The TI chapter in Colombia, Transparencia por Colombia, refreshed the look of its website at www.transparenciacolombia.org.co and re-organised its content to make navigation more intuitive and allow the chapter’s work to be accessed quickly. The revised website also offers new sections, such as an area for opinions where users can consult transparency and corruption related articles authored by members of the chapter or by experts in the field of work of transparency; the latest opinion piece looks at the issue of state capture.

The first national competition for investigative reports based on solicited public information was launched in January. The competition is being run by the Press and Society Institute (IPYS) in Venezuela within the framework of Coalition Pro Acceso, a coalition of five civil society organisations, including the TI chapter in Venezuela, fighting for the right to access public information. The coalition aims to promote legal instruments and activities which facilitate the public’s right to access information.

Reports need to include the usage of solicited public information from the relevant authorities. The deadline for submissions is 4 April. Texts may be presented in any form of media and in any format, published between December 2006 and March 2008. For more information please click here.

In February, Transparency International Fiji organised with the University of the South Pacific its 5th Annual Siwatibau Memorial Lecture on Transparency and Accountability in Political Party Financing. TI Chair Huguette Labelle highlighted that people place their trust in those they have elected into government to manage their money and to provide public services, and therefore government must have integrity, transparency and accountability. For ensuring this, a law and a regulatory frame-work on financing of political parties are essential. The topic is of special relevance in regard to Fiji’s forthcoming general election set for early 2009. Labelle also met with the Interim Attorney General and Minister for Justice Mr Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and highlighted the importance of conducting proper elections within the timeframe agreed and following through on anti-corruption commitments made. Mr Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum is now working on a proposed legislation on political party financing.

In January, the government of Sindh province in Pakistan has nominated Transparency International Pakistan’s representative as a member of the Board of the Sindh Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA). The Sindh PPRA aims to improve governance and management of public procurement of goods, services and works in the public sector. It will monitor public procurement practices and the performance of procurement agencies, and evaluate the implementation of laws and regulations relating. Based on these findings, the body will develop recommendations, as well as a code of ethics.

In January TI began to work with a new partner in Kosovo, the Kosova Democratic Institute (www.kdi-kosova.org). Under the leadership of Ismet Kryezu the team of eleven has already achieved national recognition by publishing a bi-annual detailed report card on participation in, and the activity and output of the National Assembly of Kosovo, as well as several municipalities since January 2006. Having worked on citizen participation, the monitoring of political processes, democratic governance and the provision of trainings on those topics, the institute will now also focus on transparency and anti-corruption work. We invite everybody to welcome KDI to the TI movement.

The TI chapter in Serbia, Transparency Serbia, has been successfully working on uncovering irregularities in the law on political party financing, regulating state funding for regular activities of parliamentary political parties. In a press conference in September 2007 the chapter highlighted deficiencies in the mechanisms to calculate the political party’s budget funds, resulting in more than 750,000 Euro (US $1.1 million) paid to political parties contrary to the provisions of the law. In a dialogue with the Ministry of Finance, Transparency Serbia’s suggestions to adjust the Ministry’s 2008 draft budget were accepted by the National Parliament in December 2007. Beside the reimbursement of money by the parties, Transparency Serbia is now preparing, together with a group of partner organisations, recommendations for the Ministry of Finance to make the necessary amendments to the law on political party financing.

From January 2008 to February 2009, Moldovan non-governmental organisations, including TI Moldova, will monitor the efforts to combat corruption in the judiciary system, customs service, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Health Protection, the Main State Fiscal Inspectorate and the Centre for Combating Economic Crime and Corruption. The organisations will present monitoring reports each quarter aiming at an objective assessment of the transparency and public institutions' ability to prevent corruption and to combat it.

The global coalition against corruption, Transparency International, moved into a new office in Brussels to strengthen its advocacy work against corruption at EU level. The Brussels Office aims to promote the establishment of a permanent anti-corruption monitoring system in accession candidate countries and beyond at a later stage, the transparent management of internal and external EU spending, transparent lobbying and procurement rules at EU level, the development of an EU-wide debarment system, the fight against corruption through EU’s judicial/police cooperation, transparency efforts by the European Prosecutor, whistle blowing, a corruption-free export credit insurance, the implementation of international anti-corruption conventions and access to public information. For more information please see: www.transparencyinternational.eu or contact Jana Mittermaier at jmittermaier@transparency.org.

TI has published a tool designed specifically to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) develop policies and procedures to address bribery. The Business Principles for Countering Bribery - Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Edition was announced on 30 January at the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption in Bali as part of an SME session at a private sector special event. More than 95% of the world’s business is carried out by SMEs, and although they may not have the same human and financial resources as larger companies, they are just as vulnerable to the risks of bribery. Based on the Business Principles for Countering Bribery, but tailored to the needs of small and medium-sized businesses, the new Business Principles for Countering Bribery - SME Edition sets out the principles which should underpin anti-bribery programmes for smaller companies. It was developed through a process of consultation which involved smaller businesses and reflects their needs and challenges. Please click here to download the tool.