Biographies
Ibrahim Tanko Amidu
STAR-Ghana (CSO)
Ghana
Ibrahim Tanko Amidu brought together development practitioners and CSOs to learn and support each other in implementing new participatory approaches to development. His greatest achievement has been focusing STAR-Ghana on supporting the piloting of innovative strategies linking citizens’ voices into governance processes. This has led to the adoption by the Parliament of social accountability approaches in its interface with citizens, while CSOs have increased their capacity to engage with government and promote social accountability approaches in the governance of social services delivery.
Corazon Juliano-SolimanDepartment of Social Welfare
Philippines
Secretary Soliman led the task of promoting synergy and inter-operability in government agencies through bottom-up approaches, and coordinating agencies’ work with local government with focus on the poorest localities and families. Under her leadership, the program was expanded nationwide to become the National Community-Driven Development Program, becoming best practice not only in the Philippines but also worldwide. Secretary Soliman also leads efforts to strengthen accountability among civil society organizations and champions the empowerment of marginalized Filipinos through Pantawid Pamilya, the Philippines’ Conditional Cash Transfer program.
Gonzalo Hernández Licona
CONEVAL (Gov)
Mexico
Gonzalo Hernández Licona is head of CONEVAL, an independent council created by the Mexican Congress to produce official data on poverty in Mexico and to regulate and coordinate the evaluation of social programs and policies. Hernández Licona, together with his fellow council members, has played a key role in creating a culture of results-based social policy-making in Mexico, has expanded the Council’s mandate to include the sub-national state-level, and has installed an open data policy in which citizens not only have access to results, but can full access to data and methods to scrutinize and replicate results.
Iftekhar Zaman
Transparency International Bangladesh (CSO)
Bangladesh
Iftekhar Zaman has been instrumental in advocating for transparency and good governance, despite shrinking social space for dissent in Bangladesh. Under his leadership TIB has catalyzed several institutional, legal and policy and established a country wide network of over 6,500 anti-corruption platform of volunteers as Committees of Concerned Citizens and Youth Engagement & Support. TIB has created forums and mechanisms through which citizens can raise their opposition to corruption.
Aicha Ech-ChennaSolidarite Fèminine (CSO)
Morocco
Aicha Ech-Chenna has dedicated over 50 years of her life to defend the cause of single mothers and their children in Morocco, where children conceived outside marriage are considered illegitimate and have no rights. Ms. Ech-Chenna not only defends mothers and children’s dignity and civil recognition but also offers them a chance to be fully integrated in Moroccan society. Her activism has helped establish the right of single mothers to be the legal guardians of their children. She has changed the conception of Moroccan society toward single mothers and put the authorities face-to-face with their reality, expanding the role of local authorities in the protection of children.
Maia SanduMinistry of Education
Moldova
An economist by training, and a holder of MA degree from Harvard, Maia Sandu, Minister Sandu employs a systemic and rational approach in trying to raise the quality of education in a cost-effective way. Apart from the recently adopted new Education code, her signature policy has been the enforcement of strict anti-cheating rules during high school graduation exams, which made her a national hero among many supporters from society. She works to engage NGO and citizens in the education debate by encouraging their role in monitoring the quality of education service delivery.
Oded Grajew
Rede Nossa Sao Paulo (CSO)
Brazil
Oded Grajew is a Brazilian businessman and serial social entrepreneur. He is one of the founders of Brazil’s corporate social responsibility movement and has focused on strengthening democracy in Brazil throughout his trajectory. He has founded and led several instituions including PNBE, the Abrinq Foundation for Children and Adolescents’ Rights, ANDI, the Ethos Institute of Business and Social Responsibility, the World Social Forum and the Our Sao Paulo Network. The Our Sao Paulo network aims to engage society and governments in promoting a more sustainable, democratic and fair country with a better quality of life for citizens. The Network is an important political and social force during these years, uniting around 700 organizations in order to promote fundamental changes in the city of Sao Paulo. |
