TAI Weekly

TAI Weekly | Justice at the Crossroads: Economic, Climate, and Digital Inequality Intertwined

By TAI (Role at TAI)
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TAI Weekly

Dear readers,

Lots to cover this week, including new impact stories from long-standing international transparency initiatives, a new President behind the desk at Ford Foundation, launch of the 2026 Aid Transparency Index, and new guidance for communicating in polarized times. Plus, our Focus Topic looks at intersectional approaches to tackle inequality. It will serve as a good preread for our TAI Learning Days in Berlin this week.

But, we start with a note of last week’s World Summit for Social Development, the first since 1995 in Copenhagen. The official Declaration has had mixed reviews, but was complemented by other commitments, such as the Local Social Covenant of United City and Local Governments. Continuing a theme from the summer Financing for Development conference, many countries emphasized the need to raise domestic revenues to pay for social needs. For example, the Zambian foreign minister talked up the potential of automating revenue collection and taxpayer education. 

TAI team

WHAT'S NEW?

A new independent evaluation of the Opening Extractives program, jointly implemented by the EITI and Open Ownership, demonstrates progress in disclosing and using beneficial ownership data to strengthen accountability in the sector. The evaluation shows how transparency measures are moving from policy commitments to meaningful implementation.

Publish What You Fund has announced those organizations participating in the 2026 Aid Transparency Index, including bilateral donors, philanthropic foundations, UN agencies, and multilateral development banks. The Index will provide an independent assessment and accreditation of transparency performance, opening participation to a broader range of organizations than ever before.

Researchers at the Global Centre for Mineral Security at the University of Queensland examine how the rush for critical minerals is neglecting human needs in a timely analysis of the tensions between climate transition and social justice. The piece raises essential questions about whose interests are being centered as the world races to secure materials for green technologies.

Examples from Colombia and Uganda showcase place-based approaches to land governance and land use management for climate action. These case studies illustrate how community-centered strategies can effectively address both environmental challenges and social equity concerns.

The New York Times editorial board has documented instances of democratic backsliding in the United States, and offers a sobering assessment of threats to democratic institutions and norms in a country long considered a model of liberal democracy.

In a significant policy shift: from 2026, incorporating in the UK will cost £100, a fivefold increase, with proceeds funding the prosecution of those suspected of fraud, financial wrongdoing, and other company offenses. This development signals a stronger enforcement approach to corporate accountability.

Global Greengrants shares two compelling just transition case studies from Latin America. The videos make a powerful case for why the equitable, regenerative futures we're building toward must center the grassroots movements and local communities.

Mohamed Ali Chihi of the Stimson Center's North Africa Program discusses Morocco's electoral reforms, which test the balance between state control and citizens' growing demand for integrity and inclusion. The reforms offer insights into how countries can navigate political opening while maintaining stability.

A new report maps over 70 LLM-based tools designed to improve online dialogue and democratic engagement, from comment moderators to deliberation bots. Most tools aim to promote healthy conversation and connection during live user engagement, though few focus proactively on upstream interventions. Case studies include CLR:SKY for Bluesky and Kenya's zKE network, while researchers highlight risks associated with manipulation, bias, and oversight.

The European Democracy Shield initiative from the European Commission represents an opportunity for the EU to take stronger action to preserve and support democracy across member states, offering a framework for defending democratic institutions against mounting pressures.

Uganda’s participation in CoST, the Infrastructure Transparency Initiative, proves how openness can drive impact. By engaging 3,000+ citizens, training journalists, and publishing data on $1B in projects, Uganda boosted competition and accountability in a sector losing $300M yearly to inefficiency.

From Our Members

FORD FOUNDATION: released the first message from Helen Gerken as she officially took over as the Foundation’s 11th President. She highlighted the central original commitment of the Foundation to “the advancement of the ideals and principles of democracy.”

Ford Foundation also Announced its Climate Justice Pavilion at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, the first COP held in the Amazon. The Pavilion will spotlight people-powered climate action, fair energy transitions, and the leadership of Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and local communities. 

HUMANITY UNITED: Has released its response to the 2025 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report published by the U.S. Department of State. The TIP Report serves as an assessment and reporting tool, providing insights into domestic and foreign government action against forced labor and human trafficking. HU's response analyzes the findings and offers perspectives on progress and persistent challenges in combating human trafficking globally.

