TAI Weekly

TAI Weekly | The Challenge of Holding Power to Account

By TAI (Role at TAI)
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TAI Weekly

July 14, 2026

Dear readers,

We start this week with the first Global Dialogue on AI Governance that just took place in Geneva. You can watch the opening sessions on UN web tv and hear the headlines reported by Chris Stokel-Walker, not least the challenge of making AI governance more open and inclusive, not concentrated in a handful of countries. The UN used the summit to unveil an AI for Good Global Commission, but, in a worrying turn, it lacks any civil society and academic voices.

Please note that the Weekly is about to take a mid year break, but rest assured that we will return with a packed edition on August 18th and will continue to share stories on LinkedIn and socials in the meantime.

Until then, happy reading on everything from the power of networks for advocacy, taking on confidentiality clauses, coding for rights and the potential of a philanthropic data commons.

TAI team

What's New

In an interview with Corriere della Sera, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen reflects on his forthcoming book, “The Cement of Humanity: The Power of Human Rights”. He argues that progress depends on dignity rather than gross domestic product (GDP) alone and calls for renewed investment in human rights, reason, and diplomacy to counter democratic decline and growing global conflict.

Democracy Reporting International uses the recent controversy surrounding political intervention in a FIFA disciplinary decision to explore why independent institutions and equal application of the rules matter far beyond the world of sport. The piece argues that when rules can be bent for the powerful, public trust erodes—offering a timely reminder that the principles underpinning fair competition are also fundamental to democratic governance.

A new study on health rights advocacy from Accountability Research Center lays out how stronger networks can improve collective action, drawing on experiences from Guatemala, Mexico, and the Philippines. 

Following Ghana's recent Civil Society Forum, Charles Kojo Vandyck at West Africa Civil Society Institute calls for three fundamental mindset shifts that challenge long-held assumptions about the future of civil society, arguing that stronger organizations require more than increased funding.

In welcome attention to aid transparency, Susannah Birkwood reports how lawmakers in the United Kingdom have criticized the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s transparency and accountability after it delayed figures on how much it was spending and cut the budget of its watchdog. 

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)'s Digital Government Outlook 2026 finds that governments have made significant progress on digital transformation and artificial intelligence strategies. Yet most still fail to assess whether these investments deliver meaningful results.

As reported by ARTICLE 19, Leopoldo Maldonado is to be the new United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, recognizing his longstanding work defending free expression and human rights.

Akina Mama wa Afrika has released “Nyuki”, a comic book that explains the case for wealth taxes through an accessible, community-centered format. A companion policy brief, “Feminist Pathways Toward a Fairer Global Tax Order”, offers a deeper policy analysis.

The OECD's sixth Tax and Development Days brought together policymakers, tax administrators, civil society, and international organizations to discuss tax certainty, administration, transparency, and partnerships. Watch the session recordings now available in English, French, and Spanish.

What happens when civic technology is designed by the communities it aims to serve? Nicolette Karina Kalfas of the Global Democracy Coalition highlights how young innovators across Kenya are developing locally led digital solutions to tackle challenges ranging from gender-based violence and public accountability to climate resilience and preventing violent extremism. She points to the potential of ethical, community-driven technology to strengthen participation and protect human rights.

A recording is now available of The Cost of Silence: Confidentiality Clauses and the Global Debt Crisis, a webinar co-hosted by the National Democratic Institute and Transparency International. Panelists examined hidden debt, country cases from Senegal and Kenya, and the risks these clauses pose to transparency, fiscal governance, and democratic accountability.

Patrick Quirk proposes an agenda for US democracy assistance, arguing that support for democratic governance should be treated as a strategic foreign policy priority. He calls for greater investment in democratic institutions, independent media, political parties, and pro-democracy movements, while emphasizing resilience against authoritarian influence and stronger support for reform-minded leaders in strategically important countries.

Jens-Peter Kamanga Dyrbak reflects on why many development efforts fall short despite strong technical solutions. He argues that lasting change depends less on technical expertise and more on understanding political incentives, institutions, and power dynamics, making the case for a development model that places local leadership, domestic investment, and politically informed reform at its core.

The Collaborative for a Gender-Just Economy's June newsletter questions the perceived neutrality of sovereign debt metrics and highlights how austerity disproportionately affects women and unpaid care work. It also shares updates on preparations for the Festival of Ideas in Kuala Lumpur and the International Association for Feminist Economics conference in Cali. Subscribe to stay in the loop for future issues.

From Our Members

FORD FOUNDATION: In a new video, Erika Wood, Senior Program Officer, Civic Engagement and Government at Ford, says that American democracy cannot fulfill its promise while barriers continue to exclude women, people of color, Indigenous communities, low-income populations, and incarcerated people from full participation. She calls for reforms that expand voting access, strengthen representation, and reduce the influence of money in politics.

PACKARD FOUNDATION: President Nancy Lindborg argues that the most powerful innovation is not technology but community. As the United States marked its 250th anniversary, she reflects on the quiet courage that sustains democracy and calls for stronger civic engagement at a time of growing polarization, declining public trust, and mounting pressure on democratic institutions.

