This image is excerpted from a U.S. GAO report:

www.gao.gov/products/GAO-17-324

IRS RETURN SELECTION: Improved Planning, Internal Controls, and Data Would Enhance Large Business Division Efforts to Implement New Compliance Approach

Upon founding the Light Foundation, Matt dreamed about starting a camp where young men could learn lifelong skills that would help them be R.E.A.L (Responsible, Ethical, Accountable, Leaders). For its 10th consecutive year, the Light Foundation’s premier program, Camp Vohokase has done just that.

Each year, Matt chooses four incoming high school freshmen from an at-risk community and asks them to commit the next four years to our leadership program, which includes 10 days at Chenoweth Trails each summer. There are always 18 boys in camp, four from each grade level, with each group coming from a different part of the country. Those locations, all with a connect to the Light Foundation, include Greenville, Ohio, where Matt grew up; Woonsocket, Rhode Island, close to where Matt holds his signature fundraising event; New Orleans, Louisiana, where a like-minded charity had asked for help; West Lafayette, Indiana, where Matt attended Purdue; Gloucester, Worcester and New Bedford, Massachusetts, all close to where Matt played during his NFL years; Hammond, Indiana, where Matt’s wife Susie grew up and identified a need for support; and new this year, Washington D.C, where the treasurer of the board resides.

The young men are required to keep good academic standing, complete a yearly community service project back home, and check in with our head counselors on a frequent basis. Program Director Edgar Flores tracks the kids’ progress year-round. He also does quarterly visits in order to foster the ongoing relationship between the campers, their class, and the foundation. By interacting with them in their own space, we can learn more about their behaviors and how those connect with their personal situations. By entering their homes, we often have the chance to stand as a united front with their parents or guardians in ensuring they’re doing exactly what they need to do to succeed. These visits are critical in reassuring to the young men that we are committed to them and serve as a true support system and not just a summer camp counselor. Not to mention, we have a lot of fun! They bond over some good grub and connect about what’s going on in their lives at that moment. Past day trips during a visit have included: Dave & Buster’s, paint balling, laser tag, amusement parks, farms, and bowling. We do try and balance the fun with more educational opportunities like volunteer community service projects, visiting local museums, or making a college visit for some of our juniors and seniors.

In return of having a good academic standing, the campers spend ten days among nature enjoying all that our beautiful facility has to offer whether it be skeet shooting, woodworking, canoeing, archery, fishing, dirt biking, etc. Despite all the fun we have here, the young men are responsible for daily chores, site visits to area businesses, and the completion of a service project around Darke County. Each night of the stay is reserved for fireside chats. These chats are structured to help create a dialogue about the very real and difficult issues these young boys face back home.

For a lot of these kids, all they need is an opportunity. We use the outdoors as a real teaching tool and a way to get kids to open up. And with us, these kids aren’t given anything. We make them work for everything they achieve. But through that they understand and value hard work, they learn work ethic, and they become proud of what they do, and want to share their accomplishments. Our hope is that after four years, each young man graduates from the program ready to become leaders in their own communities, equipped with the necessary tools and a heart for service.

In the past 11 years, 30 at-risk young men have graduated from Vohokase Cultural Leadership Camp with the tools to tap into their greatest potential as people and community leaders.

Upon founding the Light Foundation, Matt dreamed about starting a camp where young men could learn lifelong skills that would help them be R.E.A.L (Responsible, Ethical, Accountable, Leaders). For its 10th consecutive year, the Light Foundation’s premier program, Camp Vohokase has done just that.

Each year, Matt chooses four incoming high school freshmen from an at-risk community and asks them to commit the next four years to our leadership program, which includes 10 days at Chenoweth Trails each summer. There are always 18 boys in camp, four from each grade level, with each group coming from a different part of the country. Those locations, all with a connect to the Light Foundation, include Greenville, Ohio, where Matt grew up; Woonsocket, Rhode Island, close to where Matt holds his signature fundraising event; New Orleans, Louisiana, where a like-minded charity had asked for help; West Lafayette, Indiana, where Matt attended Purdue; Gloucester, Worcester and New Bedford, Massachusetts, all close to where Matt played during his NFL years; Hammond, Indiana, where Matt’s wife Susie grew up and identified a need for support; and new this year, Washington D.C, where the treasurer of the board resides.

The young men are required to keep good academic standing, complete a yearly community service project back home, and check in with our head counselors on a frequent basis. Program Director Edgar Flores tracks the kids’ progress year-round. He also does quarterly visits in order to foster the ongoing relationship between the campers, their class, and the foundation. By interacting with them in their own space, we can learn more about their behaviors and how those connect with their personal situations. By entering their homes, we often have the chance to stand as a united front with their parents or guardians in ensuring they’re doing exactly what they need to do to succeed. These visits are critical in reassuring to the young men that we are committed to them and serve as a true support system and not just a summer camp counselor. Not to mention, we have a lot of fun! They bond over some good grub and connect about what’s going on in their lives at that moment. Past day trips during a visit have included: Dave & Buster’s, paint balling, laser tag, amusement parks, farms, and bowling. We do try and balance the fun with more educational opportunities like volunteer community service projects, visiting local museums, or making a college visit for some of our juniors and seniors.

