Dear Readers:
On September 28, International Day for Universal Access to Information, we launched our series: "Effective Data Use: Lessons From Data For Accountability Projects" together with Global Integrity. The series draws lessons from partner supported projects in Nigeria and Colombia deploying datasets ranging from procurement to mining royalties to stolen assets.
We start this weekly by presenting our Nigeria and Colombia-specific reports and overall recommendations to increase the impact of data for accountability programming.
Happy reading!
WHAT´S NEW?
A RUSI Taskforce team look at the illicit finance threat to democracies and lay out realistic actions that the US and UK can take to drive change in the illicit finance fight.
The National Endowment for Democracy has a new newsletter on countering kleptocracy - check out the first edition. While the Westminster Foundation for Democracy reflects on its work after another year of challenges to democratic systems.
Transparency of big tech firms is important so users can operate in a predictable environment, and know the possibilities and limits on their behaviour online, with clarity on terms of services and content moderation decisions – so argues Article 19
Despite the ongoing global outbreak of spyware attacks, we're not seeing enough action to stop the use of surveillance tech undermining human rights and democracy. On Thursday, Access Now joined the government of Catalonia to launch the Geneva Declaration on Targeted Surveillance and Human Rights, an initiative to unite stakeholders behind a plan of action to keep people and democracies safe.
Renata Avila has a vision of a refreshed, locally designed digital new deal for Latin America, setting a vision for a regional data commons; auditable algorithms; sustainable, auditable hardware; and free software while protecting social sectors from platform privatization.
CSO engagement in the risk assessment process is key to make measures that counter the financing of terrorism more targeted and effective. There is an important opportunity to challenge the traditional narrative that nonprofits are 'particularly vulnerable' to terrorist financing abuse.
CHANCE TO COMMENT!
You can still give input on Accountability Research Center’s draft paper on Building State-Society Synergy through Sandwich Strategies. Have your say on fascinating insights on how state actors take actions that tangibly reduce the risks or costs of collective action by the socially and politically excluded.
FROM OUR MEMBERS
MACARTHUR FOUNDATION:
This October, they will announce the 2022 MacArthur Fellows. Stay tuned.
LUMINATE:
Launches its new strategy: A future where everyone has power to shape society. According to Stephen King, „We’re focusing our efforts toward our vision of a future where everyone has power to shape society. Our recently published five-year strategy will help us move in this direction, and I’m especially proud that we’re placing a greater emphasis on ensuring that everyone – especially those who are underrepresented – has the information, rights, and power to influence the decisions that affect us all.“
OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATION:
Invites interested people to join Euractiv on October 11 at 11am CET to reflect on which EU countries and communities will be most affected by the deepening energy crisis and how they might cope.
FORD FOUNDATION:
Released the first annual update on its $100 million #COP26 Pledge for tenure rights and forest guardianship. Good to see a commitment to report on progress ahead of COP27. Let’s hope others who made pledges back in Glasgow will feel motivated to do the same.
TOOLS FOR FUNDERS
Does Global Philanthropy have a colonialism problem? Philip Rojc suggests so. Giving in the Global South in the mode of Gates, Rockefeller, Bloomberg and others represents a new form of colonialism, one that seeks to bind poorer nations into Western-led markets and Western ways of thinking.
TAI hosted a call on funder intermediaries last week, so we are excited by this piece questioning if philanthropy must limit its reach to only CSOs. Why do social justice activists have to adjust to philanthropy's needs, and not vice versa? Mexico's recently inaugurated social justice fund, Acento, acción local, brings financial and technical resources to people making a difference at the community level regardless of whether they have a formal CSO platform.
Vu Le argues that those with integrity will more often doubt themselves, and the reverse is also often true. If you and your org or foundation seems confident, examine whether that is valid or whether you are overestimating yourself and your institution.
Grantmakers are big proponents of transparency for everyone but themselves. To live up to their professed standards, Clara Miller argues they should embrace the same practices required of public companies and make available information about their entire operations, including how they invest endowment dollars.
