This area provides highlights of the valuable work of the anti-corruption movement, championing a world free of corruption.

This month highlights the following stories:

• World Water Week: network launched to stem corruption in water sector
• IACC workshops on corruption in aid
• Civil Society present recommendations in IACAC follow-up

A new initiative aimed at cleaning up the water sector was launched by Transparency International and five leading water organisations during World Water Week in August. The Water Integrity Network (WIN) will promote greater global access to clean water for the poor, better quality of service for consumers and increased confidence among taxpayers in the equitable provision and distribution of water.

Over a billion people lack access to safe drinking water. More than 40 percent of water is lost due to leakages and illegal tapping, according to the United Nations. Corrupt practices such as falsified meter readings and opaque procurement processes are also to blame.

Founded by TI, the International Water and Sanitation Centre, Stockholm International Water Institute and the Water and Sanitation Program Africa, the network will work with the public and private sectors to raise awareness and promote effective anti-corruption measures by influencing national policy and implementing community initiatives.

For more information, see: www.worldwaterweek.org or www.waterintegritynetwork.net

Thematic workshops at the upcoming International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) in Guatemala in November will focus on corruption in aid and development, examining past practice to determine why corruption remains such a problem in developing countries.

Emphasis will be on identifying and learning from obstacles faced by funding agencies, providers of anti-corruption programmes and recipient nations, including ways to ensure that aid is used as intended.

The Inter-American Convention against Corruption monitoring mechanism assesses implementation in 28 of 33 member states. The second round of this process began this year, evaluating government hiring and procurement, whistleblower protection and criminal acts of corruption.

The second round also tracks implementation of recommendations from the first. Participating governments must complete a self-assessment questionnaire; civil society organisations have been invited to do so as well to provide an independent view of how governments are implementing the Convention.

TI chapters and chapters in formation in Argentina, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Paraguay chose to participate. The following recommendations resulted:

• TI’s Argentinean chapter Poder Ciudadano suggested mechanisms to prevent political favouritism in public appointments, and ways to improve government procurement and whistleblower protection, including strengthening the National Witness Protection Programme. See: www.poderciudadano.org/index.php?do=temas&id=44
• Ética y Transparencia, TI’s chapter in Nicaragua, recommended reforming laws on public contracting and procurement, passing whistleblower protection legislation, and strengthening the country’s institutions to detect, prevent and convict of those guilty of corruption.
• In Ecuador, Corporación Latinoamericana para el Desarrollo (CLD), suggested unifying public contracting regulations to facilitate “ex-post” control of contracts, codifying the government’s electronic procurement system and creating a organisation to provide statistics, standardised procedures and training.
• Transparencia Paraguay suggested improving whistleblower protection, as well as access to information to assist in citizen oversight.
• In Honduras, ACI-Participa commented on the lack of legislation to protect whistleblowers and the failure of the state to apply laws to protect against corruption in the recruitment of public officials.

Please see the following link for more detailed information on second round of the IACAC monitoring process:
www.transparency.org/regional_pages/americas/conventions/oas/ii_round