Accountability Lab

Accountability Lab Accountability Lab is a global translocal network that makes governance work for people.

08/21/2026

🌉 🇳🇵 Sahara and Prince canvas people’s views on pertinent issues and share them with the government. Their e-petition platform SpeakUpNepal acts as a bridge between citizens and powerholders. They monitor the platform for grave and urgent issues and funnel them to relevant government departments. Engaged departments sometimes request petitions around specific bills or policies to understand the public perspective before going ahead with changes.

Diverse experiences working with governments under Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, the interim “Gen Z” government under Sushila Karki, and the current government under Balendra Shah, have underscored for them the value of powerholders who are open to feedback from citizens.

“When we worked with the Department of Environment, I felt like I was talking with my colleague…like we were working together on a group project. And that should have been the norm.”




08/21/2026

Meet Brendan Halloran, our Senior Non-Resident Fellow!

He supports organizations, coalitions and communities of practice to develop participatory, systems-oriented approaches to analysis, strategy, research and learning.

Brendan has worked widely in leadership roles leading the strategy and learning function, developing approaches that connected evidence and learning to long-term governance reform. Read more about his approach here: https://www.thepolicypractice.com/governing-climate-action-governance-political-economy-and-systems-change-country-platforms-0

As an independent consultant and adviser, Brendan works with global organizations, government agencies and local civic actors on strategic planning, evaluation and learning. He also holds advisory roles with the Open Government Partnership, the Accountability Research Center at American University and Accountable Now.

His current work explores how locally rooted, participatory approaches can help democratic and accountability ecosystems move from isolated interventions towards collective, sustained change.

We look forward to the perspective, energy, and insight he brings to our work.

đź’¬ What could shared leadership make possible in your organization? Accountability Lab, Digital Action, and the Human Rig...
08/19/2026

đź’¬ What could shared leadership make possible in your organization?

Accountability Lab, Digital Action, and the Human Rights Measurement Initiative are bringing together leaders and organizations interested in exploring co-leadership through a new Community of Practice.

This will be a space to exchange ideas, share practical lessons, and learn from others navigating shared leadership – including questions of trust, complementarity, mutual accountability, and boundaries.

Whether you’re already working in a co-leadership model or simply considering it, we’d love you to join the conversation.

👉 Join the Co-Leadership Community of Practice: https://bit.ly/4zqB9KI

08/19/2026

🪧🇳🇵Aayush Basyal and other Gen Z movement participants take us into the stories behind the demonstrations in Nepal and what institutionalising gains and laying the ground for new ways forward requires.

Aayush reflects on the critical role of civil society and how it needs to keep both the public and the government informed and in check. “Their dysfunction cost the state a lot… the concept of civil society has to be redefined and then reintroduced to the people. It’s a very important part of how society works,” he says. He adds that during Nepal’s People’s Movement 20 years ago the country’s civil society served as a third party to bring political parties to a table for real dialogue and to hold both government and citizens accountable to each other. That role went largely unfilled this time, leaving a vacuum of shared understanding and accountability that parties are still tackling today.

He also questions whether there is real representation among Nepal’s youth demographic as the political transition unfolds in the country. When proximity to the center decides whose perspective and vision is taken as the main narrative of the movement, what does that mean for representation?

“The critical part of the definition of democracy is to respect anyone who might not have that big of a voice.”



Nepal’s digital future is being shaped not just by technology, but by the choices made around inclusion, participation a...
08/17/2026

Nepal’s digital future is being shaped not just by technology, but by the choices made around inclusion, participation and governance. So, what does it take to make that future work for everyone?

This question framed the Digital Democracy Summit 2026, organized by Accountability Lab in Nepal under the DDI South Asia initiative, bringing diverse stakeholders together to consider how Nepal can turn its digital ambition into a future that works for citizens and strengthens democratic participation.