In return of having a good academic standing, the campers spend ten days among nature enjoying all that our beautiful facility has to offer whether it be skeet shooting, woodworking, canoeing, archery, fishing, dirt biking, etc. Despite all the fun we have here, the young men are responsible for daily chores, site visits to area businesses, and the completion of a service project around Darke County. Each night of the stay is reserved for fireside chats. These chats are structured to help create a dialogue about the very real and difficult issues these young boys face back home.

For a lot of these kids, all they need is an opportunity. We use the outdoors as a real teaching tool and a way to get kids to open up. And with us, these kids aren’t given anything. We make them work for everything they achieve. But through that they understand and value hard work, they learn work ethic, and they become proud of what they do, and want to share their accomplishments. Our hope is that after four years, each young man graduates from the program ready to become leaders in their own communities, equipped with the necessary tools and a heart for service.

In the past 11 years, 30 at-risk young men have graduated from Vohokase Cultural Leadership Camp with the tools to tap into their greatest potential as people and community leaders.

With the lovely Danelia Dust.

"Deutsche Bank Shake-Up Should Improve Accountability" by DOMINIC ELLIOTT via NYT t.co/dnBHY6pDat (via Twitter twitter.com/felipemassone/status/656182648600178688)

This comic is based on the PSLC's wiki page on 'accountable talk' and high school biology curriculum. It is an introduction for students to use Accountable Talk *moderation* moves when having group discussions.

Moderation moves are typically done by teachers in a classroom, but we're trying to introduce students to the idea of moderating their own group discussions.

This image is excerpted from a U.S. GAO report:

www.gao.gov/products/GAO-22-104364

Cybersecurity: OMB Should Update Inspector General Reporting Guidance to Increase Rating Consistency and Precision

The Netherlands, The Hague, 20220714

The Government of the Netherlands is hosting, together with the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and the European Commission, an Ukraine Accountability Conference at ministerial level at the World Forum in The Hague on 14 July.

Photo: Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2022

Blair Glencorse, Founder and Executive Director.The Accountability Lab, Demetrios Marantis, Senior Vice-President, Global Government Relations.Visa, Lindiwe Mazibuko, Leader of the Opposition, Parliament of South Africa (2011-2014).Democratic Alliance (DA), Oscar Onyema, Chief Executive Officer.Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Vasilis Koulolias, Director, eGovlab.Stockholm University at the World Economic Forum on Africa 2017 in Durban, South Africa. Copyright by World Economic Forum / Greg Beadle

The CredibilityLab at Mishal Pakistan launched the Media Credibility Index (MCI), an initiative started in January 2013 in collaboration with Pakistan Coalition for Ethical Journalism, leading research and academic institutions, and media practitioners. The launch ceremony was held in Islamabad where prominent media professionals, representatives of regulatory bodies, media development organizations and members of the civil society participated. The Index focuses on the relative credibility and believability of various media channels through which content is created.

Addressing the participants, Founder and Director, Ethical Journalism Network, Aidan White said that launch of the Media Credibility Index is a landmark moment for media accountability in Pakistan. In a country where people are overwhelmed by a torrent of information on all sides, and where corruption lurks in all areas of public life, the greatest challenge facing journalists and media professionals is to produce information that is reliable, useful and above all truthful.

The MCI provides fundamentals for analyzing media discourse in the country. By using benchmarks provided by professionals at national and international level, the MCI provides an opportunity to examine how the news analysis and commentary of high profile news anchors contribute to better understanding of complex issues in Pakistan’s robust landscape of journalism and politics, he further added.

Speaking at on the occasion, Dr. Nazir Saeed, Federal Secretary for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage said, “Television has an overwhelming impact on peoples’ decision-making power. The significance of the Media Credibility Index is in its use and ability to highlight content that can empower both the newsmakers and the information seekers; enabling them to create an effective knowledge ecosystem in the country. MCI has the potential of becoming the source for an informed decision making tool in public policy debate. MCI will promote ethical content practices in the country, information that tells stories not just about the powerful, but also about the powerless, and not just about the life of the decision makers, but also about issues concerning the masses”.

“I feel proud of the fact that the Media Credibility Index has been launched in Pakistan and can be a benchmark for other countries in the world for promoting, balanced, ethical and fair journalism practices”, said Dr. Nazir Saeed.

Center for International Media Ethics (CIME) Ambassador for Pakistan, Puruesh Chaudhary said that the index has been developed after an extensive examination of media laws, ethical principals drafted by different media groups, compliance regulations formulated by regulatory bodies and journalistic organizations. The MCI will explore the state of media in Pakistan against six indicators and 20 sub-indices. The results are currently being published on a weekly basis on the Media Credibility Index website as well.

