Transcript Slide 1

The Challenge for Accountability
and Legitimacy
Civil Society Perspective
(OSI)
OSI Mission
• The Open Society Institute (OSI), a private operating
and grantmaking foundation, aims to shape public
policy to promote democratic governance, human
rights, and economic, legal, and social reform.
• On a local level, OSI implements a range of initiatives
to support the rule of law, education, public health,
and independent media.
• At the same time, OSI works to build alliances across
borders and continents on issues such as combating
corruption and rights abuses
Accountability (OSI)
• Advocacy, Monitoring and Accountability has
been defined as the independent assessment
of public institutions and their compliance
with laws and possible abuses of power;
• The analysis and reporting on the current
practices and policies of these institutions,
and the advocacy of reforms to these policies
and practices.
Types of Support
• Various entities and individuals of the Soros
Foundations Network (SFN) are supporting
and/or involved in the Publish Watch You Pay
(PWYP) campaign and activities related to this
campaign (e.g. Revenue Watch).
• Our engagement varies widely – from advocacy
activities on a global level and coalition building
in geographical regions, to grant support for
international NGOs or specific projects in
individual countries.
Large Grants to INGOs
For Capacity Support to CSOs
• Global Witness
• PWYP
• RWI
• IBP
• TIRI
Publish What You Pay
The basic messages are clear:
• Companies must disclose the payments they
make to government and other public authorities
by way of taxes, royalties, fees, etc, so that
citizens have a basis to hold their governments
accountable.
• Such disclosure ought to be required by
regulators so that there is a level playing field and
individual companies that may be more
amenable to transparency are not prejudiced.
Revenue Watch Institute
• Revenue Watch was established in 2002 to improve accountability in
natural resource-rich countries by equipping citizens, governments and
other interested parties with the information, training, networks, and
funding to improve transparency of government revenues and
expenditures. Through direct support for research, publications, and
advocacy; and grants distributed internationally to build the capacity of
the resource revenue transparency movement.
• Activities were capacity building and research - builds the capacity of civil
society, the media and the public to monitor how governments are
collecting and spending revenues from the production and sale of natural
resources; and with policy makers to build their capacity to operate more
transparently and accountably.
• Producing analytical and investigative reports, as well as overall
theoretical and practical resource guides and tools for those involved in
these issues: governments, investors, civil society, media, and the publicat-large.
Why Civil Society Organizations
• Legitimacy – participation of the citizenry –
represented by CSOs – in Accountability and
Transparency processes.
• Linkage to the critical mass of citizens to
ensure ownership and legitimacy.
• Legitimacy & Sustainability – Functional if
built with the people – demand for
accountability and transparency.
CSOs Needs
• Defining and having the Space for engagement
into the Transparency and Accountability
processes – Access (Information, Participation,
Influence/reach).
• Government – Executive and Legislative. Donor
Agencies – Policy formulation and Advocacy for
CSO participation.
• Capacity Building – skills and sustainable
institutions.
• Funding – medium to long term (minimum of five
years).
CSO Strategies (What Works)
• Partnership – Private Foundations – Access
and Building Synergies with CSOs.
• Advocacy with Governments, Multi/bi-laterals,
Private Foundations, Private Companies for
CSO support/space
• Provision of Funding, Capacity and Resources
• Coalition Building/Leadership – Post Conflict
and Hostile Environment – Lack of Capacity
SFN Strategies
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Support for monitoring development projects; budget allocations and expenditure
tracking; Social and economic justice; Corporate Responsibility to Oil Communities;
Regulation of EITI processes; liaise with Oil Companies for development of the
capacities of local groups; coordinates and facilitates access and capacity by CS
groups and consensus building with Oil companies and engagement with govt;
Advocacy on the promotion of a PWYP amendment to the Transparency
Obligations Directive (TOD) that deals with the disclosure requirements of
companies listed on European stock exchanges and calls on EU member state
governments to be more proactive in their involvement in international
transparency initiatives.
Drafting and passing the law on access to public information; Monitoring
government spending on poverty reduction and social development; suggesting
policy recommendations; Increasing the role of the Parliament and the civil society
groups in the budget; CSO coalition building; Capacity building for the media and
parliaments; Providing updates to policy makers.
Promoting citizens participation and oversight; Capacity building for legislative
and judicial arms of government;
SFN Strategies
• Legal remedies for spoliation and corruption in natural resource
extraction.
• Budget and Revenue Groups - budget analysis and transparency issues,
freedom of information and anti-corruption campaigns.
• Civil society capacity to access this kind of information and influence
policies related to extractive industry revenues and their distribution
among different levels of government.
• Dissemination of research findings by publishing regional and national
reports and holding workshops with civil society leaders.
• Increased transparency of concessions and other government decisions
with regard to major exploration and production licenses;
• Well researched discussions on the contribution of the sector to the
development of the country and priority issues for the sector growth;
• Increased participation of local communities in the decision making
process and enjoying benefit from utilization of local wealth.
• Revenue Legislation
CONCERNS
• Donor willingness to provide longer-term ongoing support. Many donors
want to support innovative ideas, pilot project, one-off initiatives,
etc. Very few are willing to support initiatives that may take five or more
years before they affect change.
• The limited number of civil society organizations and/or coalitions with
the capacity (financial and institutional) to address the multiple facets of
the problems. Civil Society Organizations Transparency and Accountability
• Another problem is the limited access to government held information or
the lack of reliable information produced by government.
• Another possibility would be donor collaboration. Donors that focus on
providing government with resources and tools could focus their funds on
helping governments produce and provide the information in an effective
manner, so that it can be used to monitor performance and
accountability. This could be linked to civil society initiatives funded by
other donors.
• Would like more coordination and consultation - among civil society
groups and donors
Recommendations
• The provision of more financial and technical resources
to key organizations & coalitions. These resources
would provide the organization will the stability
needed to strategize effectively.
• Complement CSO Funding with Funds for Citizen’s
Awareness Campaigns – Accountability Projects.
• Facilitating Access to Information – FOI Legislation.
• Promoting Dialogue between CSO and /Donor
Agencies and developing Coordinating Mechanisms.
• South-South Cooperation