The discussions pointed to a broader understanding of what digital transformation should mean. Progress is not simply about how much technology is deployed but whether people can access and use it, participate meaningfully, trust how their data is handled, and rely on institutions to govern digital systems responsibly. That requires stronger coordination across government and clearer institutional responsibilities, alongside digital public infrastructure that is accessible and interoperable. It also requires investment in digital literacy, responsible data governance, and deliberate efforts to address the barriers that still prevent many people from participating fully in digital life and public services.

Civic technology emerged as another important part of the conversation. When digital tools are built around real public needs, they can do more than make services faster. They can create new ways for people to participate, give citizens greater visibility into government, and strengthen accountability.

For Nepal, the next step is to turn these conversations into sustained collaboration and practical action, ensuring that digital progress strengthens participation, expands access and supports a more accountable and rights-respecting digital future.

08/14/2026

🪧🇳🇵Monika Niroula is one of a small group of women and q***r organisers who distilled the voices of thousands of Gen Z youth in Nepal into a salient set of asks from the Nepali government after mass protests caused Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to step down.

The 10-point agreement, signed last December, gave the movement something concrete to negotiate on, and is widely accepted as a documentation of the hopes, aspirations, and ambitions of Nepal’s youth.

However, young people are raising red flags around gaps in its implementation. Monika urges friends and partners to stand in solidarity with Nepali youth and civil society by first listening, then supporting based on the needs they’ve identified.

”We sometimes look at the movement as a two-day movement. But the movement continues, is something that I think a lot of us don't see or acknowledge”

Z

08/12/2026

đź“Ť Today is International Youth Day and we're marking it with a brand new campaign on the power of Gen Z with common aspirations across different contexts.

Since 2022, Gen Z movements have been at the forefront of protests across the world. In a short 4 years, 5 heads of state have been toppled, and the definition of what constitutes civic action has expanded. They took their grievances – corruption and elite privilege, public service failure, economic insecurity, and repression – to the streets.

In the coming weeks, we’re catching up with movement participants from Nepal to Kenya on how they’re working to build lasting civic structures, and what that process reveals about the gap between youth energy and institutional readiness.




🎶 Before a society changes its laws, it changes the stories it tells about itself.Co-Director at Accountability Lab Mexi...
08/11/2026

🎶 Before a society changes its laws, it changes the stories it tells about itself.

Co-Director at Accountability Lab Mexico Ana Laura Lozano traces how music has carried movements for justice, from "We Shall Overcome" to "El pueblo unido jamás será vencido." They came from people singing about their lived realities that others recognized themselves in.

AL Mexico imbued this spirit into Music4Change, working with migrants and asylum seekers in Mexico City to co-create original songs from their own stories. It created space for people become authors of their own narrative, rather than subjects of someone else's.

đź«— If narratives of hope as a strategic practice sound good, read the full story: https://bit.ly/3TUl8MK

đź“® And subscribe to our quarterly learning newsletter for more stories like this: https://bit.ly/4sG6YdM

Join the Governance Action Hub for the online NextGen Democracy Labs Showcase, where young leaders will present the prac...
08/10/2026

Join the Governance Action Hub for the online NextGen Democracy Labs Showcase, where young leaders will present the practical tools and research they have co-created over the past year to strengthen democratic participation.

Participants will take away:

· Youth-led ideas that can be applied to democracy work
· Practical tools for political participation and creative civic engagement
· New connections and opportunities to collaborate

đź“… Wednesday, 12 August
⏰ 11:00 AM–1:00 PM UTC
đź’» Online
đź”— Learn more and register: https://bit.ly/4wEEuUF

We’re pleased to amplify this important work and hope you’ll join the conversation!

Six months of progress, partnership, and learning. Explore Accountability Lab East and Southern Africa (ALESA)'s 2026 Mi...
08/05/2026

Six months of progress, partnership, and learning. Explore Accountability Lab East and Southern Africa (ALESA)'s 2026 Mid-Year Snapshot.

Take a look below. ⬇️

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