Senior journalist and founder, Pakistan Coalition for Ethical Journalism, Muhammad Ziauddin said that Mishal has incorporated more than thirty code of conducts, principles of ethical journalism, which include currently prevalent seven national code of conducts and twenty four international code of ethics from international regulatory bodies, which have been agreed upon across the globe. He further said, that the codes of ethics framed by the Pakistani media groups have also being included within the index, these entail Jang group’s Geo Asool, Dunya’s code of ethics, Express group’s journalism code of conduct and Dawn Group’s principles and code of conduct.

After reviewing the principles of journalism and codes of ethics for journalists; six media credibility indicators with 20 sub-indices have been developed in order to assess the media discourse and credibility of current affairs anchors in Pakistan. This extensive study entails thirty-five current affairs programming of the mainstream Pakistani news channels. The Credibility of the anchors and content discourse is being assessed on; Professional Competence, Ethics, Accuracy, Balance, Timeliness and Fairness.

Chief Executive Officer, Mishal Pakistan, Amir Jahangir said the CredibilityLab, through its activities will further strengthen the Triple Helix concept, which relies on three main ideas: (1) a more prominent role for the University in creating new though and research processes, bringing them on par with the Industry and Government that form the basis of a Knowledge Society; (2) a movement toward collaborative relationships among the three major institutional spheres, in which information and knowledge policy is increasingly an outcome of interaction rather than a prescription from the Government; (3) in addition to fulfilling their traditional functions, each institutional sphere also “takes the role of the ‘other’ performing new roles as well as their traditional function.

The CredibilityLab at Mishal will be publishing its research on the state of media and competitiveness in Pakistan in collaboration with its partners. The MCI research has been one of the few initiatives in Pakistan, where research work has been collaborated with eleven academic partners in the country, including University of the Punjab, International Islamic University, Fatima Jinnah Women University, Lahore College for Women University, University of Gujrat, Government College University Faisalabad, Islamia University Bhawalpur, University of Balouchistan, Greenwich University and Bharia University.

Mishal Pakistan is the partner institute of the Global Competitiveness and Benchmarking Networks, World Economic Forum. Mishal assists the forum in creating the soft-data on Pakistan, identifying Pakistan’s competitiveness challenges. Mishal has also launched Pakistan’s first journalism awards “AGAHI Awards” on the framework designed jointly with the Center for International Media Ethics and UNESCO’s Media Development Indicators.

As a partner institute Mishal has been working closely with the World Economic Forum on measuring Pakistan’s performance on multiple international indices and reports i.e. Global Competitiveness Index, Global Gender Gap Index, Global Enabling Trade Index, Global Information Technology Report – Network Readiness Index, Financial Development Index and the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index.

For more information on the Media Credibility Index (MCI) please visit: www.mediacredibilityindex.com

Representatives of the Council of Accountable Physician Practices

From left to right:

Steven Green, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group

Nick Wolter, MD, CEO, Billings Clinic

Ira Nash, MD, Senior Vice President, North Shore-LIJ Health System

Norman Chenven, MD, CEO, Austin Regional Clinic; Vice-chair, Council of Accountable Physician Practices (CAPP)

William Conway, MD, CEO, Henry Ford Medical Group

Laura Fegraus, Executive Director, Council of Accountable Physician Practices (CAPP)

Robert Pearl, MD, CEO, The Permanente Medical Group and Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group; Chair of the Council of Accountable Physician Practices (CAPP)

Brian Rank, MD, Executive Medical Director, Park Nicollet HealthPartners Care Group

Karen Cabell, DO, Chief Quality & Safety Officer, Billings Clinic

"“Having ready access to a doctor is vital to high quality healthcare. Yet the busy schedules of consumers and physicians alike often prevent timely attention to routine and urgent healthcare problems in the traditional 9 to 5 physician office visit options. Digital technologies can help overcome the barriers to accessing medical care, yet our survey shows that these tools are not available to most Americans,” said Robert Pearl, M.D., Chairman of the Council of Accountable Physician Practices and CEO of The Permanente Medical Group and the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group. “Healthcare providers must step up our adoption of these common-sense and available solutions if we are truly going to reform healthcare delivery.” - See www.bettertogetherhealth.org for event webcast - Hosted at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Total Health on November 4, 2015

"“Having ready access to a doctor is vital to high quality healthcare. Yet the busy schedules of consumers and physicians alike often prevent timely attention to routine and urgent healthcare problems in the traditional 9 to 5 physician office visit options. Digital technologies can help overcome the barriers to accessing medical care, yet our survey shows that these tools are not available to most Americans,” said Robert Pearl, M.D., Chairman of the Council of Accountable Physician Practices and CEO of The Permanente Medical Group and the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group. “Healthcare providers must step up our adoption of these common-sense and available solutions if we are truly going to reform healthcare delivery.” - See www.bettertogetherhealth.org for event webcast - Hosted at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Total Health on November 4, 2015

With the lovely Danelia Dust.

Augustine Ayim and April Demps, registered nurses, provide accountability during the vaccine dispensing processes, while Jonida Murataj, a pharmacy technician, assigned to the New York State Department of Health, does a final spot check before dispensing, in support of efforts to provide mass COVID-19 vaccinations administered by the New York State Department of Health at the Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, New York, January 31, 2021.

