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Action for Accountability champions environmental justice

This article, shared by GLOBE POST, highlights the inspiring work being done to promote environmental justice in South Africa through the Action for Accountability (A4A) project. Led by The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, Accountability Lab South Africa, and the Public Service Accountability Monitor, the project brings communities together to tackle issues like wetland restoration and improving sanitation. The article shines a light on the important role of Civic Action Teams in driving these efforts, making a real difference in local communities. It also recaps the recent People’s Council event, where leaders came together to share ideas and collaborate on solutions for [...]

2024-09-05T12:36:08+00:005th September 2024|

What’s democracy without citizen participation?

This article presented by Grocott's Mail discusses the ongoing challenges in achieving meaningful citizen participation and accountability within South Africa's local municipalities, focusing on the case study of Makhanda. It highlights initiatives like the Action for Accountability project and the role of organizations like the Public Service Accountability Monitor in promoting civic engagement and addressing governance issues. It has been three decades since the dawn of democracy in South Africa, yet gaps between communities and government remain a talking point. The apartheid administration brought the blatant exclusive participation in governance, forcefully silencing a large portion of the population. However, the [...]

2024-09-05T10:01:58+00:0019th April 2024|

Bagira: Participatory Budget, Several Projects Selected For 2023

Several projects will be carried out by the municipality of Bagira in favor of its ten districts within the framework of the participatory budget for the year 2023. This is what emerges from the general assembly organized this Friday, February 24 in the Venus room. These include the rehabilitation of stairs and collectors in the Lumumba district and the construction of a shed in the Linda market, in the Nyakavogo district. For the Mulambula district, it is the installation of 5 lampposts in each avenue. The Cikonyi district will benefit from the construction of the bridge at Karwanyi. The projects selected for the Cikera [...]

2023-03-02T15:35:05+00:002nd March 2023|

Applying CivActs to Housing Insecurity in Mbare

By Kibo Ngowi What does it look like to close the feedback loop between citizens and authorities to ensure people-powered accountability? That’s the question we’ve been asking for the last seven years starting in Nepal after the devastating 2015 earthquake when we established the Mobile Citizen Helpdesks with a vision of galvanizing volunteers to bridge the information gap and respond to the unfolding humanitarian crisis.  Since then the program has been renamed Civic Action Teams (CivActs) and evolved to address a variety of challenges such as migration, human trafficking, inclusion and elections across the several countries where we operate including [...]

2023-01-09T08:51:59+00:009th January 2023|

Experts stress on responsible journalism to counter effects of fake news, misinformation

Rawalpindi: In an Seminar arranged by the Accountability Lab Pakistan held at the Rawalpindi Press Club where speakers discussed the key drivers and impacts of fake news and disinformation upon Society, especially on our youth and Role of Journalism. The event was Chaired by Incharge Rawalpindi Press Club Ms Shakela Jalil: Ms. Shazia Mehboob Editor Digital Media Plat form “The PenPK.com, and Mr. Javed Rana senior journalist and analyst CEO/The Editor of The Digital Dispatch, an Investigative Multimedia Digital Magazine were among the key speakers. The event was attended by a large number of Journalist from various print and electronic [...]

2022-12-14T22:16:41+00:002nd December 2022|

Collaborative approach to deal with effects of fake news and disinformation on freedom of expression

In an event arranged at the National Press Club by Accountability Lab speakers discussed the key drivers and impacts of fake news and disinformation on society and especially on youth. Dr. Zafar Iqbal, Dean, Social Sciences Department, International Islamic University, Islamabad; Ms. Zill e Huma, Deputy Director at the Press Information Department, Iftikhar Sherazi, Bureau Chief, Dawn News and Dr. Sadia Kamal, who is senior journalist and former vice president of the NPC, were among the key speakers. The event was attended by representatives from local media, civil society and students from various academic institutions. In her opening remarks Dr. [...]

2022-11-10T06:46:16+00:0019th October 2022|

Rebuilding Accountability Chains One Action and Community at a Time

By Alois Nyamazana Zimbabwe’s informal economy is the second largest in the world. The ILO estimates that 5.2 million people trade in the informal economy (compared to 495,000 who are in formal employment), and 65% of these are women. Informal trade is a precarious and insecure source of livelihood. Adding to this challenge is the criminalization of informal trade[  as a result of an insufficient policy environment. Informal traders constantly face harassment from authorities. For example, in Goromonzi, traders are in constant conflict with state and municipal authorities. This has resulted in traders losing valuable income, and women traders facing sexual [...]

2022-10-05T08:25:04+00:003rd October 2022|

Action taken after intervention by Action for Accountability

Dangerous open manholes and incomplete water infrastructure maintenance compromise safety in Mondeor. The open manholes and incomplete water infrastructure in Mondeor is a danger to the community. This was discussed by the newly established CivActs team of the Action for Accountability (A4A) on September 10. The A4A is a project co-funded by the European Union and implemented by the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, Accountability Lab South Africa and the Public Service Accountability Monitor. The project aims to support communities through better governance as South Africa struggles with an accountability crisis. It has been months since residents are confronted with these problems, [...]

2022-11-20T22:33:33+00:0023rd September 2022|

Rebuilding Accountability Chains in Zimbabwe

By Alois Nyamazana Broken accountability chains lie at the heart of Zimbabwe’s governance problems. Lack of accountability in Zimbabwe has led to the squandering of precious public resources, and a collapse in the systems that are meant to fulfill citizens’ social and economic rights such as access to clean water, health, education, and adequate food. Citizens, particularly the vulnerable, bear the burden of failed accountability mechanisms, in the face of a deteriorating economy. Compounding this burden is corruption with recent events such as the COVID-gate scandal, in which government officials abused COVID-19 resources by flouting procurement and procedural regulations. A [...]

2022-09-05T09:37:34+00:005th September 2022|

Leveraging community feedback for stronger ecosystems

Written by Sanjeeta Pant   This is the third in a series of reflective blogs that will look at how the agile nature of Accountability Lab’s Civic Action Teams campaign has strengthened our ability to work in diverse communities and expanded our networks and resolution channels. Read the first blog here and the second here. From building the capacity of 150 Community Frontline Associates (CFAs) to collecting data from more than 200,000 people across 17 districts, the Civic Action Teams (CivActs) program has expanded in Nepal to close the feedback loop on a range of issues. These include earthquake response, [...]

2022-08-05T08:27:08+00:001st August 2022|
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