30 September 2019
In this brief video created by the Global Health Education and Learning Incubator at Harvard University (GHELI), Professor and Independent Accountability Panel (IAP) member Alicia Ely-Yamin explains why accountability matters in global health and how the IAP has addressed it in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
She lays out clearly what “accountability” actually means, in terms of who is accountable to whom for what, by uncovering the complex tapestry of relationships, obligations and actors that make up accountability. She explains that IAP does not only focus on these relationships but the actions that are necessary to promote accountability throughout this framework. The video finishes with a short background explanation of the IAP and its establishment, as well as what they do to promote and catalyze accountability on a global level including collecting accurate, reliable data; monitoring; conducting independent reviews to see what strategies are working well; and taking remedy and action. To keep the promise to transform the world through the Sustainable Development Agenda requires meaningful accountability.