The New York State Department of Health conducts vaccination efforts for essential workers and members of the community over age 65 beginning January 13, 2021. Eligible members of the public can register for a vaccine appointment through the Department of Health website: www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-vaccines.page. The National Guard has more than 350 Guardsmen and women deployed to the vaccination site to support staffing for the site.

Ousmane Ly, ANTIM, Mali

This session features some of the innovative ICT applications for RMNCH, and highlight efforts of international organizations to foster the use of ICT to better implement the recommendations of the Commission on Information and Accountability for Women’s and Children’s Health.

Day 2

14 May 2013

ITU/ J.M. Planche

Research by R.Speijcken

Utrecht, 10 July 2009

Governor Phil Murphy alongside Commissioner Christine Norbut Beyer signs A-3707/S-2395 as a key part of the effort to implement the necessary accountability measures to exit from federal oversight of child protective services administered under the New Jersey Department of Children and Families on Tuesday, December 20, 2022 (Edwin J. Torres/NJ Governorâs Office).

20230217, MSC, Munich Security Conference, Bayerischer Hof: Main Stage I: Panel Discussion.Against Lawlessness: Ensuring Accountability.Conference Hall: Kaja Kallas Prime Minister, Republic of Estonia

Roland, one of Santa's accountants, finds it discouraging that Rudolph and the Flight Crew get all the attention. No one ever pays attention to the other support staff. Let the Rednose Reindeer try to balance the budget in this economy and see how much time he has for reindeer games.

Omar Alshogre, Syrian student and detention survivor, addresses the Security Council Arria-formula meeting on Accountability in the Syrian Arab Republic.

Security Council members Estonia, France, the United Kingdom and the United States, with additional co-sponsors Belgium, Canada, Germany, Georgia, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Qatar, Sweden and Turkey holds an informal briefing on the need for increased efforts by the Council to establish full accountability for the most serious international crimes committed in the Syrian Arab Republic.

UN Photo/Manuel Elías

29 November 2021

New York, United States of America

Photo # UN7918177

Winners in category "Includer": Youth Power Accountability Advocates / Restless Development - Ghana

Op 9 juni 2017 vond in de Tweede Kamer in Den Haag de tweede editie van Accountability Hack plaats, een hackathon waar met open data de prestaties van de overheid in kaart worden gebracht. Accountability Hack is een initiatief van de Algemene Rekenkamer en de Tweede Kamer samen met het CBS en de ministeries van Binnenlandse Zaken, Buitenlandse Zaken, Financiën en Infrastructuur en Milieu. De hackathon werd georganiseerd in samenwerking met Open State Foundation. Kijk voor meer informatie op accountabilityhack.nl/

Sgt. Maj. Joel Collins and 1st Sgt. Daniel Mangrum give a leadership and accountability brief to Marines with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (24th MEU), Battalion Landing Team, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, Headquarters and Services Company, aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7). Iwo Jima is part of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group with the embarked 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (24th MEU) and will support maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Scott Youngblood/Released)

120329-N-QM601-315

ATLANTIC OCEAN (March 29, 2012)

European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim A.A. Khan QC and Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra.

The Government of the Netherlands, the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and the European Commission are hosting an Ukraine Accountability Conference at ministerial level at the World Forum in The Hague, The Netherlands, on 14 July 2022.

© Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2022

Jordi Serrano Pons, Universal Doctors

This session features some of the innovative ICT applications for RMNCH, and highlight efforts of international organizations to foster the use of ICT to better implement the recommendations of the Commission on Information and Accountability for Women’s and Children’s Health.

Day 2

14 May 2013

ITU/ J.M. Planche

The Inspection Panel is completing 25 years in its role, as an accountability mechanism of the World Bank. As you are aware, the Bank’s failure to comply with its operating policies was seen by the entire world in the Bank’s financing with the Sardar Sarovar Dam project on River Narmada. The tenacity of massive grass-roots uprisings from our communities in the 80’s and the sustained hard work of our social movements along with our resoluteness to link it with international coalitions to question the hegemony of the Bank, subsequently led the Bank, for the first time, to commission an independent review of its project. The Independent Review Committee (Morse Committee) constituted by the Bank in 1991 to review the social and environmental costs and benefits of the dam, after years of consistent struggle by Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save Narmada Movement) and its allies led to a demand from the civil society around the globe for the creation of a grievance redressal system for project-affected communities, which ultimately pressurized the Bank to constitute the Inspection Panel in 1993. We expected this might be a crucial backstop and an opportunity for us to raise our issues of livelihoods, economic loss, displacement from our lands, alienation from natural resources, destruction of environment and threat to our biodiversity and cultural hotspots, where Bank invested in large, supposedly ‘development’ projects like mega dams, energy and other infrastructure projects. Yet, the outcome we expected rarely delivered sufficient remedy for the harm and losses people have experienced over the years.

