TAI Weekly

TAI Weekly|Connecting the Dots: Democracy, Transparency, and Fiscal Resilience

By TAI (Role at TAI)
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TAI Weekly

WHAT'S NEW?

For donor countries facing their own democratic challenges, such as the United States,  how to effectively support governance and human rights initiatives without charges of hypocrisy? Angola emerges as a key test case ahead of a potential visit by President Biden.

The Sentry’s interactive Atlas platform uncovers the financial empire of South Sudan’s first family, offering a detailed look into the mechanics of kleptocracy in the country.

New research from The Engine Room explores how social justice organizations in the Global South are engaging with alternative platforms like Mastodon and BlueSky. An online event on December 3 will delve into the findings and their implications.

At the G20 Summit, Brazil, the UN, and UNESCO launched the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change that aims to address climate disinformation and hold tech platforms accountable.

The EU and South Africa, in collaboration with Global Citizen, launched a campaign to scale up renewable energy across Africa. Meanwhile, the EU and UK announced a Global Energy Transition Forum to tackle accountability in the sector.

Land Portal’s new Open Data Champions Initiative celebrates individuals advancing transparency in land governance, including Naome Kabanda from Uganda.

The Financial Times editorial board advocates for public registers of beneficial ownership to combat corporate secrecy and its negative global impact.

ICYMI, Rachel Kleinfeld reaises concerns about vulnerabilities in U.S. press freedom. Allegations of conflicts of interest and potential business ties with Donald Trump underscore concerns about media independence.

A Financial Times investigation reveals efforts by big oil to evade accountability for environmental and social liabilities in Nigeria's Delta region. As they look to sell to locally owned firms, will they ever be held to account? 

A new report highlights the role of environmental civil society in addressing the MENA region’s climate crises. The study underscores the need for international donors to prioritize sustainability and partner more effectively with local organizations.

FROM OUR MEMBERS 

TAI SECRETARIAT: A new brief authored for TAI by Matti Kohonen highlights the pivotal role philanthropy can play in shaping outcomes at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development. With drafting underway and agreements due by mid-2025, funders have a short window to drive impact. Reach out to discuss how.

LUMINATE: announced that Melanie Hui will succeed founding CEO Stephen King on 1 January 2025. Melanie, a five-year veteran of Luminate, brings extensive leadership experience and a strong commitment to advancing human rights and social justice in technology. Stephen departs after nearly seven years, having established Luminate and supported over 500 organizations.

FCDO: announced that the UK has imposed sanctions on three kleptocrats and their networks, marking the first step in the Foreign Secretary’s campaign against corruption and illicit finance.

ESSENTIAL READING & WATCHING!

Explore the IMF’s newly developed World Revenue Longitudinal Database (WoRLD), tracking government revenue trends across 193 countries since the early 1990s. Gain insights from a panel of policymakers and researchers on using this tool to benchmark revenue performance—key to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals and driving the climate transition.

TOOLS AND TRENDS FOR FUNDERS 

The Skoll Foundation’s Social Innovation and the Journey to Transformation series highlights how funders can better support social innovators through system orchestration, collaborative funding, and robust evaluations, offering practical approaches for lasting impact.

Just Giving challenges philanthropy to focus on its ethical public duty rather than individual motivations for giving. Marcello Stella and Vivian de Almeida, from Instituto Phi, argue this shift is essential to address inequality and avoid perpetuating power imbalances.

The Karibu Foundation’s New Realities Grant pilot sought to empower African activists by shifting decision-making to local leaders. A new evaluation highlights how this approach reduced structural barriers and supported movements fighting inequality, land rights, and climate change.

The Dutch government’s plan to cut civil society funding by two-thirds has sparked concern. Critics warn the €1.4 billion reduction, framed as localization, jeopardizes the sustainability of grassroots initiatives.

ESSENTIAL WATCHING!

Explore UNISHKA’s latest video in its Anti-Corruption Series, focusing on “ochlocracy” and the risks of mob mentality undermining institutions. The video highlights how even stable democracies have faced challenges from populist movements over the past decade. For further learning, UNISHKA is also developing an anti-corruption dictionary, with select terms available on YouTube.

FOCUSED TOPIC OF THE WEEK:

Bridging Democracy, Transparency, and Financial Resilience - OECD in the Spotlight

Last week, TAI participated in the 35th Plenary Meeting of the Network on Governance (GovNet) of the Development Assistance Committee’s in Paris. The discussions addressed critical themes such as media and digitalization, climate governance, political approaches, and democracy, all with a focus on fostering resilient and inclusive governance systems. One highlight was the OECD’s launch of a Practical Guide for Policy Makers on open civic space, an actionable resource rooted in its 2022 global report on protecting and promoting civic engagement.

This commitment to good governance comes at a pivotal time. Two new OECD reports reveal a nuanced financial landscape: while public spending is increasing, tax revenues in wealthier countries have stagnated. For low-income nations, the outlook is even more concerning, with rising debt burdens threatening fiscal stability and governance capacities.

Tax transparency also featured prominently on the world stage. The Global Forum on Transparency released peer reviews for nine countries, including Azerbaijan, Colombia, and Uganda, with ratings ranging from “Compliant” to “Partially Compliant.” These evaluations highlight varying degrees of alignment with international standards, emphasizing the importance of sustained efforts to strengthen tax systems and enhance accountability.

Want a reminder of how to use OECD data to track governance-realted funding to inform your own programming? Turn to TAI’s recent piece in Alliance magazine.

ESSENTIAL LISTENING

Don’t miss last week’s lecture by Professor Sergei Guriev, offering insightful evidence on combating disinformation on social media.

JOBS

CALLS

  • Human rights community Call for short stories: Submit stories that offer accurate depictions of surveillance tech for a new toolkit. Five will be published, and one author will win a trip to RightsCon 2025 in Taipei. Deadline 21 November 2024

  • Volunteer applications are officially open for RightsCon 2025.

  • Apply now to join People Powered's Accelerators on climate action, democracy, marginalized communities, and public participation. Deadline December 1st 2024

  • Join the Mainstreaming Participation Accelerator (MPA) program in 2025, hosted by People Powered, the Institute for Public Finance, and Open Government Partnership. 

  • The Inter-American Foundation (IAF) and the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) invite applications for their Research Fellowship Program on community-led development in Latin America and the Caribbean. Apply by December 3, 2024.

  • Pulitzer Center seeks Rainforest Investigations Fellows [Africa, Asia, South America]. Experienced investigative journalists based in the Congo Basin, Southeast Asia and the Amazon. Deadline: Dec 31, 2024.

  • OECD Anti-Corruption Research Challenge. Call for new evidence to strengthen anti-corruption and public integrity systems. Deadline 5 January 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

  •  USAID Global Accountability Program. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until 31 March 2025

  • Working on the political economy of aid and development? Join PEADS2025, April 23-24, 2025 in Pitlochry, Scotland. 

CALENDAR

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

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