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The Language of Accountability in Pakistan

By Fayyaz Yaseen Almost all the words referring to accountability in one way or another – such as responsiveness, transparency, participation, inclusion, accountability, rule of law – are used just as they are (as English words), despite the fact that there are stronger Urdu corresponding words that can spell out an even stronger meaning that also relates to the local context. For example, the Urdu word for ‘responsiveness’ is ‘jawabdahi’, which means that one is not only expected to respond in a timely manner but is also accountable for doing/not doing so. Similarly, the term ‘rule of law’ is understood [...]

2022-11-10T06:46:22+00:0030th June 2021|

Odeh Friday – Accountability Lab Nigeria’s Country Director

Odeh Friday is Accountability Lab Nigeria’s Country Director and brought a wealth of experience to the Lab’s global family when he led the establishment of a network lab in Nigeria. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics Degree from the University of Abuja, Odeh was placed at the National Space and Research Development Agency for his one-year service in the National Youth Service Corps. “In that period I discovered and joined an organization called All Nigerian United Nations Students Association which promotes the ideals and principles of the UN like, no discrimination based on sex and religion, so it [...]

2021-06-21T11:22:11+00:0018th June 2021|

Accountability in the time of Covid-19

It’s been a challenging but productive year as the Lab adapts to the effects of working under the new normal of the Covid-19 pandemic, along with the rest of the world. A key part of our work this year was launching a Virtual Accountability Incubator and also supporting our existing accountability entrepreneurs in our network on projects aimed at strengthening Covid-19 response and recovery efforts. Earlier this year we created a fund for our accountapreneurs who pitched ideas for these mini-grants on a competitive basis. We've been excited by the quality of projects that have come out of this initiative. [...]

2020-10-06T08:46:31+00:005th October 2020|

Government Accountability Explains Differing Pandemic Responses

The coronavirus health crisis has brought about deep challenges related to misinformation, governance and trust. In a webinar sponsored by the Center for Strategic International Studies on Wednesday, Accountability Lab panelists on the ground in South Africa, Mali and Nepal detailed how the pandemic is affecting government accountability and corruption. The Accountability Lab is a non-profit international project, which works to engage citizens in conversations surrounding civil service in nine countries. Citizens, civil society groups and public sector reformers across several countries are finding creative ways to rebuild trusted communication between states and their people, in the absence of effective [...]

2020-07-23T12:22:47+00:0023rd July 2020|

M&E of the Intangible: Resources on Social Norms

Social norms have risen significantly in profile amongst those working on behavior change related to gender, female genital mutilation, public health, child marriage and increasingly corruption. With the increase in attention comes the difficulty of determining how to monitor and evaluate (M&E) change. By Dhaval Kothari Unlike behaviors, social norms are intangible and invisible, making simplistic checklists inadequate. M&E of social norms must take into account injunctive norms, descriptive norms and sanctions at a minimum. (To learn more about the components of social norms see pages 25-27 in Understanding Social Norms: A Reference Guide for Policy and Practice.) As a [...]

2020-07-14T22:56:32+00:0014th July 2020|

Grant Makers Can Improve Government Effectiveness in the Covid-19 Era

Philanthropy has committed billions of dollars in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. While certainly generous, that’s a fraction of the trillions committed so far by governments worldwide. And therein lies a largely untapped opportunity. By Leslie Lang Tsai Grant makers can have an outsized impact by supporting efforts to improve government efficiency, accountability, and effectiveness in responding to the pandemic. Philanthropies should start by asking themselves some critical questions: How much of this massive tranche of government resources will be lost through corruption? Who is even monitoring what may be governments’ largest non-wartime spending in history? And what can grant [...]

2020-07-14T22:27:59+00:0014th July 2020|

NGOs call for continued support for transparency and accountability

We’ve signed a letter in collaboration with the Infrastructure Transparency Initiative (CoST) and Hivos calling for providers of development assistance to maintain support for transparency, accountability and open government initiatives. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing economic crisis, we believe this needs to remain a priority in the sector, supported by dozens of development organizations from across the globe. We, the undersigned national and international NGOs, call on providers of development assistance to maintain support for transparency, accountability and open government initiatives in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing economic crisis. Multilateral and bilateral agencies, [...]

2020-07-10T13:04:15+00:0010th July 2020|

New Narratives for Accountability in Zimbabwe

Harare, Zimbabwe - Accountability Lab (AL) is launching a new project that contributes to the conversation on integrity and accountability in Zimbabwe. The “New Narratives for Accountability in Zimbabwe” project will create dialogue and active civic participation among Zimbabweans. The project will work with local partner organizations to build unlikely networks within Zimbabwe’s diverse geographic and demographic communities, using music, art and youth-led public campaigns. Corruption has been a pressing issue in the country, with scandals from Willowgate in the 1980s, to Cashgate in 2014, and recently, to COVID-gate. The project intends to engage constructively with issues of corruption, with [...]

2020-07-08T13:40:13+00:007th July 2020|

CSO urged to uphold assessment standards of Covid-19 resources

The Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Dr. Pa Lamin Beyai, has challenged Accountability Lab in Liberia, to live up to its standards of ensuring that assessment of Covid-19 resources is done with accountability, transparency and integrity. Dr. Beyai was speaking at the official launch of the Coronavirus Crisis Response Project on the weekend at iCampus Liberia on Carey Street. It is an initiative supported by UNDP, core partners - Sweden and Ireland - and a partnership with Accountability Lab, that brings to Liberia’s Covid-19 response an important element that assesses how resources, be it financial or in kind, [...]

2020-07-07T18:21:54+00:0022nd June 2020|

To Whom Much Is Given – National Accountability Stewardship and the Role of Public Servants

The greatest enemy of accountability is impunity, the feeling that you are doing the public a favour and do not owe them any explanations. If the politician and the public servant are to win the trust of the public, this is something that must change. To whom much is given, much is expected. By Dr. Joe Abah. For clarity, it is always prudent to start with a definition of terms, particularly as some terms that are presumed to mean the same things to everybody could actually mean different things to different people. There are many definitions of the word “Accountability.” [...]

2020-06-18T00:00:00+00:0018th June 2020|
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