A number of accountability mechanisms over the next couple of decades in several development finance institutions were formed following the model of World Bank, commonly known as ‘Independent Accountability Mechanisms’[IAMs]. Each year the number of complaints rise which is an indication of the increasing number of grievous projects happening around the world. While IAMs of most MDBs are advertised to provide strong and just processes, many of our experiences imply that the banks are accommodating practices which suit their own needs and their clients, which are borrowing countries and agencies, and not the people for whom the IAMs were built to serve.

Many a time, we have been disappointed by these mechanisms, since these are designed by the banks who are lending for disastrous projects in our lands. And as a result, the already existing narrow mandate of IAMs is further restricted.

In our efforts to hold the lending bank accountable, the communities are always presented with the arduous process of learning the complex formalities and detailed procedures to initially approach the IAMs and get our grievances registered. Our many years’ time and energy then is channelised into seeing through the various cycles of these complaint handling mechanisms, that our entire efforts go into this process, and often our complaint gets dropped off in midst of the procedural rules of the IAMs. People are made to wait many months to clear procedural levels and our cases with the IAMs get highly unpredictable. Further, we face intimidation and reprisals from the state and project agencies for having contacted the IAMs who themselves do not possess any authority to address the violations hurled out to us when we seek dignity, fair treatment and justice from them. There are many of us who feel a loss of morale after long years of struggling with lenders when we fail to see concrete benefits or changes in our circumstances, by which time considerable irreplaceable harm is already done to our lives, environment and livelihoods.

In this manner, our immediate and larger goal of holding banks for their failure to consult with and obtain consent from communities before devising action plans for our lands, water and forests is deflected in the pretext of problem-solving and grievance hearing offered to us in the name of IAMs.

With over 50 registered complaints sent to different IAMS from India in the past 25 years, many more left unregistered due to technical reasons and only a few got investigated, assessed and monitored at different levels, we have a baggage of mixed experiences with the IAMs. A few of the prominent cases from India apart from Narmada project are Vishnugad Pipalkoti Hydro Electric Project [WB’s IP], Tata Mega Ultra-01/Mundra and Anjar [IFC’s CAO & ADB’s CRP], India Infrastructure Fund-01/Dhenkanal District [IFC’s CAO], Allain Duhangan Hydro Power Limited-01/Himachal Pradesh [IFC’s CAO] and Mumbai Urban Transport Project (2009) [WB’s IP].

As we now know, what is being witnessed recently is an influx of approved and proposed investments majorly in energy, transport, steel, roads, urban projects, bullet trains, industrial zones/corridors, smart cities, water privatization and other mega projects in India. This has been financed from different multilateral and bilateral sources, foreign corporations, private banks as well as Export-Import Banks (ExIm Banks). It has become a brutal challenge for communities, social movements and CSOs, with lenders and governments constantly shutting their eyes and ears to us who demand accountability for their actions. A compelling and timely need has arisen among diverse groups amongst us to gather together and critically analyze the various trajectories of our engagements with accountability mechanisms of MDBs in order to bring together past 25 years’ learning, insights and reflections of various actors of this accountability process. This urging demand is also an attempt to define the collective experiences in India among our social movements, projected-affected communities and CSOs with IAMs and lending banks, especially appropriating the global political opportunity of Inspection Panel celebrating its 25 years this year.

Speakers:

Thomas Franco, Former General Secretary, AlI India Bank Officers’ Confederation

Arun Kumar, Eminent scholar, Former Professor Jawaharlal Nehru University

C.P. Chandrashekar, Economist, Professor Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, Jawaharlal Nehru University

Sucheta Dalal, Managing Editor, Moneylife

Soumya Dutta, National Convener, Bharat Jan Vigyan Jatha

Dunu Roy, Hazards Center, New Delhi

Medha Patkar, Senior Activist, Narmada Bachao Andolan

Tani Alex, Centre for Financial Accountability

M J Vijayan, Activist and Political commentator

Joe Athialy, Centre for Financial Accountability

Anirudha Nagar, Accountability Counsel

Madhuresh Kumar, National Alliance of People’s Movements

A J Vijayan, Chairperson, Western Ghats and Coastal area Protection Forum

Meera Sanghamitra, National Aliance of People’s Movements

Vimal bhai, Matu Jan Sangathan, Uttarakhand

Daniel Adler, Senior Specialist, Compliance Advisor Ombudsman

Joe Athialy, Centre for Financial Accountability

Birgit Kuba, Operations Officer, Inspection Panel

Anuradha Munshi, Centre for Financial Accountability

Bharat Patel, General Secretary, Machimar Adhikar Sangharsh Sangathan,Gujarat

Awadhesh Kumar, Srijan Lokhit Samiti

Amulya Kumar Nayak, Odisha Chas Parivesh Surekhsa Parishad, Odisha

Dr. Usha Ramanathan, Legal Scholar

Manshi Asher, Himdhara Environment Research and Action Collective, Himachal Pradesh

