COVID-19 and it’s impact on people living with disabilities in Pakistan

By Nida Qasim Khan The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed the extent of exclusion that the most marginalized communities in Pakistan experience. Among the most adversely affected groups are Pakistan’s 28 million persons with disabilities (PWDs), who make up 10% to 15% of Pakistan’s population. according to the Special Talent Exchange Program (STEP). Even under normal circumstances, persons with disabilities are neglected and suffer from reduced access to education, poverty, unemployment, abuse and low rates of participation in the community. According to research done by the United Nations’ Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), PWD’s can suffer [...]

2022-11-10T06:46:22+00:0011th April 2021|

Accountability Lab to honour honest public servants

An accountability advocacy organization has launched a campaign to award public servants in the health and education sector who are exuding honesty in their work. Speaking at the launch of Integrity Icon Zimbabwe on Thursday in Harare, Accountability Lab Zimbabwe’s Program and Campaign Manager Grace Chirenje said the campaign aims to inculcate integrity to be the norm in public service. “The campaign aims to celebrate individuals working in the health and education sector who go beyond the call of duty and we want to ensure that integrity becomes the norm and not an exception." “So we intend to name and [...]

2021-04-09T15:18:11+00:009th April 2021|

Accountability Lab Liberia Wants Citizens To Get Involved in Nominating this Year’s Integrity Icon

Accountability Lab Liberia has launched an eight month campaign process that begins with the nominations of public servants across the country through a rigorous vetting process. Making the disclosure at the office on Carey Street, the Country Director of Accountability Lab Liberia Lawrence Yealue said there are more good people in Liberia than bad people adding that the good people need to be celebrated. This year is the seventh edition of the Integrity Icon. The nomination process according to the AL Liberia Country Director will last for three months. A panel of three judges will narrow the numerous nominations to [...]

2021-04-26T13:20:49+00:002nd April 2021|

Building an anti-corruption organization in a complex context: Key insights from Zimbabwe 

By McDonald Lewanika, Country Director of Accountability Lab Zimbabwe COVID-19 crept into an unsuspecting world like a thief in the night at the end of 2019. It altered the world of work through deprivation and dramatic changes to ways of working. In Zimbabwe, dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic was mired in authoritarian politics, which saw the alleged weaponization of lockdown regulations to curtail civic space and place democratic dissent itself in lockdown.  Despite this, in April 2020, Accountability Lab pressed ahead with year-old plans to establish a translocal network lab in Zimbabwe and implement a new project, New Narratives for [...]

2021-04-01T06:51:11+00:001st April 2021|

Business integrity during COVID-19: How to build integrity and trust within businesses during pandemic?

By Bakhtawar Khalid In the light of recent hoarding and price manipulation scandals, the business industry has developed a reputation for its lack of ethics. In an industry where getting ahead and making money appears to take precedence over ethical decision-making, it can be difficult to understand the importance of ethical behavior in business. Lack of business ethics and commitment to compliance leads to a wealth of problems for a business; for instance, they can face: Fines and long-drawn legal battles; Criminal charges against those involved; Negative effects on employee motivation may create an air of distrust among employees and tension [...]

2021-03-31T12:03:49+00:0031st March 2021|

An assessment of current policy advocacy tools used by chambers of commerce in Pakistan

By Nida Qasim Khan Context: Accountability Lab Pakistan has worked with chambers of commerce in its recent Business Accountability Bootcamps, and in the process has gathered some insights into how they operate. Some of the key findings made were that they lack the advocacy tools that are required of a chamber of commerce, such as proper websites, updated social media channels, or a platform where they share press releases, minutes of their internal meetings, and other such details of their work. We understand at Accountability Lab Pakistan that chambers of commerce are the bridge between business communities and the government and [...]

2022-11-10T06:46:24+00:0031st March 2021|

How can business startups build policy influence in Pakistan?

By Nida Qasim Khan General overview of the Pakistani start-up ecosystem According to the Pakistan Startup Ecosystem Report 2019, business start-up activity increased significantly between 2012 and 2019. In 2012, there were only two major incubators and no notable funding sources or investors. However, 2019 saw an increase of 24 major incubators/accelerators, 20 formal investors/ funding sources and 80 co-working spaces in Pakistan, as well as the launch of National Incubation Centers (NICs). The report also noted that funding and support to startups have significantly increased since 2012, via the government, private and corporate sectors. In Pakistan, start-up culture and entrepreneurship [...]

2021-03-31T11:55:22+00:0031st March 2021|

Making most out of a chamber membership – revisiting advocacy & policy work of chambers of commerce in Pakistan

By Qazi Kabir Ahmed Hashmi Context: Accountability Lab conducted Business Accountability Bootcamps across four cities in the month of October, and hosted 95 entrepreneurs from all over Pakistan, to encourage them in the direction of ethical and sustainable business practices. We covered several key points in these bootcamps including the benefits of ethical business via case studies, the benefits of OGP in Pakistan’s context, as well the importance of building trust between customers, businesses, and the government. However, we found that there was a general lack of understanding about the role of chambers of commerce and the usefulness of becoming a member [...]

2022-11-10T06:46:25+00:0031st March 2021|

U.S. Embassy and Malian Minister Engage Young Female Filmmakers

United States Embassy in Mali - Press Statement Bamako, Mali, March 25, 2021 U.S. Embassy Bamako invited Mali’s Minister for the Promotion of Women, Children, and Families Bouaré Bintou Foune Samaké to join a breakfast conversation with ten rising Malian female filmmakers.  The event aimed to foster conversations about how to creatively use film as a tool to communicate with the public on issues related to women and children. The ten Malian women are participating in the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Film School Fellowship being run in Mali by Accountability Lab Country Director Moussa Kondo and Program Coordinator Zeina [...]

2021-03-31T08:37:28+00:0026th March 2021|

ICPC pledges to sustain new ethics, integrity in fight against corruption

THE Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says it will sustain the new National Ethics and Integrity Policy, which is geared towards changing many Nigerians’ mindsets and preventing them from engaging in corruption. The commission launched the new policy to reduce corruption in public and private spheres in Nigeria. ICPC spokesperson Azuka Ogugua made this known during a radio programme, ‘Public Conscience,’ produced by the Progressive Impact Organization for Community Development (PRIMORG) on Wednesday in Abuja. Ogugua, while reassuring that the sustainability of the policy was of paramount interest to the commission, disclosed that plans were on the [...]

2021-03-26T10:28:08+00:0025th March 2021|
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