Making Accountability Real: Systems That Follow Through

About the Session We make a lot of commitments in the impact sector. The harder question is what happens next. Accountability can mean following through on a public promise, knowing whether resources reached the people they were intended to serve, or designing systems that make it clear who is responsible when something goes wrong. Too often, those mechanisms are weakest precisely where they matter most. In humanitarian crises, for example, children living in orphanages and other institutions can disappear from conventional systems of visibility and support. Anticipatory accountability offers a different approach: identifying who is at risk of being overlooked and establishing responsibility before a crisis occurs, rather than trying to reconstruct accountability afterward. Similar questions apply at a much larger scale. As the world looks beyond the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, what should businesses be accountable for? Should private-sector actors have explicit responsibilities within the next global development framework? And could clearer alignment around social and environmental goals strengthen businesses rather than simply create another reporting burden? This session will explore how accountability moves from principle to practice, from commitments made on international stages to responsibility for individuals who might otherwise be missed. The central question is simple: how do we build systems that make it harder for promises, responsibilities, and people to fall through the cracks? Discussion Group Leaders Blair Glencorse is Co-CEO at Accountability Lab, advancing accountable governance and citizen-led approaches that strengthen institutions and communities. Michael Jarvis is Executive Director at Trust, Accountability & Inclusion Collaborative, strengthening funder collaboration and collective action to advance healthy democracies, economies, and communities. Mark Waddington is Chief Executive at Hope and Homes for Children, advancing systemic change in humanitarian and international development approaches to improve outcomes for vulnerable children. Laura Herman is Partner, Global Lead Responsible Business Practice at Dalberg Advisors, advancing responsible business practices and exploring the implications of AI for global development and healthcare. Merete Cowles is Communications & Partnerships Officer at Lwala Community Alliance, advancing community-led health systems through partnership cultivation and storytelling that amplifies local voices and impact. What to Expect A practical conversation about the mechanisms that turn commitments into follow-through. Participants will explore accountability at different levels, from protecting individual children during crises to organizational commitments and the role of business in the post-2030 development agenda. The discussion will look at what should be measured, who should be responsible, how accountability can be designed in advance, and how to create mechanisms that encourage action rather than compliance for its own sake. Who This Is For This session is for funders, businesses, governments, humanitarian and development organizations, child protection practitioners, civil society leaders, policymakers, and anyone responsible for turning institutional or public commitments into measurable action. What You Will Get Out of It Practical ways to move from commitments to meaningful follow-through An introduction to anticipatory accountability and designing responsibility before crises occur Approaches to identifying people who risk being overlooked by existing systems Perspectives on private-sector accountability in the post-2030 development agenda Ideas for making accountability useful for better decisions, rather than another reporting exercise