Dear readers,
Cameroonians have voted and wait on results, although Paul Biya is expected to extend his 43 year grip on power. Aged 92, he is the oldest government leader in the world, but is also the trend setter. Older leaders have been in the ascendancy lately (with every sign of wanting to extend their lives and rule). So, perhaps no surprise that The Economist is among those worrying that aging autocrats, are far from relics, but “a template for the future.”
No need to wait to dive into this Weekly - everything from corporate accountability in Asia to open parliaments to a lecture series on global inequality to getting donors unstuck and a deep dive on illicit wealth. Happy reading!
TAI team
WHAT'S NEW?
The Forum on Information and Democracy wonders if we can apply the polluter pays principles to Big Tech platforms and introduce a digital tax to support quality journalism. Innovation is needed as the financial landscape of independent media sector deteriorates.
World Resources Institute has launched the new governance section of its Systems Change Lab tool, featuring six key governance shifts to help protect both people and the planet. TAI was delighted to be one of the early peer reviewers.
Asia's first binding environmental due diligence laws are taking shape. Asia has no equivalent to the EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, leaving only voluntary frameworks. Rebecca Root reports that Thailand and South Korea plan to change that by creating the region's first binding human rights and environmental due diligence laws.
Gisela Salim-Peyer reflects that life in Venezuela was deceptively mundane. Then everything collapsed. In "Authoritarianism Feels Surprisingly Normal—Until It Doesn't," the author shares a compelling firsthand account in The Atlantic of how authoritarian rule gradually transforms daily life.
One week since the 2025 Open Parliament Index ranked South Africa, Ghana, and Kenya in its top three positions, a new working paper from Idah Knowles examines whether open parliament reforms in those countries have resulted or not in institutional uptake and shifts in power dynamics.
Wondering who is working on reshaping our economies to better serve people and planet? Partners for a New Economy partnered with Metabolic to publish the Fertile Ground report that maps 700+ organisations leading the charge in Europe.
How can trust in institutions be restored? The five finalists from a $10 million open call for bold ideas might give you some inspiration for what can be done in the United States at least.
Unlocking Ownership Data by Transparency International UK presents guidelines for implementing meaningful access to beneficial ownership data in the UK's offshore territories, aiming to counter financial secrecy and illicit flows.
Last week we featured historians’ reflections on multilateralism, now a new report revisits the Bandung Conference when newly independent countries in Africa and Asia laid the foundations for solidarity, sovereignty, and more equitable international relations. 70 years on, can the Bandung spirit continue to inspire efforts to reform multilateralism and strengthen partnerships for a fairer world?
JOIN US THIS WEEK
Join the International Centre for Tax and Development, Accountability Lab, and TAI Collaborative during the International Monetary Fund & World Bank Annual Meetings for a discussion on equitable and accountable domestic revenue in the post-aid era. Experts from research, civil society, donors, and governments, including our very own Michael Jarvis, will explore how actors can shape just and resilient public finance systems. In-person at Open Gov Hub, Washington, DC, October 16, 3:30–5:00 pm, followed by a happy hour, or join virtually.
FROM OUR MEMBERS
HEWLETT FOUNDATION: Welcomes Dave Turk as the incoming Director of the Environment Program. With a distinguished career in U.S. and international energy, climate, and environmental policy, he will officially assume the role on December 1, 2025.
HUMANITY UNITED: Congratulates Mahendra Pandey, Director of Forced Labor and Human Trafficking, and the Global Migrant Workers Network for being named finalists in the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship’s 2026 Social Innovation Awards! Their work champions the rights and dignity of migrant workers and envisions a more just and equitable world. See the full list of finalists.
HILTON FOUNDATION: Is partnering with the Asia Pacific Network of Refugees to launch the Meaningful Refugee Participation Index (MRPI), a refugee-led tool to assess how institutions support refugee leadership, share accountability, and shift decision-making power to those closest to the solutions.
MACARTHUR FOUNDATION: Announced its latest class of MacArthur Fellows, including Hahrie Han, who researches critical questions about how and why people participate in civic and political life.