10/8/2013 | Image Source: www.fitsnews.com

The Inspection Panel is completing 25 years in its role, as an accountability mechanism of the World Bank. As you are aware, the Bank’s failure to comply with its operating policies was seen by the entire world in the Bank’s financing with the Sardar Sarovar Dam project on River Narmada. The tenacity of massive grass-roots uprisings from our communities in the 80’s and the sustained hard work of our social movements along with our resoluteness to link it with international coalitions to question the hegemony of the Bank, subsequently led the Bank, for the first time, to commission an independent review of its project. The Independent Review Committee (Morse Committee) constituted by the Bank in 1991 to review the social and environmental costs and benefits of the dam, after years of consistent struggle by Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save Narmada Movement) and its allies led to a demand from the civil society around the globe for the creation of a grievance redressal system for project-affected communities, which ultimately pressurized the Bank to constitute the Inspection Panel in 1993. We expected this might be a crucial backstop and an opportunity for us to raise our issues of livelihoods, economic loss, displacement from our lands, alienation from natural resources, destruction of environment and threat to our biodiversity and cultural hotspots, where Bank invested in large, supposedly ‘development’ projects like mega dams, energy and other infrastructure projects. Yet, the outcome we expected rarely delivered sufficient remedy for the harm and losses people have experienced over the years.

A number of accountability mechanisms over the next couple of decades in several development finance institutions were formed following the model of World Bank, commonly known as ‘Independent Accountability Mechanisms’[IAMs]. Each year the number of complaints rise which is an indication of the increasing number of grievous projects happening around the world. While IAMs of most MDBs are advertised to provide strong and just processes, many of our experiences imply that the banks are accommodating practices which suit their own needs and their clients, which are borrowing countries and agencies, and not the people for whom the IAMs were built to serve.

Many a time, we have been disappointed by these mechanisms, since these are designed by the banks who are lending for disastrous projects in our lands. And as a result, the already existing narrow mandate of IAMs is further restricted.

In our efforts to hold the lending bank accountable, the communities are always presented with the arduous process of learning the complex formalities and detailed procedures to initially approach the IAMs and get our grievances registered. Our many years’ time and energy then is channelised into seeing through the various cycles of these complaint handling mechanisms, that our entire efforts go into this process, and often our complaint gets dropped off in midst of the procedural rules of the IAMs. People are made to wait many months to clear procedural levels and our cases with the IAMs get highly unpredictable. Further, we face intimidation and reprisals from the state and project agencies for having contacted the IAMs who themselves do not possess any authority to address the violations hurled out to us when we seek dignity, fair treatment and justice from them. There are many of us who feel a loss of morale after long years of struggling with lenders when we fail to see concrete benefits or changes in our circumstances, by which time considerable irreplaceable harm is already done to our lives, environment and livelihoods.

In this manner, our immediate and larger goal of holding banks for their failure to consult with and obtain consent from communities before devising action plans for our lands, water and forests is deflected in the pretext of problem-solving and grievance hearing offered to us in the name of IAMs.

With over 50 registered complaints sent to different IAMS from India in the past 25 years, many more left unregistered due to technical reasons and only a few got investigated, assessed and monitored at different levels, we have a baggage of mixed experiences with the IAMs. A few of the prominent cases from India apart from Narmada project are Vishnugad Pipalkoti Hydro Electric Project [WB’s IP], Tata Mega Ultra-01/Mundra and Anjar [IFC’s CAO & ADB’s CRP], India Infrastructure Fund-01/Dhenkanal District [IFC’s CAO], Allain Duhangan Hydro Power Limited-01/Himachal Pradesh [IFC’s CAO] and Mumbai Urban Transport Project (2009) [WB’s IP].

As we now know, what is being witnessed recently is an influx of approved and proposed investments majorly in energy, transport, steel, roads, urban projects, bullet trains, industrial zones/corridors, smart cities, water privatization and other mega projects in India. This has been financed from different multilateral and bilateral sources, foreign corporations, private banks as well as Export-Import Banks (ExIm Banks). It has become a brutal challenge for communities, social movements and CSOs, with lenders and governments constantly shutting their eyes and ears to us who demand accountability for their actions. A compelling and timely need has arisen among diverse groups amongst us to gather together and critically analyze the various trajectories of our engagements with accountability mechanisms of MDBs in order to bring together past 25 years’ learning, insights and reflections of various actors of this accountability process. This urging demand is also an attempt to define the collective experiences in India among our social movements, projected-affected communities and CSOs with IAMs and lending banks, especially appropriating the global political opportunity of Inspection Panel celebrating its 25 years this year.

Speakers:

Thomas Franco, Former General Secretary, AlI India Bank Officers’ Confederation

Arun Kumar, Eminent scholar, Former Professor Jawaharlal Nehru University

C.P. Chandrashekar, Economist, Professor Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, Jawaharlal Nehru University

