This booklet focuses on the country level, where various accountability mechanisms have been developed and implemented, ranging from citizen feedback on service delivery to the participation of civil society organizations (CSOs) in budget planning and monitoring processes. The booklet is designed for CSOs looking to initiate or expand activities aimed at holding government entities accountable for meeting their health-related national and international commitments. It is focused primarily on social accountability for family planning but may be useful for CSOs working in other health-related areas.
This document provides:
- An overview of the current concepts of social accountability
- A synopsis of common methodologies and tools used by civil society to engage in social accountability
- Ideas and examples on how social accountability can be used to advance family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) within a country
- Suggestions on what elements CSOs might consider when deciding to implement a particular methodology
- A resource section and bibliography to provide additional resources on specific social accountability issues and useful tools for implementing social accountability activities