MACARTHUR FOUNDATION: Is supporting a new initiative seeking to transform how funders and nonprofits connect through the Philanthropy Data Commons, a shared data infrastructure designed to streamline grantmaking. By enabling grant seekers and funders to find one another based on shared goals and reducing repetitive application processes, the initiative aims to free up more time for mission-driven work while making philanthropy more efficient, transparent, and data-informed.

ESSENTIAL READING:

New TAI blog: Eszter Fillippinyi draws inspiration from the way forests thrive through diversity, interconnectedness, and mutual support. The piece argues that resilient ecosystems—and resilient civic spaces—depend not on isolated actors, but on strong relationships, distributed leadership, and long-term investment in the networks that enable communities to adapt, collaborate, and flourish. 

TOOLS AND TRENDS FOR FUNDERS

The International Civil Society Centre has released a new guide to help civil society organizations stress test their strategies in an increasingly uncertain world. Developed through its Anticipating Futures initiative, the guide offers practical exercises to explore alternative futures, assess organizational resilience, and strengthen long-term planning.

The Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies' recent report, “Using the Future: Contributions to the Field of Foresight”, examines anticipatory leadership, participatory foresight, corporate strategy, and public governance. The institute will also host a course in Copenhagen on October 8–9 on how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping foresight practice.

The latest episode of “Stories of Learning, Unlearning and Growth”, a series by Nawi Africa and the Center for African Philanthropy and Social Investment, features Bella Matambanadzo in conversation with Masego Madzwamuse. They explore storytelling, memory, identity, and the role of writing in preserving history and amplifying overlooked voices.

What role should the arts play in philanthropy? In Alliance magazine, Darren Isom and Cora Daniels argue that artists are central to social change, using Toni Morrison's reflections to make the case for greater philanthropic investment in arts and culture (Paywalled).

ESSENTIAL WATCHING:

Recordings from the 2026 Gender International Financial Institutions Summer School are now available online. Organized by the Gender IFI civil society collective, the sessions examine how international financial institutions affect women's rights and economic justice while showcasing feminist strategies for reform.

Focused Topic of the Week

Who Enforces Accountability When Power Protects Itself?

In his new book, Corrupted Kingdom, published this week, Robert Barrington argues that corruption has become deeply embedded across British institutions, from Parliament to the National Health Service, and that the country has grown dangerously complacent about treating this as someone else's problem. Robert explains how integrity is not a national trait Britain can assume it possesses, but a fragile achievement that requires constant maintenance and, when neglected, quietly decays. That distinction, between formal reputation and the actual durability of the mechanisms meant to preserve it, threads through this week's other accountability stories, suggesting that no system gets to treat its own integrity as a fixed asset.

The UK’s domestic credibility will be important for it to deliver on international goals now that the UK is becoming a co chair of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and has assumed the presidency of the Financial Action Task Force. A laid out by Giles Thomson, the UK will be prioritizing action against the roughly $500 billion lost to fraud worldwide each year, alongside the broader goal of cutting the financial flows that fuel crime, terrorism, and proliferation. 

Across the Atlantic, a new report from the Anti-Corruption Data Collective, authored by David Szakonyi, Michelle Kendler-Kretsch, and Michael Hornsby, warns that the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act is being exploited by individuals under corruption investigation to seek political influence and sanctions relief in Washington, undermining a key accountability mechanism just as global enforcement capacity is being scaled back. 

OGP Chief Executive Office Aidan Eyakuze writes for DEVEX on why durable anti-corruption reforms require broad coalitions that extend beyond the executive branch, because the officials asked to police corruption are frequently implicated in it. Drawing on Ghana, Morocco, and Nigeria, he points to the role of independent oversight institutions, journalists, local governments, and civil society in sustaining reform long after the speeches and summit photos fade. 

One point of contrast is a case in Laos, where courts have sentenced ten executives and former government officials to life in prison in a landmark case linked to the state-owned electricity company EDL spanning four corruption schemes tied to hydropower projects and transmission infrastructure. The scale of punishment suggests political will at the top, but enforcement directed within a one-party state, without independent courts, a free press, or civil society able to scrutinize which cases get prosecuted and which don't, is accountability of a narrower and more fragile kind than the term usually implies.

JOBS

CALLS

  • Helen Darbishire Award, Access Info Europe. Recognizes individuals using access to information rights for social impact. Deadline: July 17, 23:59 CEST.

  • Social Norms Accelerator. A nine-month hybrid program for small teams building capacity on social norms and applying evidence to anti-corruption work.

  • Collective Abundance has launched its Rebuilding the Social Fabric campaign, seeking to raise €100,000 to strengthen community-led climate justice efforts across Southern and Eastern Europe. The campaign will support participatory grantmaking, grassroots coalitions, and long-term movement infrastructure in Spain, Poland, and Greece.

  • The Pulitzer Center has opened applications for a new cohort of Waki, a programme designed to strengthen and amplify trusted voices across Latin America that create content on environmental and territorial issues.

CALENDAR

We’d love to hear from you on how we can further improve TAI Weekly to better serve your needs in program management on the transparency, accountability, improved grantmaking and civic space. Please direct your feedback to [email protected] or

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