INTERNATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT

FOR MORE THAN TWO DECADES, THE INTERNATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT (IAP) HAS BEEN STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY-LED CAMPAIGNS TO ACHIEVE LOCAL AND GLOBAL IMPACTS. IAP IS RECOGNIZED AS STRATEGIC CONVENER AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE FOR COLLECTIVE ACTION. AT ITS CORE, IAP LEVERAGES COMMUNITY-LEVEL EXPERTISE AND EXPERIENCE TO INCREASE COMMUNITY-LED PARTICIPATION AND REINFORCE CAMPAIGNS SUPPORTING DEVELOPMENT JUSTICE AND COMMUNITY-LED DEVELOPMENT. IAP IS KNOWN FOR ITS NIMBLE, THOUHTFUL AND INCLUSIVE WORK.CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE OTHE BULK OF IAP'S WORK IS MOBILIZING AND REINFORCING 20 COMMUNITY-LED RESPONSES IN 17 COUNTRIES. IAP SUPPORTS COMMUNITIES IN NEGOTIATIONS AND ADVOCACY TOWARDS THE COMPANIES, GOVERNMENTS AND INVESTORS INVOLVED IN DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS THAT AFFECT THEM. IAP PARTNERS WITH COMMUNITIES THAT WISH TO INFLUENCE THE DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION OR BENEFIT-DISTRIBUTION OF A PROJECT OR THE RESETTLEMENT AND COMPENSATION PLANS - ALL OF WHICHMAY HAVE BEEN DONE WITHOUT THEIR PARTICIPATION.AS PART OF THE COMMUNITY-LED CAMPAIGN WORK, THE EARLY WARNING SYSTEM ENSURES LOCAL COMMUNITIES, AND THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT SUPPORT THEM, HAVE VERIFIED INFORMATION ABOUT PROJECTS BEING PROPOSED AT MAJOR DEVELOPMENT FINANCE INSTITUTIONS AND CLEAR STRATEGIES FOR ADVOCACY IDEALLY BEFORE FUNDING IS DECIDED. THE EARLY WARNING SYSTEM EXCHANGES INFORMATION, ADVICE, TOOLS AND RESOURCES WITH COMMUNITIES, THE LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORTING THEM TO INFORM DEVELOPMENT ACTORS. THE INFORMATION EXCHANGED INCLUDES ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION ABOUT PROJECTS AT DEVELOPMENT FINANCE INSTITUTIONS, INCLUDING THE ROLES OF ANY PRIVATE ACTORS, AND CRITICAL DATA FROM COMMUNITY-LED RESEARCH EFFORTS, WITH DATA FROM LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND DEVELOPMENT FINANCE INSTITUTIONS, THE EARLY WARNING SYSTEM EXPOSES TRENDS IN DEVELOPMENT BY SECTOR, BANK, GEOGRAPHY AND COMMUNITY RESPONSE.IAP'S GLOBAL ADVOCACY TEAM INITIATIVE BRINGS TOGETHER INCREDIBLECOMMUNITY ORGANIZERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO CONDUCT COMMUNITY-LED RESEARCH AND MOBILIZE THEIR COMMUNITIES TO CHANGE HOW DEVELOPMENT IS DESIGNED, FUNDED AND IMPLEMENTED. FROM MAY-JULY 2021, IAP HOSTED 7 GLOBAL AND REGIONAL DISCUSSIONS ON COMMUNITY-LED DEVELOPMENT PLANNING TO COLLECTIVELY CO-CREATE THIS CURRENT ITERATION OF THE GLOBAL ADVOCACY TEAM ON COMMUNITY-LED DEVELOPMENT PLANNING. IN TOTAL 53 ACTIVISTS FROM 25 COUNTRIES, REPRESENTING 46 ORGANIZATIONS CONTRIBUTED TO THESE CONVERSATIONS AND THE COLLECTIVE REPORT GLOBAL AND REGIONAL EXPERT MEETING REPORT. A 6-MEMBER ADVISORY GROUP WAS ELECTED FROM THESE MEETINGS TO DIRECT THE INITIATIVE THROUGH 2022-2024. THE CO-CREATED INITIATIVE RESULTED IN 8 COMMUNITIES IN 8 COUNTRIES BEING SELECTED FOR 3 YEARS OF TRAINING AND SUPPORT BY IAP TO RESEARCH THEIR COMMUNITIES DEVELOPMENT NEEDS AND DESIGN THEIR OWN COMMUNITY-LED DEVELOPMENT PLAN.IAP PRODUCES COMMUNITY ACTION GUIDES WITH LOCAL ACTIVISTS AND PARTNERS. USED BY COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS AROUND THE WORLD TO START OR STRENGTHEN LOCAL CAMPAIGNS, IAP'S MATERIALS AND TOOLS ARE INTERACTIVE AND ACCESSIBLE. THE COMMUNITY ACTION GUIDES, NOW IN 15 LANGUAGES, DEMYSTIFY THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS, INTRODUCE THE ACTORS INVOLVED, AND OFFER STRATEGIES FOR COMMUNITY-LED SOLUTIONS TO DEVELOPMENT. THESE ARE REINFORCED WITH COLLECTIVE EXERCISES AND ACCESSIBLE CASE EXAMPLES ABOUT HOW OTHER COMMUNITIES AROUND THE WORLD HAVE RESPONDED TO DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES.COMPANIES HAVE SIGNIFICANT POWER AND INFLUENCE OVER OUR LIVES. THE IMPACT CAN BE INCREDIBLY POSITIVE, FOR EXAMPLE, INCREASED EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, ACCESS TO GOODS AND SERVICES, AND IMPROVED TECHNOLOGY. HOWEVER, THE EXAMPLES OF COMPANIES CAUSING HARM CONTINUE, AS HAVE THE LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL ACTIONS, LARGELY INITIATED BY COMMUNITIES AND CIVIL SOCIETY, TO IMPROVE LEGAL PROTECTIONS AND OPEN ACCESSIBLE ROUTES FOR JUSTICE AND REMEDY. IN THE GLOBALIZED ECONOMY, ENSURING CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY ACROSS BORDERS CAN BE INCREDIBLY CHALLENGING FOR A LOCAL CAMPAIGN. WITHOUT CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY, THERE IS A RISK OF CORPORATIONS EXPLOITING WORKERS, LOCAL COMMUNITIES, MARGINALIZED POPULATIONS AS WELL AS OUR ENVIRONMENT.AS PART OF THE GLOBAL MOVEMENT FOR CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY, IAP ANDTHE EARLY WARNING SYSTEM TRACK THE PRIVATE ACTORS INVOLVED INDEVELOPING FINANCE, DISTRIBUTING THIS INFORMATION TO THE COMMUNITIESAND CIVIL SOCIETY PARTNERS LIKELY TO BE IMPACTED. TO PROVIDE EXPANDEDLEGAL PROTECTIONS FOR COMMUNITIES, IAP CONDUCTS ANALYSES OF THE ROLE OF PRIVATE ACTORS, INCLUDING RESEARCHING MORE DEEPLY INTO THE COMPLEX RELATIONSHIPS INVOLVED TO STRENGTHEN LOCAL CAMPAIGNS AND GLOBAL POLICY ADVOCACY. LOCALLY, IAP TRAINS, ADVISES, AND ACCOMPANIES COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL CIVIL SOCIETY THROUGH NEGOTIATION PROCESSES WITH GOVERNMENTS AND COMPANIES.