Sucheta Dalal, Managing Editor, Moneylife

Soumya Dutta, National Convener, Bharat Jan Vigyan Jatha

Dunu Roy, Hazards Center, New Delhi

Medha Patkar, Senior Activist, Narmada Bachao Andolan

Tani Alex, Centre for Financial Accountability

M J Vijayan, Activist and Political commentator

Joe Athialy, Centre for Financial Accountability

Anirudha Nagar, Accountability Counsel

Madhuresh Kumar, National Alliance of People’s Movements

A J Vijayan, Chairperson, Western Ghats and Coastal area Protection Forum

Meera Sanghamitra, National Aliance of People’s Movements

Vimal bhai, Matu Jan Sangathan, Uttarakhand

Daniel Adler, Senior Specialist, Compliance Advisor Ombudsman

Joe Athialy, Centre for Financial Accountability

Birgit Kuba, Operations Officer, Inspection Panel

Anuradha Munshi, Centre for Financial Accountability

Bharat Patel, General Secretary, Machimar Adhikar Sangharsh Sangathan,Gujarat

Awadhesh Kumar, Srijan Lokhit Samiti

Amulya Kumar Nayak, Odisha Chas Parivesh Surekhsa Parishad, Odisha

Dr. Usha Ramanathan, Legal Scholar

Manshi Asher, Himdhara Environment Research and Action Collective, Himachal Pradesh

Op 9 juni 2017 vond in de Tweede Kamer in Den Haag de tweede editie van Accountability Hack plaats, een hackathon waar met open data de prestaties van de overheid in kaart worden gebracht. Accountability Hack is een initiatief van de Algemene Rekenkamer en de Tweede Kamer samen met het CBS en de ministeries van Binnenlandse Zaken, Buitenlandse Zaken, Financiën en Infrastructuur en Milieu. De hackathon werd georganiseerd in samenwerking met Open State Foundation. Kijk voor meer informatie op accountabilityhack.nl/

Maryann is General Manager of Health, Safety, Environment and Community (HSEC) for Glencore’s Queensland Metals in Mount Isa. She is the only female of 10 senior leaders within Glencore’s metals operations in Australia.

She is accountable for health and safety, environmental performance, community engagement and social performance for several copper and zinc mining and processing operations across North Queensland, which employ more than 4700 people.

This includes Mount Isa Mines (MIM), one of the largest and most complex mining facilities in Australia.

Her team manages more than 100 permits and authorities, including nine Environmental Authorities for a combined area of 41,000 hectares. Collectively, these assets contribute significantly to the region and the state.

Maryann grew up in Cloncurry in north-west Queensland, a region rich in mining and pastoral history.

“Over my 25-year mining career, the active pursuit of improving and sustaining safety performance has been a core value of mine and I wouldn’t accept anything less,” said Maryann.

“I have built my career around the evolving concept of social responsibility and license to operate. Whether that’s keeping our people safe, promoting inclusion and diversity in the workplace, continuously improving the environmental outcomes of our activities, or ensuring our business is a trusted community partner.

“I’m proud to have worked in roles that not only have stretched me technically, but also allow me to live my values both at work and at home.

“Diversity can increase innovative thinking and allows culture to grow in the right direction. Few women worked underground at MIM when I started in mining. I saw it as an opportunity to prove my capabilities and help gain a higher trust of women within the workforce.

“I can say with pride that today 50 percent of my team is female and 47 percent are in leadership roles.

“I have been motivated to increase career opportunities for women in the mining industry, one example of this is the creation and implementation of the Job Role Criteria (JRC) tool. The JRC tool primarily assists health and rehabilitation professionals assess employee’s capabilities to undertake occupational activities. It has since been adapted as a risk-based tool which can be used in recruitment. Its implementation allows more women to be employed into non-traditional positions.

“Regardless of gender, if you fit the criteria, then you fit the role.”

Op 9 juni 2017 vond in de Tweede Kamer in Den Haag de tweede editie van Accountability Hack plaats, een hackathon waar met open data de prestaties van de overheid in kaart worden gebracht. Accountability Hack is een initiatief van de Algemene Rekenkamer en de Tweede Kamer samen met het CBS en de ministeries van Binnenlandse Zaken, Buitenlandse Zaken, Financiën en Infrastructuur en Milieu. De hackathon werd georganiseerd in samenwerking met Open State Foundation. Kijk voor meer informatie op accountabilityhack.nl/

This image is excerpted from a U.S. GAO report:

www.gao.gov/products/GAO-16-717

COMBATING WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING: Agencies Are Taking a Range of Actions, but the Task Force Lacks Performance Targets for Assessing Progress

This session features some of the innovative ICT applications for RMNCH, and highlight efforts of international organizations to foster the use of ICT to better implement the recommendations of the Commission on Information and Accountability for Women’s and Children’s Health.

