Dear Friends and Partners,
The AIS organization, known as OpenDataAlbania, is reaching out to you with a pressing concern. We are facing the imminent closure of OpenSpendingAlbania due to lack of funds and donor support. Our database is vital for transparency, accountability, activism, and anti-corruption efforts.
Currently, tracking data through our databases shed light and denounce corruption, clientelism, and cases of conflict of interest every day among high officials in the local and central governments.
Our Databases provide evidence for (i) every treasury transaction, (ii) public tender passports (iii) public tender awards along with redflagged ones, and (iv) asset declarations of politicians and officials. This comprehensive database supports investigative cases and stories, utilized not only by journalists, activists, and political parties but also by anti-corruption institutions.
Exactly at this critical moment in the fight against corruption and abuses of public authority and assets, our databases, which play a crucial role in evidence-based fact-checking and monitoring the misuse of funds and assets, have been deprived of funding and support from donors. Hence, AIS appeals to potential donors for financial assistance
From 2016 to 2018, the Embassy of the Netherlands supported the instrument as part of the Money, Government, and Politics project, followed by support from the Swedish Embassy from 2021 to 2023. Despite AIS Organization’s efforts to secure refinancing, it has been unable to obtain the necessary funds to continue operating as a watchdog NGO and support activists and journalists.
The Treasury Transactions Database stands as an important instrument for Transparency, Good Governance and Anti-corruption. OpenSpendingAlbania enables citizens to understand how taxpayers’ money are spent. Since 2012, it has disclosed and made transparent every transaction from Budget Institutions to beneficiaries. The nation’s boldest journalists and activists rely on Treasury data to uncover instances of misuse, corruption, nepotism, and conflicts of interest.
The transparent nature of this well-structured database has revealed widespread public abuse, particularly during election periods. Notably, transparency in treasury transactions led the initiation of procedures to revoke a Member of Parliament’s mandate in the Constitutional Court due to conflicts of interest.
AIS/OpenDataAlbania’s efforts to empower the public, activists, and anti-corruption agencies with transparent data on abusive cases have faced resistance from individuals in power and their affiliated businesses. Additionally, there have been unsuccessful attempts at cyber-attacks.
The fight against corruption, activism, and the empowerment of watchdog actors continues to be crucial aspects for countries like Albania. The Justice Reform and the establishment of new institutions still require efforts to consolidate results in the fight against Autocracy and Impunity.
We request your support through open call notices or by exploring grant funding opportunities. This is essential to prevent the closure of one of the most significant instruments for enhancing transparency, accountability, and the watchdog culture in Albania.
We are open to your support and collaboration, with the sincere intention of securing a new grant to sustain and prevent the closure of the OpenSpendingAlbania database.
Thank you in advance.
