Government Accountability
Focus AreasThe Human Rights and Governance Grants Program supports more than 20 organizations across Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and Mongolia from its Government Accountability Fund.
The mission of the Government Accountability Fund is to promote public participation in, and oversight of, governmental activity at both the national and local levels, including in the delivery of services. The fund evolved out of a desire to combat corruption, and it provides support to national and international NGOs which monitor public administration and use legal avenues to hold governmental authorities accountable and limit the opportunities for corruption.
Project support is given across four thematic areas:
Access to Information
In order to hold authorities accountable effectively, the public must be able to access the information held by public bodies. Freedom of Information (FOI) laws alone do not create access: such laws must meet an appropriate standard, and must be enforced. The Government Accountability Fund seeks projects that ensure the effective implementation of FOI laws by testing and monitoring compliance and litigating to challenge narrow interpretations of, or failures to implement, the law. Even where FOI regimes have been adopted and government information is disclosed proactively, there is a constant need for analysis and investigation by civil society. Information that could signal wrongdoing or cause embarrassment is often kept from the public under the pretense of security or privacy concerns. Civil society can play an important role in helping to strike a balance between these concerns and the necessity and benefits of openness.
Fiscal Transparency and the Abuse of State Resources
The allocation and expenditure of public funds are among the chief functions of government. In the absence of oversight and strict controls, the public interest can become subordinated to private interests. The Government Accountability Fund seeks projects that monitor the budget and expenditure process at the national and local government levels to provide some level of civic oversight. Priority will be given to projects that focus on making state budgets and expenditure reports public, and those that challenge the abuse of public resources by state authorities and political parties. Efforts in this area should inform public debate regarding the use of public resources, and advocate appropriate changes to domestic law in line with international standards.
Transparency in Governmental Decision Making
Accountable decision-making requires a transparent and predictable process, which allows for public intervention and debate. The Government Accountability Fund seeks projects that make governmental debate and decisions public. Efforts to promote the adoption and implementation of whistle-blowing protections are of particular interest. The program also supports efforts to eliminate the use of criminal defamation and libel laws as a means of preventing meaningful public scrutiny.
Judicial Accountability
An independent judiciary is critical to ensuring accountable governance. The Government Accountability Fund seeks projects to promote the accountability of the judiciary while protecting judicial independence. The program welcomes projects that seek to improve judicial ethics in conjunction with ensuring that disciplinary mechanisms are independent and effective. The program will also consider projects that monitor court practice and programs that seek to reform weak appointment and management procedures, with the aim of increasing transparency and accountability within the judiciary. Support in this area will focus on national initiatives.
