Accountability Lab

05/19/2026

As we reflect on our work in 2025, we’re reminded that strengthening accountability often begins with participation – creating spaces where communities can speak, engage, question, and shape the systems around them.

Across our network, teams worked alongside citizens, artists, judicial actors, youth leaders, and community organizers to advance civic participation, strengthen digital accountability, counter disinformation, and expand opportunities for more inclusive engagement in public life.

From participatory budgeting assemblies in Mexico, to judicial dialogues on surveillance and civic space in Nigeria, to community-led media literacy initiatives in Mali, and digital democracy programming in Pakistan – these efforts reflect the many ways accountability is practiced and protected across contexts.

As we release our annual reports, we’re proud to share some of the ways our teams continued building trust, participation, and collective action in challenging environments.

👓 Read more in our annual reports: https://lnkd.in/gmMkDeWq

| Accountability Lab Mexico | Accountability Lab Nigeria | Accountability Lab Mali | Accountability Lab Pakistan

05/18/2026

💡 When traditional pathways to participation fall short, young people find new ways to be heard.

Join us for a virtual showcase featuring spoken word, music, and creative acts of protest and participation from around the world, followed by a panel on how young people are increasingly turning to music, spoken word, art, and storytelling as alternative pathways for civic engagement.

On our panel are creative change makers Amanda Chenai Makombe (Zimbabwe), Nishchhal Kharal (Nepal), Rafid Ariyan (Bangladesh), and Leiden Gomis (Mexico).

🗓️ Wednesday 20 May, 9am ET /1pm UTC
🔗 Register here: https://bit.ly/3P9L59h

05/15/2026

🗳️ In the run up to Nepal’s most “youthful” elections in June, Accountability Lab Nepal answered the question “how do we funnel young people’s appetite for institutional change and proven movement building skills into existing processes?”

As part of the Youth-Led Election Monitoring initiative, the Lab designed an approach with space enough for young people to observe and experience the electoral process firsthand, but also flexibility for it to be directed by the young people involved.

The initiative engaged 15 Nepali youth (aged 20-34) as observers and frontline civic activists. They captured refreshing metrics such as evolving rumours, concerns, and evolving public narratives, while tracking the election event through the lens of underemphasised indicators such as green elections, inclusion, and intergenerational narrative on emerging youth candidates. Their tech savvy also tracked and captured conversation around electoral candidates online – uncovering cases of misinformation and digital attacks by bots.

Through this initiative, the Lab also supported domestic election observer organizations by strengthening their mandate, expertise, and networks to conduct observation activities during the election period.

This is just some of what emerged from intentionally centering youth leadership and not tokenistic involvement.

👓 Read the full piece in the The Diplomat Nepal:

Kathmandu: The Nepali Youths catalyzed the movement and have transitioned to the governance reform process in Nepal. The question now remains if their

05/14/2026

What happens when the city you live in does not see you as part of it?

We’re excited to share that Accountability Lab Mexico is premiering its documentary Del Papel al Territorio (From Paper to Territory) on YouTube today. 🎬

In Mexico City, access to housing, public services, and even decision-making spaces is often shaped more by postal code than by people’s needs. Thousands of families living in self-built settlements continue to face barriers to information, services, and meaningful participation.

This documentary tells the story of Yuguelito, a community of more than 2,000 people in Iztapalapa that transformed an abandoned space into a self-organized neighborhood. Their experience with Mexico City’s Participatory Budget process reveals the gap between participation as it is designed and participation as it is actually lived.

Through this work, Accountability Lab Mexico supports communities in navigating public systems, strengthening accountability, and bridging the gap between citizens and institutions so governance can work for everyone.

Del Papel al Territorio is a powerful reminder that accessible and transparent participation is not just a policy issue, it is a matter of justice, especially for communities living on the urban periphery.

