fbpx

‘When people with integrity begin to rise, corruption fails’

By Eresh Omar Jamal Narayan Adhikari is Nepal country director and co-founder and Sanjeeta Pant is programmes and learning manager at Accountability Lab. In a conversation with Eresh Omar Jamal of The Daily Star, they discuss the Accountability Lab's Integrity Icon initiative, which recognises and awards public servants (across 15 countries), nominated by citizens and others for demonstrating exceptional integrity at work and their personal lives. It is an attempt to address the perception of widespread corruption among civil servants in these countries, and encourage greater integrity in the profession. What motivated you to create Accountability Lab and the Integrity Icon initiative? Narayan Adhikari (NA): When we [...]

2023-01-18T13:17:30+00:0022nd December 2022|

AL reps join the UN’s YouthLED Integrity Advisory Board

In a world where young people are sidelined in conversations involving their future, more young people are rising, changing the status quo and amplifying their participation in governance matters. They are taking on the task of changing the narrative in policymaking processes and making their voices heard. Accountability Lab is proud to have two of its staff members from Nepal and Liberia appointed to join the newly established YouthLED Integrity Advisory Board for the Global Resource for Anti-Corruption Education and Youth Empowerment (GRACE) initiative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Parnneh Mallobe from Liberia and Prekkshya [...]

2022-04-14T08:53:21+00:0014th April 2022|

Ways to commit to democracy

By Blair Glencorse & Narayan Adhikari  Last month, the Nepal government released its written commitments as part of the United States government-led Summit for Democracy—an effort to bolster and renew democratic action globally during a period of significant challenges for democracies around the world. While American influence in Nepal is certainly not uncontroversial—as we have seen with the renewed protests related to the Millennium Challenge Corporation agreement recently—in a broader sense the S4D, as it is known, and the “Year of Action” it has now precipitated are an extraordinary opportunity to galvanise attention and mobilise international action to support democratic norms. Sadly, the Nepal government [...]

2022-04-03T13:41:45+00:0017th March 2022|

Including the excluded in the bureaucracy

Let’s face it, Nepal’s civil service is not held in very high regard by Nepalis themselves. But in the past seven years after the affirmative action policies of the new Constitution, there are signs that the bureaucracy is more inclusive and efficient. Take Manmaya Bhattarai Pangeni, who entered Nepal’s civil service as a junior branch officer in 2006. She rose up the ranks, serving as Chief District Officer (CDO) of Nawalparasi and is now secretary at the Gandaki Province Chief Minister’s office. As CDO, Pangeni was committed to curbing illegal sand extraction and quarrying that worsened floods in the district. Serious crime, including violence against women, went down during [...]

2022-04-08T07:45:05+00:0013th March 2022|

A virtual Internship with Accountability Lab Nepal

Despite being 9,724 kilometres apart, I felt connected and part of the team every step of the way. As a student who knew little about humanitarian and development work, I was unsure what to expect working with Accountability Lab, let alone how to complete a virtual three-month internship from Sydney, Australia, due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. However, the moment I met with Narayan, Soni and Bikin, they eased all my concerns. They were so welcoming and excited to have me on the team. 14 weeks later, I completed my internship, and could not be happier and prouder of myself and [...]

2021-12-22T12:31:08+00:0022nd December 2021|
Go to Top