WHAT'S NEW?
"The Age of the Data Purge is Here" - Al Kags sounds the alarm on protecting public data access. He warns of a world where decisions happen in darkness and citizens lose power. After two decades of progress in open data, Kags argues we can't afford to let transparency slip away.
Philea’s new 2025 Democracy Briefer for Funders examines Europe’s democratic backsliding and urges funders to take an active role in defending democratic institutions. Change is possible, but it requires coordinated action.
The Center for Economic and Social Rights released a practical guide for G20 advocacy collating strategies from leading economic justice organizations to boost civil society participation in G20 processes.
A groundbreaking study of 32 million tweets from 8,200 parliamentarians across 26 countries finds a strong link between right-wing populism and misinformation. Petter Törnberg and Juliana Chueri analyze ideological influences on public discourse and the erosion of trust in democratic processes.
Marcela Ríos Tobar warns that the relationship between money and politics is central to democratic health. Writing for El Nacional, she points to corporate compliance and integrity improvements in the past decade as examples of how transparency can benefit both democracy and business (In Spanish).
Steven Levitsky and Lucan A. Way argue that the U.S. is slipping toward “competitive authoritarianism” detailing how the “country’s vaunted constitutional checks are failing.” Brian Levy urges those trying to keep the guardrails to learn lessons from South Africa.
A new report by Valentin Weber examines how China’s development of data-centric technologies could globalize repression. From AI surveillance to digital ID systems, Beijing’s tech-driven governance model poses serious risks to democratic freedoms worldwide. The report outlines seven critical steps for protecting digital rights.
New analysis of application of the Global Reporting Initiative Tax Standard analysis reveals a mixed picture: while more companies embrace tax transparency, the quality of disclosures remains thin.
Rule of law concerns rise in the United States as the Department of Justice orders prosecutors to drop charges against New York City’s mayor in an apparent quid pro quo deal and the President orders no enforcement of the longstanding Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
After years of advocacy, the European Commission has pledged to introduce a Civil Society Strategy in 2025. The move comes at a critical moment, as civic space faces increasing restrictions across the EU.
The Publish What You Pay coalition of activists and advocates is gathering in Jakarta this week for their Global Assembly. The agenda includes discussions on transparency, accountability, and sustainable resource management—key issues in the push for fairer extractive industry practices.
Inclusive Development International examines whether Chinese overseas investments are truly a “last resort” for financing high-risk projects. The report finds that greater transparency and proactive public engagement are essential to ensuring responsible investment and sustainable development outcomes.
Kevin Mofokeng assesses Africa’s governance trends in 2024. Dubbed a “super year” for elections, nearly 30% of African countries held national votes. While some elections marked progress, others underscored persistent challenges to democratic consolidation.
The UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights urges the EU not to weaken the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. Aligning with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights remains crucial to ensuring corporate accountability worldwide.
ESSENTIAL WATCHING
Watch Michael Jarvis, TAI’s Executive Director, call for ambition on tax and tax support during the 3rd Preparatory Committee meeting for FFD4. Co-hosted by the Permanent Delegation of The Gambia to the United Nations, The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), The Addis Tax Initiative (ATI), and TAI Collaborative, the event explored the domestic revenue mobilization’s critical role as a sustainable, dependable funding source for development goals.
FROM OUR MEMBERS
FCDO: Civil Society and Civic Space Department commissioned the West Africa Civil Society Institute and Bond to engage civil society in its future programs in 2023. Their recommendations emphasize transparency, inclusivity, and a commitment to equitable change.
OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATIONS: refutes false claims linking George Soros, OSF, and USAID funding. These allegations seek to delegitimize independent funding for civil society. OSF is a private foundation that sets its own funding priorities while collaborating with aligned partners.
FORD FOUNDATION: Is hiring for multiple roles, including an Operations Assistant in India, an Applications Analyst in New York, and a Program Officer in East Africa.
MACARTHUR FOUNDATION: Kole Shettima and Erin Sines, Co-Directors, On Nigeria, discuss how MacArthur’s three decades in Nigeria created trusting relationships and enabled progress against corruption, and share learnings from grantee partners as they look to the future.
TOOLS AND TRENDS FOR FUNDERS
The Independent Philanthropy Association of South Africa has launched the first African funders' climate pledge. The initiative aims to coordinate and consolidate private finance for climate action.
NGOs dependent on Global North philanthropy remain vulnerable to shifting donor priorities. However, sustainable, self-reliant funding models can strengthen financial resilience and long-term impact.
Private U.S. foundation giving hit a record $100 billion last year, yet general operational grants declined from 83% in 2020 to 66% in 2025. This raises concerns about flexible funding for nonprofits.
Kellea Miller, head of the Human Rights Funders Group, calls on philanthropy to stop panicking in face of US aid freeze and be a powerful bulwark against authoritarianism and a steadfast champion for human rights worldwide.
ESSENTIAL READING
A new working paper by Georgia Garrod and Robert Barrington examines the contested role of lawyers in facilitating kleptocracy. The research explores how legal professionals navigate ethical and regulatory challenges in corruption cases, particularly in the United Kingdom legal system.
FOCUSED TOPIC OF THE WEEK:
Racing Ahead, Falling Behind: The Widening Gap Between Market Solutions and Local Resource Governance
The emerging landscape of natural resource governance across the Global South reveals a complex interplay between market mechanisms, local rights, and transparency needs that demands urgent attention. Recent developments in multiple regions reveal a troubling pattern: the rush to implement market-based environmental solutions that can outpace development of necessary institutional safeguards.