🎥 Watch their story and join the conversation: https://bit.ly/4wy7DRV

05/13/2026

Reflecting on our work in 2025, words like courage, solidarity, and agency have resonated deeply. In releasing our annual reports, we're excited to share some of the resilient pivots our teams implemented. We're also proud to have been able to provide information and support for peers and partners who navigated great changes.

In response to January 2025's aid cuts – and funding contractions more generally – our translocal network began gathering data that would inform donors and partners who were mobilizing resources and tools to assist organizations and people in need.

Teams in Mali, Pakistan, Nepal and the United States deployed surveys to inform actions to mitigate fallout. Through Open Co Hub in Kathmandu, affected groups engaged in critical discussions on the aid freeze, health rights, elections, and democracy. Rooted in principles, these efforts prioritized locally led engagement, amplified community voices, and fostered trust-based collaboration.

👓 For the full findings from these surveys read our annual reports: https://accountabilitylab.org/our-impact/

05/12/2026

🩺 This International Nurses Day, we’re reflecting not only on the care nurses provide, but on the responsibility we all hold to support them.

Because the future of care doesn’t rest on individuals alone. It depends on the systems we build, the support we enable, and the value we place on those who keep services going.

Across our network, we’ve had the privilege of recognizing nurses through our Integrity Icon campaign – an initiative that celebrates public servants who lead with honesty, accountability, and a deep commitment to others.

Hema Thapa, recognized by Accountability Lab Nepal in 2023, is one such example.

🎧 Watch her story – and explore more stories of integrity in action on our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/3PkeTQl

05/08/2026

Join us in welcoming Andrea Currie-Edwards, our Senior Non-Resident Fellow! 🎉

With 15+ years of experience in anti-money laundering, illicit finance, and anti-corruption, Andrea has worked across the public and private sectors, as well as multilateral development banks.

As a senior policy advisor, she designs anti-corruption policies and leads interventions that strengthen accountability through transparency, education, and engagement. She has also contributed to reform efforts under the U.S. strategy on countering corruption.

Andrea writes on global illicit finance, contributing to conversations on integrity and accountability at the intersection of corruption and money laundering.

We’re excited to have her expertise shaping our work.

05/07/2026

📍 Citizen inclusion builds better policies and programs

As development funding shrinks, using funds we have well is crucial. It is in the interests of International Financial Institutions (IFIs) to meaningfully engage citizens and civil society in the processes and policies that shape development financing because it results in better outcomes.

It has been 18 months since World Bank Group President Ajay Banga promised that the Bank would publish a Civic and Citizen Engagement (CCE) indicator which would track the quality of the Bank’s engagement with citizens and civil society and hold the Bank accountable.

Despite promising conversations, there is no timeline for publication CCE framework or indicator, without which a people-centred development financing approach remains out of reach.

Read the full statement from our partners Partnership for Transparency - PTF: https://bit.ly/4f4L40D

05/05/2026

📣 Excited to share that our Co-CEO Blair Glencorse has joined the Strategy Steering Committee of the Youth Democracy Cohort (YDC).

As YDC evolves into a collaborative, member-driven network, its new governance structure puts members at the center, ensuring decision-making is more inclusive, representative, and grounded in their expertise.

The Steering Committee will:

📌 Guide strategy
📌 Strengthen youth participation
📌 Drive collective advocacy & partnerships
📌 Support inclusive, effective governance

Read more here: https://bit.ly/4d9XaDb

05/05/2026

🆕🎙 As funding pressures grow and global dynamics shift, civil society organizations are being asked to adapt – often while continuing to deliver on their missions.

In this new episode of the AccountabiliTea Podcast episode, Cheri-Leigh Erasmus speaks with Anabel Cruz, Fay Hodza, and Leah Shearman to reflect on what this moment looks like in practice: from navigating constraints to rethinking collaboration, systems, and long-term sustainability.

What emerges is a grounded conversation on how the sector is responding – and what may come next.

🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or via our website:�https://bit.ly/3QD0X4s

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