Accountability and Governance

Challenges and Questions

Key challenges

Cultural interpretations of the concepts

Integrating the concepts into everyday practices

Balancing the application core principles and standards against the diversity of CSOs

A region with very different ‘space’ for CSOs to exist and operate

Voluntary certification is a credible mechanism for ensuring accountability and good governance, but …

It is a time consuming and high resource processes

It would take decades to accredit all the CSOs in Cambodia at current rate of progress

Dimensions of accountability

• Programmatic• Legitimacy

• Financial• Multiple needs

Other stakeholders Donors

BeneficiariesGovernment

Upward accountability to donors for results dominates the discussion – is there any way to take the initiative to broaden the agenda?

Is it possible to agree the dimensions of accountability across a large and highly diverse group of organisations?

Should all stakeholders get the same type and level of accountability? If not, how to define the differences?

Can the same rules apply everywhere given the different operating spaces in different countries across the region?

Governance

In Cambodia and many other countries boards are a donor introduced mechanism for governance

The concepts are not well understood

The practice is uneven and at times problematic

The challenge is how to give boards legitimacy in places where the concepts don’t naturally fit with the culture or traditional customs

Are there, or should there be, any viable alternatives to governing boards?

Are common standards and practices for boards possible in a region of diverse political space for CSOs to operate?

How can regional initiatives and collaboration support the

development of sustainable accountability and governance

mechanisms that meet the needs of all stakeholders?