Day 2

14 May 2013

ITU/ J.M. Planche

This image is excerpted from a U.S. GAO report:

www.gao.gov/products/GAO-17-122

TRAIN BRAKING: DOT's Rulemaking on Electronically Controlled Pneumatic Brakes Could Benefit from Additional Data and Transparency

Op 9 juni 2017 vond in de Tweede Kamer in Den Haag de tweede editie van Accountability Hack plaats, een hackathon waar met open data de prestaties van de overheid in kaart worden gebracht. Accountability Hack is een initiatief van de Algemene Rekenkamer en de Tweede Kamer samen met het CBS en de ministeries van Binnenlandse Zaken, Buitenlandse Zaken, Financiën en Infrastructuur en Milieu. De hackathon werd georganiseerd in samenwerking met Open State Foundation. Kijk voor meer informatie op accountabilityhack.nl/

QUETTA-PAKISTAN: National party women secretary Mrs. Shazia Ahemd Langau speaks to press conference in favor of former chief minister adviser Meer Khalid Khan Langau at press Club. meer Kalid langau was arrested by National Accountability bureau “NAB” at Last week from Balochistan High court in case of mega corruption scandal in Finance Ministry Government of Balochistan

Op 9 juni 2017 vond in de Tweede Kamer in Den Haag de tweede editie van Accountability Hack plaats, een hackathon waar met open data de prestaties van de overheid in kaart worden gebracht. Accountability Hack is een initiatief van de Algemene Rekenkamer en de Tweede Kamer samen met het CBS en de ministeries van Binnenlandse Zaken, Buitenlandse Zaken, Financiën en Infrastructuur en Milieu. De hackathon werd georganiseerd in samenwerking met Open State Foundation. Kijk voor meer informatie op accountabilityhack.nl/

This image is excerpted from a U.S. GAO report:

www.gao.gov/products/GAO-20-590G

AGILE ASSESSMENT GUIDE: Best Practices for Agile Adoption and Implementation

a) Contracting personnel typically includes a warranted contract officer, who has express authority to enter into and administer a contract on behalf of the government and a contract specialist who can act as a business advisor to program managers; contracting personnel typically assist in planning the acquisition of goods and services, help negotiated the terms of the contract and provide contract management and administration services.

b) The product owner is the "voice of the customer," and is accountable for ensuring business value is delivered by creating customer-centric items (typically user stories), ordering them, and maintaining them in the backlog. See appendix II: Key Terms for more about the definition of a product owner.

c) The contracting officer's representative (COR) is a technical expert designated by the contracting officer to perform specific technical and administrative functions. The COR may provide day-to-day oversight of the contractor and reviews deliverables to ensure that they meet government requirements for quality, completeness, and timeliness.

d) The program office refers to all other personnel who support the program. This can include legal support, program monitoring and control support, and program management support. It is important that all personnel who support the program are familiar with Agile processes.

e) As discussed in chapter 3, the development team consists of the software developers, team facilitator, and subject matter experts who code the features for the program.

A sign at George Floyd Square in Minneapolis reads "Justice accountability healing for George Floyd. Say His Name." The square, located at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, became a focal point for protests following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020.

This image is part of a continuing series following the unrest and events in Minneapolis following the May 25th, 2020 murder of George Floyd.

Chad Davis Photography: Minneapolis Uprising

I've heard that there are people who don't take kindly to oversight, measurement, record keeping, rules, accountability… I'm rather fond of these notions. They're our benchmarks, those things that, provided the trustees can be trusted, keep things all safe and sound.

After paying for my parking and heading out and away from where I was to where I wanted to be, I spotted this, embedded in the concrete.

Knowing where I am, I'm prepared to bet the farm that this concrete is anchored on the bedrock of Capital Hill. Deeper in, and there's a void that Guy Fawkes would yearn for. I can't show you that, hush, hush. I suppose this car park concrete went in early, before the whole lot was capped with the decorative and symbolic forecourt above, everything sitting on pillars of more concrete, and steel.

Those big things? They are all founded on little things, layer by layer. Neglect any one of those little things, or ignore them, layer by layer, and eventually the whole lot will come tumbling down. That's why I'm focussed on the little things, and getting out of this carpark…

Op 9 juni 2017 vond in de Tweede Kamer in Den Haag de tweede editie van Accountability Hack plaats, een hackathon waar met open data de prestaties van de overheid in kaart worden gebracht. Accountability Hack is een initiatief van de Algemene Rekenkamer en de Tweede Kamer samen met het CBS en de ministeries van Binnenlandse Zaken, Buitenlandse Zaken, Financiën en Infrastructuur en Milieu. De hackathon werd georganiseerd in samenwerking met Open State Foundation. Kijk voor meer informatie op accountabilityhack.nl/

Hani Eskandar, ITU

This session features some of the innovative ICT applications for RMNCH, and highlight efforts of international organizations to foster the use of ICT to better implement the recommendations of the Commission on Information and Accountability for Women’s and Children’s Health.

Day 2

14 May 2013

ITU/ J.M. Planche

Luis Falcon, GNU Solidario

This session features some of the innovative ICT applications for RMNCH, and highlight efforts of international organizations to foster the use of ICT to better implement the recommendations of the Commission on Information and Accountability for Women’s and Children’s Health.

Day 2

14 May 2013

ITU/ J.M. Planche

Governor Hogan Signs an Executive Order Regarding School Accountability Initiatives. by Joe Andrucyk at Governors Reception Room, 100 State Circle, Annapolis MD 21401

Misha Kay, WHO

This session features some of the innovative ICT applications for RMNCH, and highlight efforts of international organizations to foster the use of ICT to better implement the recommendations of the Commission on Information and Accountability for Women’s and Children’s Health.

Day 2

14 May 2013

ITU/ J.M. Planche