A new report was released by Partners for Transparency, titled “Social accountability .. the concept, and the role in fighting corruption“In the context of its keenness to support the values of integrity, transparency, good governance and combating corruption.

Through this report, the Foundation clarified the social accountability tools with regard to public policies and plans, the provision of services and goods by public institutions, as well as with regard to the budget and expenditures, and the report also touched upon the reasons that push strongly to demand the strengthening of social accountability tools, among which was the spread of corruption. And unlawful practices by individuals entrusted with exercising control over unlawful practices in the public authorities of the state, and hence there is a need to exercise oversight and accountability for those who are chosen for the representative institutions.

The report also dealt with a number of texts of international conventions concerned with combating corruption, such as the United Nations Convention against Corruption, the Arab Convention against Corruption, and the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, which clarifies the role of civil society organizations in the process of combating corruption through their role in the process of accountability, oversight and awareness against Corruption and illegal practices.

The report showed a number of challenges facing social accountability processes in African countries, including the lack of real political will to effectively combat corruption, as well as the lack of activation of the legal frameworks organizing the work of civil society organizations, in addition to the low levels of education in many countries.

Finally, the report presented a number of recommendations necessary to establish the foundations of the social accountability process, among which are the following:

FirstThe need to motivate elites in Arab and African countries to adopt policies to support social accountability measures in the context of combating corruption.

SecondFinancial resources must be provided for organizations concerned to exercise social accountability in order to curb illegal practices.

Third: The need to put in place a law that organizes the work of civil society organizations and defines its role and controls, so that these organizations are excluded from clandestine work.

Social accountability