PACKARD FOUNDATION: Points out that progress in global climate talks is possible, but sustained commitment is key. Collaboration has cut projected warming from nearly 6°C to 2.7°C, yet much remains to be done. President and CEO Nancy Lindborg urges support for local leadership, science, and resilient communities to turn commitments into lasting impact. Read her reflections.

ESSENTIAL WATCHING

Catch up on the first session of the Global Masterclass Series on Public Leadership from the Governance Action Hub. The recording explores contemporary challenges in public sector leadership and offers frameworks for strengthening governance in turbulent times.

TOOLS AND TRENDS FOR FUNDERS

A new nonprofit alliance model demonstrates how previously siloed organizations can collaborate to scale services while retaining autonomy. The Impact Collaborative model offers insights for funders seeking to support coordination without forcing consolidation, a balance that could resonate across different contexts and regions.

The 14th edition of the Brazilian Philanthropy Forum brought together leaders and changemakers from across the globe. Discussions emphasized the importance of building resilience, rekindling trust, and centering solidarity in philanthropic practice.

Philea has published “Communicating in a Polarised Environment”, a practical guide to help philanthropy communicators navigate division, misinformation, and declining trust by reframing messages, engaging diverse audiences, and fostering dialogue across ideological divides.

This research by Daniela Blei reveals how a Brazilian law designed to promote more inclusive corporate philanthropy failed to direct more money to underserved communities. The study offers important lessons about the gap between policy intentions and implementation outcomes in corporate social responsibility initiatives.

Essential Reading 

The State of Tax Justice 2025 is out, and the numbers are staggering. The Tax Justice Network calculates that over a quarter of the $1.7 trillion in corporate tax losses that countries suffered could have been prevented simply by making public the country-by-country reports that governments have been collecting. This finding underscores the critical importance of tax transparency as a foundation for fiscal justice.

Focused Topic of the Week 

The Inequality Emergency: When Economic, Climate, and Digital Justice Converge

The global conversation on inequality has reached a decisive moment. South Africa's commissioning of the G20's first-ever report dedicated entirely to global inequality marks more than an acknowledgment of growing disparities—it is a declaration of emergency. The report's call for a new International Panel on Inequality signals that the world's major economies are finally confronting what civil society has long documented: deepening inequality threatens not just economic stability, but the realization of human rights and the survival of democratic societies. With its emphasis on tax reform as a key tool for addressing inequality, this landmark report opens crucial space for rights-based global cooperation. As CESR's analysis argues, this represents a new mandate for equality and a long-overdue opportunity to embed human rights principles into economic policy frameworks that have too often treated reform as a technical exercise divorced from questions of dignity and justice.

Yet the inequality crisis cannot be resolved through a purely economic lens. The Paris discussions hosted by the Global Solutions Initiative and GIZ illuminate a critical intersection: how can multilateral climate and development finance work simultaneously for environmental sustainability and social justice? As the world mobilizes unprecedented resources to address climate change, there is a pressing need to ensure these financial flows actively reduce rather than reproduce existing inequalities. Climate finance that fails to center justice risks creating new forms of exclusion, where already marginalized communities bear the costs of transition while benefits accrue elsewhere. The question is not whether to address climate or inequality, but how to recognize that environmental and economic justice are inseparable challenges requiring integrated solutions.

Running through both dimensions is a third, increasingly urgent concern: the role of technology in either entrenching or challenging inequality. ECNL's call for safeguards in digital governance highlights how emerging technologies are reshaping civic space in ways that can either empower or marginalize vulnerable groups. As governments and corporations deploy sophisticated digital tools for surveillance, service delivery, and social control, the implications for at-risk communities and civic freedoms are profound. Without intentional design for equity and robust protections for rights, digital transformation risks becoming another vector of inequality, closing civic space and concentrating control in fewer hands. Tax systems that fail to capture wealth generated by digital platforms cannot fund climate transition or social protections. Climate policies that ignore economic inequality will face resistance from struggling communities. Technology governance divorced from human rights will undermine both economic and environmental accountability.

Essential Reading 

The Feminist Investigative Journalism Handbook calls for reviving support of democracy through feminist, cross-disciplinary collaboration. It outlines methods across five fronts: the unheard, the uncounted, the under-attack, the unaccountable, and the under-represented—offering practical approaches for journalists and civil society actors working to strengthen democratic discourse.

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