July 2021|

AL Pakistan’s brave Covid19 pivot

Fayyaz Yaseen is the Country Director of Accountability Lab Pakistan. He is a passionate development professional with extensive experience working on issues including governance, accountability, institutional reform, and political-economy transitions. “Ever since I was a student I was inspired by people from the development sector. They always sounded intelligent to me. I loved the way they thought about issues and respected them for their intellectual depth. They were learned people with open minds and seemed to understand every challenge faced by Pakistan as a country, in a logical manner. This inspired me to follow their footsteps and join the development [...]

2021-07-14T12:16:33+00:005th July 2021|

Gov-Her-nance: Five ways to foster collaboration between local governments and communities

By Soni Khanal and Sanjeeta Pant Nepal is a largely patriarchal society with a hierarchical caste system. But fixing old problems and creating equitable government structures does not have to be an uphill battle. Initiatives such as Gov-HER-nance, a pioneering campaign initiated by Accountability Lab Nepal (ALN) in collaboration with female local government representatives in Nepal’s Dhangadhi sub-metropolitan city, brings in new voices and finds solutions to issues of gender equity, local development, and open government. Contrary to what citizens commonly believe, we have found that government representatives can be eager to collaborate with community members to drive change, and to [...]

2021-05-18T10:46:47+00:0018th May 2021|

What does an effective, post-pandemic CSO look like?

As we enter the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, effective, collaborative civil society organizations (CSO) —which provide critical ideas, services, and advocacy efforts—have never been more essential. Over the past year, governments everywhere have used the global health crisis as an excuse to close civic space, restrict freedoms, and undermine liberties. By Blair Glencorse and Jean Scrimgeour The “quality of democracy, market economy, and governance” have declined to their lowest levels since 2004, according to the Bertelsman Stiftung. Freedom House maintains that democracy and respect for human rights have declined in 80 countries since the beginning of the pandemic. Equally, many CSOs have [...]

2022-02-12T09:04:31+00:0029th April 2021|
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