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Accountability

One World Trust has spent many years focusing on the issue of accountability, both globally and within specific sectors.

Global Accountability

The One World Trust's highly-regarded Global Accountability Project (GAP) was born out of Charter 99 and ran for a decade. This project sought to bring greater levels of transparency and accountability to large and influential inter-governmental organisations (IGOs), transnational corporations (TNCs) and international non-governmental organisations, with the aim of enhancing their accountability to the individuals and communities they affect.

The pilot report published in 2003, Power without accountability?, was funded by the Ford Foundation, and evaluated the accountability of 18 organisations. A further report, 'Pathways to Accountability - the GAP framework', then followed, which set out the formal methodology for evaluating the accountability of global organisations. 

In 2006 OWT produced the first full Global Accountability Report (GAR) on 30 major international organizations. The GAR became an annual report comparing the accountability of ten international NGOs, ten intergovernmental organisations and ten transnational corporations using four criteria: 

(1)       Transparency:  accessibility of information in internal and external stakeholders;
(2)       Participation: active involvement of stakeholders and their ability to influence decisions-making; 
(3)       Evaluation: methods of self-evaluation to monitors performance and establishes learning criteria for future planning; 
(4)       Complaint and response mechanisms 
These criteria were refined over time.

A selection of the key Global Accountability reports are available to download below. If you can't find the document you are looking for, please contact info@oneworldtrust.org for access to our archives.
Charter 99
charter_99.pdf
File Size: 29 kb
File Type: pdf
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2003: power without accountability
pathways to accountability. the gap framework
pathways_to_accountability_the_gap_framework__lo_res_.pdf
File Size: 928 kb
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2006: global accountability report & briefing paper
2006_global_accountability_report.pdf
File Size: 1099 kb
File Type: pdf
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2006_gar_briefing.pdf
File Size: 63 kb
File Type: pdf
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2007: Global accountability report & briefing paper
2007_global_accountability_report.pdf
File Size: 1128 kb
File Type: pdf
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2007_gar_briefing.pdf
File Size: 131 kb
File Type: pdf
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2008: global accountability report & briefing paper
2008_global_accountability_report.pdf
File Size: 1404 kb
File Type: pdf
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2008_gar_briefing.pdf
File Size: 139 kb
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Examining NGO/CSO Self-Regulation
Some non-governmental or Civil Society organisations (known as NGOs or CSOs respectively) are huge and highly influential operations nowadays, acting as major suppliers of public services and wielding significant lobbying muscle on policy issues. Some have a turnover of billions of dollars a year and a global reach. As demands for transparency and accountability from NGOs has grown, something One World Trust has championed, the sector's response has been a raft of self-regulation initiatives. The Trust spent several years researching this subject and producing a worldwide database - by 2010, the Trust’s database on worldwide self-regulation amongst CSOs featured over 350 initiatives, providing for the first time a clear picture of CSO self-regulation as a global phenomenon. Unfortunately the database is not currently available, but several of the key reports and briefing papers on this subject produced by the Trust are available to download below.
The Role of NGO Self-Regulation in Increasing Stakeholder Accountability
2005_07_the_role_of_ngo_self-regulation_in_increasing_stakeholder_accountability.pdf
File Size: 160 kb
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NGO Self-Regulation - Enforcing and Balancing Accountability
2006_ngo_self-regulation_-_enforcing_and_balancing_accountability.pdf
File Size: 96 kb
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effective accountability: The drivers, benefits and mechanisms of CSO self-regulation
2012_effective_accountability_-_the_drivers_benefits_and_mechanisms_of_cso_self-regulation.pdf
File Size: 2666 kb
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building a common framework (PRODUCED WITH WORLDVISION)
building_a_common_framework_report.pdf
File Size: 1190 kb
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COLLECTIVE ACCOUNTABILITY IN CIVIL SOCIETY: THE AFRICAN PICTURE
briefing_paper_133_the_african_picture.pdf
File Size: 317 kb
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cso self-regulation - the global picture
cso_self_regulation_-_the_global_picture_owt_119-2009.pdf
File Size: 446 kb
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empowering citizens: realising service user involvement in self-regulation initiatives
empowering_citizens_-_realising_service_user_involvement_in_sris.pdf
File Size: 366 kb
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cso self-regulatory initiatives project - faqs
faqs-_cso_self-regulatory_initiatives_project.pdf
File Size: 298 kb
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Specific Sectoral Accountability
Following the Global Accountability Reports, One World Trust undertook some specific sectoral accountability projects, addressing Research Organisations, Climate Change and Lobbying. Most of the key reports and papers from this body of work are available to download below.
 
'The Accountability Principles for Policy Oriented Research Organisations (APRO)' built on the working paper 'Who Do You Think You Work For?' and consisted of a 2008 Report, a toolkit and a framework and database guide.

'Power, Equity and Accountability in Global Climate Change Governance' was an ESRC/DfID funded research programme resulting from a partnership between OWT and the London School of Tropical Hygiene.  More information about this project can be found on the dedicated website  http://www.globalclimategovernance.org
The Trust continues to focus on accountability with regard to Climate Change following the Paris Agreement of 2016.

Accountability for policy orientated research Organisations
2008_who_do_you_work_for.pdf
File Size: 48 kb
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owt_apro_report_2008.pdf
File Size: 673 kb
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owt_apro_toolkit_2008.pdf
File Size: 252 kb
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owt_apro_exec_summ_2008.pdf
File Size: 74 kb
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accountability within climate change governance (produced with lshtm)
pup_poster_2012.pdf
File Size: 736 kb
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accountability and lobbying in parliament
accountable_lobbying_of_parliament_owt_115_-_2009.pdf
File Size: 123 kb
File Type: pdf
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accountable_lobbying_090208.pdf
File Size: 51 kb
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