WHAT'S NEW?
Heading into UN General Assembly Week, we are likely to see more division than unity in New York. Is that a signal of a multilateral order no longer fit for purpose as Mark Malloch Brown suggests? Steward Patrick sees a need for global governance reform amid growing international competition.
It is also Climate Week in New York and TAI will be releasing new research explaining why the world needs green accountability. In the meantime, Steven-Hristo Evestus helps us make the case for transparency in combating climate change, be that to minimize corruption, end fuel subsidies or give more voice to those left out of negotiating rooms.
Global Witness calls on us all to stand firm with those individuals, communities and organizations that are bravely defending human rights, their land, and our environment. Last year, 177 people were murdered for doing this work. We remember their names and celebrate their activism.
The Bongo family ruled Gabon for most of its independence. While the country stagnated and poverty remained, the family amassed vast wealth — much of it hidden offshore.
The European Parliament is preparing to vote on the Critical Raw Materials Act, presenting an opportunity to embed key principles of corporate accountability and respect for human rights to an essential element of the energy transition argue Business and Human Rights Center.
A successful Citizens’ Assembly strengthens public trust, produces reliable outputs that garner legitimacy, and impacts public decisions, argues Democracy Next. Here, they tell you how to set one up.
The International Budget Partnership presents a new how to guide for monitoring budget credibility of SDG spending.
Roberto Chavarria Simpson and Conor Seyle argue that bolstering institutional trust is essential for social impact.
It’s not often we get to talk about outer space, but this week we latch on to the fact that NASA promises greater transparency as it continues to study hundreds of UFO sightings.
TAI RECOMMENDS
Publish What You Fund has been analysing the transparency of private aid contractors. These organisations handle billions of dollars of aid money, yet the largest players are almost completely un-transparent. PWYF takes a deep dive into the transparency of two of these companies, Chemonics and Adam Smith International, and provides clear policy recommendations to help improve the visibility of the aid that flows through them.
FROM OUR MEMBERS
LUMINATE:
Celebrates a win for press freedom in the Philippines: Maria Ressa and her news outlet Rappler have been acquitted by a regional court on the final tax evasion charge filed by the former Duterte administration.
HEWLETT FOUNDATION:
Listen to Mallika Dutt discuss interconnectedness and sacred activism in this episode of the Point of Relation podcast.
MACARTHUR FOUNDATION:
“It’s hard to have a democracy when you don’t have good local news." President John Palfrey speaks with The Washington Post about Press Forward's plans to elevate local journalism.
OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATIONS:
The Open Society Barometer is one of the largest ever studies of global public opinion on human rights and democracy across 30 countries—representing over 5.5 billion people worldwide. Explore the results at Open Society Barometer - Open Society Foundations (and more below.)
TOOLS & TRENDS FOR FUNDERS
A new research study from the Asia Pacific region offers lessons on how donors can better understand and support movement actors, who often receive less support as compared to more institutionalized NGOs.
Atje Drexler describes Robert Bosch Stiftung's journey in developing a program focused on addressing inequalities through principles and practices associated with intersectionality.
Aidan Eyakuze offers ten insights on breaking the NGO starvation cycle.
The Future of Philanthropy report suggests a need for more useful data and for philanthropists to collaborate not just with each other, but also across sectors.
ESSENTIAL LISTENING AND WATCHING!
Chile reaches the 50th anniversary of the coup d'état in a tense climate, in which the consensus against the dictatorship has cracked: there are more people justifying the coup today than a decade ago (in Spanish).
FOCUSED TOPIC OF THE WEEK
DEMOCRACY DELIVERING? NUMBERS AND ACTIONS ARE MIXED
The health of democracy will be one of the backdrop concerns in UN meetings this week. The good news is that according to Open Society Foundations’ major international survey of 30 countries published, 86% of respondents would prefer to live in a democratic state and only 20% believe authoritarian regimes are more capable of delivering “what citizens want”.
The bad news is that only 57% of respondents aged 18 to 35 felt democracy was preferable to any other form of government. Although if the young are disillusioned with democracy, they are finding alternative ways to make their voices heard.
