AccountabiliTea Podcast

Meeting the moment: How is civil society adapting to uncertainty – and what comes next?

As funding landscapes shift and uncertainty grows, civil society organizations around the world are being asked to adapt – often while continuing to deliver on their missions. In this episode of AccountabiliTea, we bring together Anabel Cruz, Director of the Communication & Development Institute in Uruguay, Dr. Fay Hodza, Global Senior Director of Programs at Promoting Equality in African Schools (PEAS), and Leah Shearman, Global Director of Development at Accountability Lab, to reflect on what this moment means in practice. From funding constraints and geopolitical pressures to collaboration, system-strengthening, and new ways of working, the conversation explores how organizations are responding –and what is beginning to change. What emerges is a nuanced picture: one shaped by challenge, but also by creativity, solidarity, and a rethinking of how civil society operates. What does it take to meet the moment – and what comes next?

Rebuilding Ukraine: Integrity, business, and the hard trade-offs

In this episode of the AccountabiliTea Podcast, we step into a different kind of conversation – grounded in new research – to explore what integrity looks like for businesses navigating Ukraine’s path toward reconstruction. Drawing on the report Leveraging Integrity for Ukraine’s Reconstruction: The Role of Ethical Businesses [https://accountabilitylab.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Ukraine-Anti-Corruption-Research-Report-ENGLISH-V3.pdf] by researcher Sofiia Sapihura, the conversation reflects on how companies are embedding compliance and ethical practices amid war, uncertainty, and rapid change. Based on insights from 118 Ukrainian businesses and in-depth interviews, the episode sits with a complex reality: integrity can build resilience, trust, and long-term value – yet it can also come with real trade-offs, from lost contracts to slower processes in environments shaped by informality and uneven enforcement. From construction risks to the role of donors, incentives, and collective action, the discussion asks what it will take to make integrity not just a moral aspiration, but a practical and sustainable choice.

13 years of accountability: Reflections, challenges, and what’s next?

This special episode marks 13 years of building accountability together, 13 years of learning, adapting, and growing alongside partners, funders, and citizens around the world. It’s a moment to pause and reflect on how far we’ve come, and to ask what accountability means in this moment,  as movements evolve, contexts shift, and communities continue to lead change in creative and courageous ways. Featuring short, heartfelt reflections from across the Lab’s global network, the episode explores what sustains accountability work: shared purpose, resilience, and hope.

'BEYOND THE FRAMEWORKS': Tariffs as foreign policy: What accountability challenges does the Global South face?

In Episode 3 of our Beyond the Frameworks series, guest host Michele Crymes speaks with Andrew Crawford, Research Fellow at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies. Together, they unpack how tariffs are reshaping global supply chains – and what this means for governance, accountability, and civil society across the Global South. The conversation explores how shifting sourcing patterns create new corruption risks, why small suppliers face growing pressures, and how civil society organizations can use their “ground truth” to build transparency or trigger change within complex global markets.

‘BEYOND THE FRAMEWORKS’: Why business needs accountable NGOs : Lessons from Cambodia

In Episode 2 of our Beyond the Frameworks series, guest host Michele Crymes speaks with Try Thy, Executive Director of Open Development Cambodia. They explore how NGOs and civil society drive private sector transparency – from monitoring labor and environmental impacts to supplying open data for policy advocacy and investigative journalism. The conversation unpacks the tensions of trust between NGOs, business, and government, the importance of coalition-building, and why unrestricted funding is vital for accountability on the frontlines.