The Building Resilient Communities (BRC) is a pilot project that aims to make communities more responsive and resilient by training local leaders, providing health and education support, and assisting with economic rehabilitation. PTF Asia has received a grant from the Lifebank Microfinance Foundation (LBF) to manage this project alongside a…...
The United Nations: its Relations with its Stakeholders
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....
Promoting Equity and Good Governance in COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment
Within the context of COVID-19 vaccine distribution, good governance in the distribution of doses remains a key concern. According to PTF’s Chief Technical Adviser Vinay Bhargava, good governance is evident not only when vaccination campaigns cover target groups, but when they are equitable, safe, transparent, accountable, and free from corruption.…...
Project Launch: Infrastructure Transparency and Accountability in Malawi
On March 8, 2021, the EU-funded Malawi Infrastructure Transparency and Accountability Project was officially launched through a virtual event. The project, entitled, “Strengthening the Capacity of CSOs to Promote Transparency and Accountability in Public Infrastructure Projects in Malawi” will train civil society organizations (CSOs) in Malawi to monitor infrastructure deals…...
When Did the World Bank Discover the Virtues of Good Governance and Anti-Corruption?
On March 31, 2021, PTF President’s Councillor Mr. Pierre Landell-Mills shared his reflections on the development of the World Bank's good governance and anti-corruption work. The event, entitled: “When did the World Bank discover the virtues of good governance and anti-corruption in development and what is it doing about it?"…...
Integrity in COVID-19 Response: Civil Society Organizations (CSO) Value Added
The most efficient, equitable, and transparent means of distributing COVID-19 vaccines around the world can be achieved with the help of local civil society organizations (CSOs). This is the key argument made during a recent PTF panel, hosted on March 25, 2021 as part of the Organization for Economic Cooperation…...
