Dear Readers:
Lots of interesting sessions in DC last week as finance ministers came to town for the IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings. Much discussion of reform of the World Bank, and amid that publication of new research looking at how the Bank can use existing tools to respond to closing civic space in client country contexts.
Looking ahead, we are applying the final touches to our new online library of resources for funders on participatory strategy. Stay tuned for the release!
Happy reading!
P.S. Remember, TAI doesn't own the photos. All photos used in this weekly have a link to their source.
WHAT´S NEW?
CIVIC SPACE, ACCOUNTABILITY AND MONEY FLOWS
Christian Donaldson, Katelyn Gallagher and Rachel Nadelman examine the World Bank’s existing tools for country engagement and make the case for more systematic civic space analysis when developing country strategies.
John Reed details freedom of expression under attack in India where the public square is policed not just by the government but its ideological supporters.
Are sanctions the key to improve service delivery in social accountability programmes? A new review from Tom Aston suggests that punishment is not the answer to all the world’s problems. What do you think?
The Sentry details a billion-dollar credit scam robbing the most vulnerable in South Sudan of food, fuel and medicine.
Transparency International US research shows that only two countries – the U.S. and Switzerland – actively enforce their foreign anti-bribery laws.
TAI enjoyed attending the launch of a new report on global finance and the enablers of corruption (well timed as US draft legislation to tackle those very enablers faces a crunch decision point).
Research from CICTAR uncovers a largely unreported network of companies spanning from Ireland to Bermuda to Singapore which could be significantly reducing Microsoft’s tax bills in countries around the world while winning lucrative government contracts.
Read three reasons why Asia Pacific is making strides in real estate transparency from Roddy Allan.
HAVE YOUR SAY!
USAID has a draft anti-corruption policy and there is still time to have a say - send written comments to the USAID Anti-Corruption Task Force inbox at actf@usaid.gov
FROM OUR MEMBERS
LUMINATE:
Meet Stan Getui and other funders about support to healthy information ecosystems in Africa. Register for free to attend the event hosted with Civic Tech Innovation Network.
MACARTHUR FOUNDATION:
Meet the 2022 MacArthur Fellows: 25 exceptionally creative people who push the boundaries of their fields and challenge us to imagine new possibilities.
OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATION:
Joins with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Rockefeller Foundation to launch a new $5 million grant fund to spur reforms in multilateral development banks, particularly to prompt them to increase their lending to low- and middle-income countries.
FORD FOUNDATION:
George and Amal Clooney, Co-Founders of The Clooney Foundation for Justice and Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation, hosted the first-ever ‘Albie Awards’ to honor global justice defenders.
TOOLS FOR FUNDERS
Peace Direct's CEO Dylan Mathews makes the case for why we should all be systems thinkers to help reset how we view and understand the development challenges we face today.
Co-Impact succinctly lays out how they understand and approach scale. Co-impact argues that without attention to systemic equity and inclusion, problems are neither well understood nor solved at scale.
Much has been written about the wave of incoming BIPOC leadership at nonprofits and about how philanthropy needs to better support these leaders. Yet, we continue to hear that BIPOC nonprofit leaders feel under-supported and overwhelmed in their new positions. Cathy Dang and Liz Sak urge philanthropies to rethink how they support leadership transitions.
ESSENTIAL LISTENING!
How is just transition going in Ugljevik, the host-town for this year's edition of the Lung Run? Listen to the newest episode of the Bankwatch podcast and find out from Majda Ibrakovic from Center for Environment, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
FOCUSED TOPIC OF THE WEEK
DIGITAL OPPRESSION AND OPPORTUNITY
The backdrop of China’s Communist Party Congress locking down Beijing while cementing President Xi’s third term in power, reminds us of Josh Chin and Liza Lin’s new book arguing that the Chinese government is pioneering a new governance model based on mass surveillance.
In case you missed it, Jessica Brandt recently published a white paper that looks at the landscape of digital authoritarian practices, highlighting how regimes coordinate and replicate each other’s tactics.
Switching regions, Access Now’s new report on digital dictatorship, documenting authoritarian tactics and resistance in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
What about more positive effects of digitalisation? Can it drive civil society innovation and impact? The International Civil Society Centre lays out options.
How do we make sense of digital transformation and its myriad implications around the world? How can we navigate the rapidly changing digital geopolitics? Hivos offer us a guiding atlas.
ESSENTIAL WATCHING!
Watch how CSOs in Tajikistan helped monitor $54 million in emergency COVID-19 health support ranging from vaccine access to rollout of cash transfers.
NO COUNTRY FOR POLLUTERS: NATURAL RESOURCES GOVERNANCE NEWS
Colombia's Congress Ratifies Escazu International Agreement for the Environment, becoming the 14th country in Latin America and the Caribbean. The agreement includes provisions to ensure the public's right to environmental information, the right to participation in environmental decision making, and also to protect environmentalists.
With just one month to COP27, more than 200 organizations call on world leaders to put human rights at the heart of the energy transition. Scaling up global renewable energy capacity has never been more urgent, yet it should not be allowed to repeat the abuses of the fossil fuel sector.
Thai authorities have extradited to the United States a Malaysian national accused of orchestrating the large-scale trade in endangered wildlife products from Africa to Asia.
Read how USAID is supporting extractives transparency in Senegal (in French or English).
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
Head of Development, The International Land and Forest Tenure Facility
Digital Data Officer, Near East Foundation
Manager, Development and Outreach, Human Rights Watch
Consultant - MEAL Specialist, International Medical Corps
Senior Specialist, Urban Resilience, RTI International
Research and Impact Manager, WEConnect International
Finance Senior Analyst - Treasury & Banking, United Nations Office for Project Services
Research Associate, Connected by Data
Programme Lead (Technical Director), Chemonics International Inc
CALLS / OPPORTUNITIES
Invitation to Tender - WFD Maldives Online Course Development- Westminster Foundation for Democracy
CALENDAR
October 18, 2022, Freedom on the Net 2022: Countering the Authoritarian Overhaul of the Internet
October 18, 2022, Transparency Gaps in ISDS
October 18, 2022, Freedom on the Net 2022: Countering the Authoritarian Overhaul of the Internet
October 19, 2022, Launch of the UK Fairness Index
October 19, 2022, Anti-corruption Collective Action webinar: mainstreaming multi-stakeholder approaches for integrity and fair business
October 26, 2022, World Justice Project 2022 Rule of Law Index Launch,
October 31- November 3, 2022 - Reimagining the International NGO: Learning Festival
November 2-4, 2022, Tax Policy for Sustainable Development,
December 6-10 2022, “International Anti-Corruption Conference,
Michael Jarvis,
TAI's Executive Director
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 contact@transparency-initiative.org or