ESSENTIAL READING!
If you work in narrative change, this report by Rinku Sen and Mik Moore is a must-read. They propose a framework for funders and practitioners to shift narratives via mass culture, mass media, and mass movements.
FOCUSED TOPIC OF THE WEEK
ENVIRONMENTAL RISK AND GOVERNANCE
Global Witness recorded 200 land and environmental defenders killed in 2021 – nearly four people a week. These lethal attacks continue to take place in the context of a wider range of threats against defenders targeted by the government, business and other non-state actors with violence, intimidation, smear campaigns and criminalisation.
Forty innovators with a mission of using participatory democracy to address the climate emergency have been accepted into the first cohort of the Climate Democracy Action program. These policymakers and advocates from 22 countries will plan a participatory program for climate action in their home countries.
Transforming the governance of water - Mariana Mazzucato, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Johan Rockström, and Tharman Shanmugaratnam call for new thinking about an issue that is fast becoming one of the world’s biggest collective challenges.
The establishment of the Silesian Transformation Fund in Poland, which should finance the region’s just transition, has led to concerns among authorities and civil society due to its faulty consultation process and lack of information. Johanna Jakubowska describes the problem and the role the The European Commission should play.
The European Ombudsman is holding a public consultation on transparency and public participation in EU environmental decision making, open until 15 December 2022. Anyone working on the areas of transparency and public participation on EU-level is encouraged to submit a response.
ESSENTIAL READING!
Good Practices in National Systems for Environmental and Social Impact Assessment: A Literature Review by Peter Chapman.
ROUNDUP OF TOOL AND NEWS
The US released its final rule for beneficial ownership reporting under the Corporate Transparency Act – a welcome step forward to making the law operational.
Open Ownership makes the case for supporting countries to develop laws, systems, and tools to make reliable information about the identity of the real owners of companies available. It will make harder for ill-intentioned actors to divert resources away from citizens
Agustin DeLuca explains why we have the right to know and urge us to make a global call for free, open access to high-quality well-structured beneficial ownership data.
Whether the public is able to see who owns anonymous companies so often used to launder money, is one of the factors assessed in a new overview of the state of open data against political corruption in Open Government Partnership (OGP) countries. Using new data from the Global Data Barometer, the new report also covers lobbying disclosures, political funding disclosure, and identifies both where OGP countries are doing well and where they need to improve.
Lots of positive discussions at the African Parliamentary Network on Illicti Financial Flows and Taxation – powerful words and stats and some new tools for MPS. Get a sense via the Twitter feed.
Finally, in a welcome sign of possible legal accountability, consulting giant McKinsey was this week charged for its role in South Africa’s state capture scandal.
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
20 open positions, Climate Works Foundation,
Africa Regional Strategy Lead | Association for Progressive Communications
Programme Officer – Climate, Philea
HR Generalist, OAK Foundation
Impact Lead, Civic Rights in a Digital Age, Hivos
Senior Data Support Manager, The Open Contracting Partnership
CALLS / OPPORTUNITIES
2-4 December 2022 - Are you a journalist, fact checker, media professional, or media student interested in investigative journalism? The 2022 Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) Annual Forum will focus on achieving more accountability and promoting people’s right to access verified information wherever they are.
CALENDAR
September 27, 2022, The Great Nonprofit Leadership Turnover Webinar
September 28, 2022, Human Rights in the Pacific - Data Launch
October 7, 2022, Sharing power: the growing trend of co-leadership in global organizations.
October 7, 2022, Shifting the power dynamic between donors and civil society activists.
October 7, 2022, Connecting civil society to defend democratic freedoms in the digital era.
October 14, 2022, Inclusive Civic Power, Partos Innovation Festival
October 14, 2022, Inclusive Civic Power, Partos Innovation Festival,
October 18, 2022, Freedom on the Net 2022: Countering the Authoritarian Overhaul of the Internet
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,
Michael Jarvis,
TAI's Executive Director