In 2003, then-United Nations (UN) Secretary General Kofi Annan decided it was a priority for the UN to rethink how it engages with civil society and other stakeholders. He established a high-level panel, under the chairmanship of Fernando Henrique Cardoso (former President of Brazil), to provide guidance. Titled “The Panel…...
The Sardar Sarovar Saga
Civil society campaigns have provided powerful impetus towards strengthening the “downwards accountability” of the World Bank. The most widely publicized of such actions has been the twenty-year international campaign about the Sardar Sarovar dam on India’s Narmada River. The story of the dam is particularly salutary in that it provoked a…...
Project Launch: Bridging the Gap Between Vaccine Eagerness vs. Hesitancy in India
In March, PTF signed an agreement with long-time partner, Youth for Social Development (YSD) in India to begin a new project focused on ensuring access to COVID-19 vaccinations for vulnerable populations in Odisha, India. The project, focused on the Ganjam district, will aim to address existing challenges with local vaccine…...
PTF Signs Agreement to Begin COVID-19 Monitoring Project in Zambia
PTF has signed an agreement with Transparency International-Zambia to assist with the implementation of a new project, titled: Transparency and Accountability in the COVID-19 Response in Zambia. The fifteen-month project is part of a World Bank COVID-19 monitoring project to be implemented in eight target locations throughout Zambia....
Corruption Scandals ‘Destroyed’ Public Trust in Vaccine Distribution
High-level corruption scandals around the world have exposed the actions of health ministers and high-level officials who manipulated the system to ensure close contacts receive COVID-19 vaccines out of turn. Such dealings have “destroyed” public trust in the vaccine distribution process and could hinder steps taken to move past the…...
Civil Society Organizations Can Be a Powerful Tool in Getting People Vaccinated
As countries undertake the world’s largest vaccination drive, the innovation, expertise, and community reach of civil society organizations should be a key component. Given the unprecedented scale of this undertaking, as well as the numbers and logistics involved, this will be extremely challenging. A key but previously underutilized set of…...
How to Monitor Procurement During a State of Emergency: 4 Lessons Learned from Argentina
As COVID-19 swept the globe, the government of Argentina responded by imposing a state of emergency, sidestepping traditional procurement safeguards in the interest of speeding up emergency response. While it was important to provide relief as quickly as possible, the state of emergency also created a series of conditions which…...
In Myanmar, Ten Years of Democracy Produced Today’s Youthful Protestors and Tomorrow’s Leaders
As protesters laid siege to the US capitol last month, many wondered whether the United States’ imperfect democracy would survive. “Democracy has prevailed,” US President Joe Biden said in his inaugural address, and indeed it has for now. However, Myanmar has not been as fortunate, facing a coup on February…...
