Why is corruption in emergency aid an important issue?

Transparency International (TI) has long held that the most damaging impact of corruption is the diversion of basic resources from the poor. Corruption in humanitarian aid is the most egregious form of this, as it deprives the most vulnerable among the poor -- the victims of natural disasters and civil conflicts -- of essential life-saving resources. Humanitarian assistance aims to save lives and alleviate the suffering of people in times of crisis. Yet these noble ambitions do not immunise emergency responses from corrupt abuse. There were numerous examples of corruption during the massive Asian tsunami humanitarian response, and examples of substantial diversion of aid resources have been reported recently in Afghanistan, Iraq, Liberia, Somalia and in the aid response to the Darfur conflict.

Corruption undermines the humanitarian mission that is the raison d'être of humanitarian operations. Relief is delivered in challenging environments, in the midst of conflict and where natural disasters have stretched or overwhelmed national capacities. The injection of large amounts of resources into resource-poor economies where institutions have been damaged or destroyed can exacerbate power asymmetries and increase opportunities for corrupt abuse of power. There is often pressure to disburse aid rapidly and immense organisational challenges in suddenly expanding the scope and scale of programme delivery. Commonly, the countries in which the majority of humanitarian aid is delivered already suffer from high levels of perceived corruption prior to an emergency.

We welcome your suggestions and recommendations for improvements and additions to these pages. Please contact the Humanitarian Assistance team at: humanitarianassistance@transparency.org