The situation in Pang Khon village exemplifies how well-functioning local economic systems—built around coffee production and community tourism—can be destabilized by top-down carbon credit policies. This raises fundamental questions about whether carbon markets, in their current form, truly serve local interests or merely facilitate a new form of resource appropriation.
Turning to Northern Kenya, we recently featured a DW report alleging human rights and land access issues. Local conservancies' have issued a strong riposte and the debates reflect a crucial tension in contemporary conservation. Their response to critiques suggests the need for more nuanced discussions about balancing global climate action with local accountability and control. Effective resource governance requires not just robust frameworks, but careful attention to local contexts and the pace of implementation.
Of course, governance issues have long been a challenge in more extractive sectors. An
EITI study on Gabon's oil sector highlights the complex relationship between production costs and revenue flows.
The experience of Vietnam's fisheries sector points to another governance gap. Its position as a major global fishing nation contrasts with its governance capabilities. A new Fisheries Transparency Initiative review highlights a disparity between the sector's economic significance—supporting nearly a million fishers—and its regulatory framework.
ESSENTIAL LISTENING
Scott Freeman joins the Big World podcast to discuss a development project in Haiti that displaced over 400 families—and the remarkable fight that led to an eventual agreement with the Inter-American Development Bank.
JOBS
Several Opportunities - Ford Foundation
Several Positions - Center for Democracy & Technology
Various Opportunities - Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Multiples positions - Brennan Center for Justice
Managing Director, External Relations - Freedom Fund
Freelance communications officer - Act Build Change. Deadline February 18, 2025.
Global Resources Report Coding Assistant (x2) - Global Philanthropy Project. Deadline February 18, 2025.
Senior Research Officer - Training for Respect - Women's Health in the South East. Deadline February 24, 2025.
Senior Program Officer, Advocacy and Accountability - Women Enabled International. Deadline February 26, 2025.
Impact and Learning Manager - Civitates. Deadline February 28, 2025.
Director of Communications - Movement Law Lab. Deadline February 28, 2025.
Executive Associate - Paul M. Angell Family Foundation. Deadline February 28, 2025.
Regional Lead, Asia Pacific - Open Government Partnership. Deadline February 28, 2025.
CALLS
In 2025, the Rockefeller Foundation will open applications for its Big Bets Climate Fellowship, available in the Asia Pacific Region and the United States.
Civitates’ Tech and Democracy open call supports organizations working at the intersection of tech and democracy, focusing on key EU regulations like the Digital Services Act and AI Act. Eligible non-profits and mission-driven for-profits can apply until March 14, 2025, at 23:30 CET.
Civicus is calling for proposals for the WeRise Campaign, a comprehensive and forward-looking approach designed to promote and protect Freedom of Peaceful Assembly (FoPA) as a fundamental right and tool to defend and expand the civic space. Deadline March 15, 2025.
The Amazonia+ call seeks a managing organization for local forest governance projects led by women and youth in the Amazon. Grants up to 400,000 Euros for 10 projects. Deadline 19 March 2025.
Call for submission of abstracts for a short paper and panel presentation at the 2025 Global Investigative Journalism Conference. Selected research papers will be presented at the 2025 Global Investigative Journalism Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from November 20 – 24, 2025. Deadline 31st March 2025.
Publish What You Fund is offering free, online training on using the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI)—the leading global open aid dataset.
Working on the political economy of aid and development? Join PEADS2025, April 23-24, 2025 in Pitlochry, Scotland.
The Thousand Currents Academy in Atlanta, will bring funders and allies together to support unrestricted, long-term funding for Global South movements, fostering systems change through trust and accountability, May 19-22, 2025.
The 10th edition of the School for Thinktankers returns to Fundació Bofill in Barcelona in 2026. Submit your early-bird application.
CALENDAR
AI for Digital Democracy: How to navigate opportunities and threats, February 18, 3PM in Rome.
Hubs of Illicit Trade book event, February 19, 2025.
International Funders for Indigenous Peoples (IFIP) 2025 Global Conference: Global Impact, Local Solutions: Funding Indigenous Self-Determination and Leadership, Naivasha, Kenya. February 19-21, 2025
WINGS discussion on what the philanthropy sector needs to do now, to share thoughts, exchange strategies and ideas on how to navigate this moment, February 26, 2025, 15:00 - 16:30 UTC.
Report Launch, Freedom in the World 2025. February 26, 2025, 10:30AM ET
'The billionaire tax: a (modest) proposal for the 21st century' with Prof Gabriel Zucman, Oxford Martin School, March 6, 2025 12:00 PM EST.
EDGE Conference 2025 | From Pledge to Action: Accountability in Philanthropy”, Bogota. April 28-30, 2025.
2025 Financing for Feminist Futures conference, Madrid, Spain. May 21-23, 2025
8th Impacts of Civic Technology Conference (TICTeC), Mechelen, and online. June10 & 11 2025.
On Think Tanks Conference 2025, Johannesburg, South Africa, June 16 - 18, 2025.
2025 World Justice Forum, Warsaw, Poland. June 23-26, 2025
4th International Financing for Development Conference, Seville, June 30 - July 3, 2025
Open Government Partnership (OGP) Global Summit in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, October 7-9, 2025
Global Investigative Journalism Conference (#GIJC25). Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Thursday, November 20-24, 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.
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