TAI SECRETARIAT: Is excited to share both our Semi-Annual Report, showcasing progress from the first half of 2025, and our new Work Plan for Q3 2025–Q2 2027, which sets four priorities guiding our work on democratic space, fiscal and climate accountability, and civil society strengthening. Take a look and reach out with ideas to partner!
ESSENTIAL WATCHING
Thomas Piketty delivered a three-day lecture series on global inequality, offering insights from historical and comparative perspectives. A valuable resource for anyone studying economic disparities.
TOOLS AND TRENDS FOR FUNDERS
Amid aid cuts and the push for localization, what role do INGOs play today? Gina Lagomarsino, President and CEO of Results for Development, emphasizes that INGOs remain essential, though increasingly in a supportive and specialized capacity.
While “localization” and “Shift the Power” dominate aid debates, new research shows that current practices often reinforce Northern NGOs’ control. Funders must act carefully to ensure resources and decision-making genuinely reach local actors. Alliance magazine explores the challenges and solutions.
Ayomide Yemi explores how startup philanthropy in the Global South is often treated as an afterthought. While the instinct to care and strengthen communities is at the heart of humanity, many founders, especially in Africa, prioritize building, scaling, and fundraising first, seeing social impact as optional rather than integral to their business from the start.
In Stanford Social Innovation Review, Ben Klasky’s Helping Donors Get Unstuck shows why many wealthy philanthropists hold back, and offers strategies to overcome barriers, helping channel more resources to urgent social and environmental challenges.
Essential Listening
Joe Goldman from the Democracy Fund shares a three-part framework for donors concerned about democratic backsliding in the United States. Listen to the latest Giving Done Right Podcast episode: An Anti-Authoritarian Playbook for Donors. Pair with reading Emma Bloomberg’s piece on the responsibility of philanthropy to help restore faith in democracy.
Focused Topic of the Week
Corruption and the Global Web of Illicit Wealth
Corruption continues to undermine governance, development, and trust in institutions worldwide, often enabled by opaque financial systems that allow elites to conceal and enjoy illicit gains. A recent investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) exposed how members of the ruling family of Iraqi Kurdistan spent millions of dollars on U.S. real estate, luxury horses, and designer goods. The high contrast with the region’s widespread poverty and weak public services reminds us how political power can be converted into private wealth through unaccountable governance and global financial loopholes.
The international community is increasingly recognizing the need for stronger collaboration to tackle such cross-border corruption. A new International Cooperation in Money Laundering Detection, Investigation & Prosecution handbook, jointly launched by the Financial Action Task eForce, INTERPOL, the Egmont Group, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime aims to bridge critical gaps in global enforcement. The Task Force will offer real-time information sharing and coordinated investigations in tracing illicit assets that too often move seamlessly across jurisdictions.
A new UNDP report, Barriers to Action: Technical and Practical Constraints to Combating Illicit Financial Flows, explores why tackling illicit financial flows remains so challenging despite renewed global commitments at the 2025 Financing for Development Conference. Developed under UNDP’s Finance, Integrity and Governance Initiative, the paper identifies five key barriers and offers practical recommendations to advance action on illicit finance.
The extractive industries remain among the most vulnerable sectors to corruption and illicit financial flows. In Zambia, a major exporter of critical minerals such as copper, cobalt, and lithium, weak oversight and political interference have created fertile ground for graft and profit shifting. A recent U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre report highlights how political pressures and governance deficiencies compromise the country’s ability to benefit from its resource wealth. Without robust anti-corruption mechanisms, the global demand for critical minerals—especially from Western and Chinese markets—risks perpetuating cycles of exploitation and illicit wealth leaking abroad rather than fostering sustainable development.
New technologies have often been trumpeted as solutions, promising greater transparency and accountability. So, interesting to see the announcement of the World Bank’s FundsChain initiative that uses blockchain to track the flow of funds across development projects, creating immutable records that should reduce opportunities for embezzlement and fraud. Such innovations, when combined with stronger institutional cooperation and political will, could mark a turning point in the perennial fight against corruption.
