ANSA-EAP

About Us

We are the Affiliated Network for Social Accountability in East Asia and the Pacific (ANSA-EAP).

Launched in February 2008, ANSA-EAP is a regional network promoting the practice of social accountability by providing a common platform for exchange of information and experience and by providing capacity building opportunities and technical assistance to citizen groups and governments.

The Ateneo School of Government (ASoG), a unit of the Ateneo de Manila University, operationalizes and oversees the development of ANSA-EAP, which has start-up support from the World Bank's Development Grant Facility (Window 2) FY 2008.

ANSA-EAP is run as an independent project of ASoG under the Ateneo de Manila University, which is the executing agency (Secretariat) of the project. As a project of the Ateneo, it falls under the legal governance of the Ateneo Board of Trustees and President.

Vision and Mission

Our vision is to help improve governance by mainstreaming the social accountability approach. ANSA-EAP cultivates the East Asia-Pacific way of doing social accountability - upholding the region's diverse culture and norms.

We reach out to citizen groups, non-government organizations, civic associations, the business sector, and government institutions. We promote the monitoring by citizens of government performance, specifically, the quality of public service delivery and the transparency of public transactions. The bottom line: ethical public leadership.

ANSA-EAP mines and enhances the region's knowledge, expertise, and experiences. Through ANSA-EAP, home-grown efforts can make people realize the direction and value of their participation in governance. This further enriches the existing community of learning and practice.

We Build Partnerships

Two forces drive social accountability: citizen groups, which are direct beneficiaries of public services, and government, which provides the open space for citizen participation in monitoring public programs.

ANSA-EAP builds strong partnerships among citizen groups and between citizens and government. Through local partners, our network helps ensure the capability of citizen groups and government to work together so that vital public services are delivered to the people in a way that is not only efficient but also honest and responsible.

We Harness Expertise

ANSA-EAP harnesses both global and East Asia-Pacific expertise and experiences so that groups skilled in social accountability techniques can pass these on to others hungry for the knowledge.

Focus Areas

While ANSA-EAP seeks to establish a presence across the region, its work is currently focused on four countries: Cambodia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Mongolia.

Its key sectors include: public infrastructure, education, health, and the environment.

Program Areas

Networking

ANSA-EAP has a two-pronged approach to networking: we bring citizens back into the work of good governance alongside NGOs, civic organizations, and other organized groups. Our desired result is to "institutionalize" social accountability action by making it a prevailing approach in holding the state to account.

To promote networking, we have an open platform that links individuals and groups with a common interest in social accountability action. This makes possible two-way dialogue and develops organizations to become strong participants in social accountability activities. We build positive connections with government for monitoring and problem-solving activities and coordinates advocacy for social accountability.

ANSA-EAP uses the Internet as a major channel for networking through its web portal (www.ansa-eap.net), as well as other web-based instruments in the pipeline, such as our blog and monthly e-newsletters.

Research

ANSA-EAP does research on the framework of social accountability in the region, and information generation for awareness building through the conduct of scoping studies, case studies, and success stories. ANSA-EAP gives strong emphasis to developing a shared understanding of social accountability in East Asia-Pacific consistent with the region's diverse cultures.

Capacity Building

ANSA-EAP provides learning-in-action opportunities for capacity building to enhance competencies in social accountability. Capacity building includes training on effective social accountability tools and methods. Our network provides access to, among others, case studies, success stories, best practices, research, and methodologies on social accountability based on country, regional, and international experiences.

Communications

ANSA-EAP encourages idea and knowledge exchange between countries through both traditional communication channels and new information technologies such as the Internet.

An important service of our network is to be an information clearinghouse, which is to say a collector, classifier and disseminator of relevant information on social accountability. We bring that information to communities through on-line tools, distance learning modules, and P2P or person-to-person interactions.

Resource Mobilization

ANSA-EAP raises the visibility of social accountability among various resource groups and funding partners to support small, focused, and high-impact social accountability projects. Through our capacity building agenda, ANSA-EAP equips network partners to access resources for their work, as well as encourages funding partners to prioritize and allocate more resources in support of social accountability initiatives. We also promote government commitment - both in terms of policy and funding - for social accountability work.

The ANSA-EAP Executive Committee

The Executive Committee governs the ANSA-EAP.

Chair: Juan Miguel M. Luz

Members:

  • Theary Seng, Executive Director, Center for Social Development, Cambodia
  • Teten Masduki, Coordinator, Indonesian Corruption Watch, Indonesia
  • Antonio G.M. La Viña (ex officio), Dean, Ateneo School of Government, Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines
  • Mary McNeil, Senior Operations Officer, Social Development, The World Bank Institute, Washington D.C.
  • Andrew Parker, Senior Rural Development Officer, The World Bank Manila Office

The ANSA-EAP Operations Team

The Operations Team, based in the Ateneo School of Government, Philippines, takes charge of the day-to-day management of the network.

  • Jose Ibarra Angeles, Communications Specialist
  • Kristina Marie Aquino, Governance Officer
  • Adel Briones, Research Specialist
  • Randee Cabaces, Capacity Building Specialist
  • San Chey, Network Fellow (Cambodia)
  • Marlon Cornelio, Youth Coordinator
  • Angelita Gregorio-Medel, Project Director
  • Undral Gombodory, Network Fellow (Mongolia)
  • Dini Mentari, Network Fellow (Java, Indonesia)
  • Redempto Parafina, Networking Coordinator
  • Cody Rabe, Researcher
  • Gladys Honey Selosa, Finance and Administrative Officer
  • Oktovianus Tonapa, Network Fellow (Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia)
  • Armen Ria Toquiero, Network Fellow (Northen Luzon, the Philippines)