Latinobarometro details the democratic recession in Latin America where authoritarianism is now seen as a desirable option by many. Indicatvie of the challenge of preserving democracy, the Organization of American States' electoral observation mission to Guatemala expressed deep concern about president Arévalo suspending the transition process. “The opening of the electoral packers by people and institutions other than those identified by law represents a frontal attack on the integrity of the vote and an affront to the popular will,” the mission said in a statement.
END ENABLING OF KLEPTOCRATS: TAI LAUNCHES NEW REPORT.
Dark money flows are undermining democracy and enabling kleptocracy. So, what can we do about it? This new scoping paper details funding opportunities - taking stock of current opportunities and obstacles and exploring approaches that promise the greatest impact. Written by Andrew Clarke with the support of the TAI Secretariat it draws on insights from leading advocates and watchdogs in the space and outlines possible avenues for strategic engagement.
One of the key messages of the report is the need to curb the role of those who “enable” dirty money. As the examples of dodgy dealings proliferate, this week we highlight just two that remind us why this issue merits more donor attention.
First, Dutch news outlet Follow the Money found more than 50 secretive Dutch foundations set up to disguise assets and avoid scrutiny. Second, a data breach originating from Finaport, an asset management company headquartered in Zurich, has revealed that the firm had associations with clients who were politically influential figures, as well as two Russian individuals facing allegations of misappropriating funds from a bank they possessed, along with a businessman facing accusations related to insurance fraud.
HAVE YOU SEEN OUR PREVIOUS WEEKLIES?
JOBS AT TAI MEMBERS
Job postings at Hewlett Foundation - ONGOING
Job postings at MacArthur Foundation - ONGOING
Job postings at Open Society Foundations - ONGOING
Job postings at Luminate - ONGOING
Job postings at Ford Foundation - ONGOING
Job postings at FCDO - ONGOING
Job postings at Skoll - ONGOING
JOBS LISTINGS
Data quality officer - Afrobarometer
Director of People & Culture -Earth Rights International
Two part-time regional coordinators- UNCAC Coalition
Regional Coordinator for the Caribbean- Fisheries International Transparency
Initiative
Regional Coordinator for the Pacific - Fisheries International Transparency Initiative
Regional Coordinator for Anglophone Africa- Fisheries International Transparency Initiative
Communications Coordinator - Fisheries International Transparency Initiative
Director, Policy & Partnerships- Open Government Partnership
Programme Manager (Civic Power and Media)- CIVITATES
Programme Manager (Tech and Democracy) - CIVITATES
Program Manager for Latin America and The Caribbean- Thousand Currents
Team Leader - Tax Inspectors Without Borders - OECD
CALENDAR
Investing in Green Accountability,Systemiq/TAI/GPSA, Action Speaks Summit, New York, 19 September, 4.30pm ET
Government transparency in marine fisheries: What roles does it play for fish trade and eco-certification?’, Wednesday, 20 September 2023 at 2.00 p.m. CEST
5th World Bank IFS ODI Tax Conference - The Political Economy of Public Finances, London and virtual, September 21-22
Seismic Shifts: How Economic, Technological, and Political Trends are Challenging Independent Counter-Election-Disinformation Initiatives, Sept 26, 1 - 2pm EDT
INTRAC Webinar: Decolonising Consultancy, Sept 31, 13.00
The Participatory Playbook - Launch event, Pople Powered, Sept. 27, 10 a.m. ET
RINGO Open House Introducing the INGO Board Action Pod, Sept 27, 10.00 GMT
RINGO Community Gathering, Sept 28
WINGS Forum, 3-5 October
Freedom on the Net 2023 Report Launch, Freedom House, October 4, 10.30am ET
Launch Event: Governance Action Hub, Wednesday, October 11, 9 - 11am EDT
Global Philanthropy Forum, San Francisco, October 17-19
Othering and Belonging Conference, Berlin, October 26-27
EDGE 2023 Annual Conference -"Funding Boldly: Systemic Change and Alternatives", Berlin, October 18-20
Strengthening Democracy through Information Integrity, November 13-14
#ShiftThePower Summit, Bogota, 5-7 December
We’d love to hear from you on how we can further improve TAI Weekly to better serve your needs in program management on the transparency, accountability, improved grantmaking and civic space. Please direct your feedback to [email protected] or