JOBS
Multiple openings - Hewlett Foundation
Multiple openings - MacArthur Foundation
Multiple Openings - Ford Foundation
Multiple Openings - Gates Foundation
Various Opportunities - Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Research Consultant – Philanthropy and the EU: Mapping Pathways for Collaboration - WINGS. Deadline: October 15, 2025.
Research and Senior Data Consultant - Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. Deadline: October 15, 2025.
Research Fellow - Anti Corruption Data Collective. Deadline: October 16, 2025.
Head for the International Programme Unit - Swedish National Association for Sexuality Education, RFSU. Deadline: October 21, 2025.
Director of People Operations - Luminate. Deadline: October 27, 2025.
Program Director - Peaceful Governance Institute. Deadline: October 31, 2025.
Climate Democracy Program Coordinator - People Powered. Deadline: November 1, 2025
CALLS
Philea invites participation in their survey on foundation governance: "Futures of Governance in Philanthropy".
MobLab is running a 15–20 minute survey to benchmark leadership and talent development in civil society, mapping current capacity-building approaches and identifying opportunities for strengthening. Participants will receive shared results and insights.
Democracy at Work Fund 2025/2026 Call for Proposals - Grants up to $80k to support worker organizing in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya, South Africa, Argentina, and Brazil. Focus areas: underrepresented workers, building alliances, and addressing major crises like climate change and gender-based violence. Apply by October 27.
Evidence in Governance and Politics Innovation Grants: Up to five grants (~$10,000 each) for projects that strengthen research quality and integrity in governance and politics. Open to all applicants (membership not required). Deadline: October 31, 2025.
Free 6-week online masterclass for policy reformers! Join Julio Guzmán to learn practical strategies for advancing democratic reform—coalition building, navigating resistance, and more. Wednesdays, Oct 29–Dec 3, 8–9:30 AM ET. Limited spots!
Applications are open for the Democracy Masterclass 2026, a program for 30 frontline changemakers to sharpen strategies, connect globally, and gain tools from the Anti-Authoritarian Toolkit. Includes online sessions, a fully funded in-person gathering, and year-round peer support. Deadline: November 1st, 2025.
Open Ownership, together with the World Bank Group and the Centre for the Study of Corruption at Sussex, invites submissions for its research symposium on beneficial ownership transparency (BOT), to be held in Brighton, UK on 26–27 February 2026. Researchers, advocates, and practitioners are welcome to submit work related to policy design, impact measurement, or emerging issues in BOT by 16 November 2025.
Want to make a real impact? People Powered is accepting applications for programs on participatory climate action, youth democracy, and community sustainability. They offer funding and mentorship to bring ideas to life. Deadline: November 30, 2025.
Tinker Foundation 2026 Institutional Grants are open! Supporting Latin American civil society advancing Democratic Governance and Education. Grants up to $500K (multi-year possible), preference for regional organizations. Deadline: January 7, 2026.
CALENDAR
OECD speaker Series from October to December 2025, as speakers explore fresh approaches to engaging the public on the major fiscal challenges facing OECD countries.
Land Rights and Climate Resilience, Report Launch Webinar, October 16, 10.30am CET
Discussion on Fair Domestic Revenue, hosted by the International Centre for Tax and Development, Accountability Lab, and TAI Collaborative, Open Gov Hub, Washington, DC, October 16, 2025 – In-person 3:30–5:00 PM or online.
2025 IPI World Congress and Media Innovation Festival, Vienna, October 23 - 25, 2025.
International Civil Society Week 2025, co-organized by CIVICUS global civil society alliance and Asia Democracy Network, Bangkok. 1-5 November 2025.
Senterej Series #6: Beyond Finance – New Blueprints for a New Economy.November 20th, 2025. 3PM UK / 4PM CET / 5PM SAST / 10AM ET / 7AM PST.
Global Investigative Journalism Conference (#GIJC25). Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Thursday, November 20-24, 2025.
MIT Polarization Workshop Academic conference examining political and social polarization dynamics and research approaches. December 5-6, 2025.
11th Session of the Conference of the States Parties (CoSP11) to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), Doha, Qatar. December 14-19, 2025.
Othering & Belonging Conference, Louisville, Kentucky, March 31-April 1, 2026.
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