Cobus de Swardt, a South African sociologist, has been appointed Managing Director of Transparency International’s Berlin-based Secretariat in May, after serving as Global Programmes Director since May 2004, leading the work on TI's global priorities, and heading the International Group of four regional departments. He brings a solid commitment to social justice to a position that also demands clear, decisive and strategic leadership. He believes that “Social justice can only be achieved through rigorous efforts to ensure transparent and corruption-free governance, whilst vigorously protecting the virtues of cultural diversity.”

De Swardt’s work experience spans the fields of globalisation, development policy, international relations and multinational business management. His academic experience includes teaching at universities in South Africa, Australia, Japan and Germany. He also has worked for multinational corporations, trade-unions and research institutes in managerial and research-related capacities in various countries. During the 1980s and early 1990s he was active in the anti-Apartheid struggle in South Africa chairing the ANC in Cape Town.

For more information, please visit: 2007/2007_06_05_managing_director

The election monitoring tool created by Transparência Brasil, –TI’s chapter in Brazil – Excelências (Your Excellencies), now has entered its second phase of the project, extending it to cover the Federal Senate and 27 state legislatures. The website www.excelencias.org.br currently hosts the profiles of 513 Lower House representatives, 81 Senators and 94 representatives from the state of São Paulo Legislative Assembly. TI Brazil is working to gradually include the other 26 states by September 2007. The information captured about each parliamentarian includes criminal lawsuits (including corruption), administrative punishments issued by state and Federal Supreme Audit Institutions, corruption-related news mentioned candidates, information on campaign donations, asset declaration, information on how they are spending their allowances and more.

The second phase of the Excelências project is funded by a two-year grant from the United Nations Democracy Fund, and an agreement with Internet Content Portal iG has guaranteed the project's publication for an additional five years.

TI Paraguay launched its research survey Transparency, Integrity and Efficiency Index of the Public Administration in June. The survey evaluated 12 public institutions based on five indicators: transparency in the administrative processes; access to information; integrity and efficiency of the public institutions; services provided by the institution through its website; and the integrity of the institutions based on its print publications. The findings showed that the public administration has made some improvements since the 2004 iteration of the survey. The survey was launched with a number of activities, including a workshop with journalists, a press conference and a public event. To read more, please see: www.transparencia.org.py/

At their annual regional meeting in June 2007, TI’s five chapters in South Asia – Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – have called on all South Asian countries to give priority to preventing corruption in judicial systems. This call to action is based on the findings and recommendations of Transparency International’s recently released Global Corruption Report 2007, which focuses on corruption in judicial systems. The chapters emphasised the need to strengthen the independence, integrity, accountability and capacity-building of the judiciary and to bring greater transparency to government information and to promote the right of a free and independent press. To access their joint declaration, please visit: 2007_06_06_south_asia_access_info_law

On 8 May, TI Cameroon launched the National Survey on Corruption in Cameroon 2006, surveying more than 1,100 households in the country. The survey shows that 45 percent of households reported that one of their members became a victim of corruption in the past year at least once. The survey, presented at a seminar on “Strengthening the role of the judiciary in the fight against corruption” in Douala, Cameroon, was implemented in cooperation with the Groupe d’Etudes, de Recherche et de Conseils sur l’Insertion social (GERCIS) and the local supervisor, Mr Paul Kemgo. The survey, which found that three-quarters of respondents consider corruption a “very important problem” in their country, provides a detailed account about the experience and attitudes of ordinary Cameroonians towards corruption and informal payments. For more information, please visit: www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/africa_middle_east

TI Uganda launched an anti-corruption campaign in its Rakai district by working with the Bukaala Twesitule drama group to host public theatre events to raise public awareness of corruption, its causes, and ways to combat it. According to the district council of Kyotera Moses Sekalo, speaking at one public event, more than 400 million Uganda Shilling (US $ 242,424) intended for the construction of toilets, classrooms and access feeder roads was lost as a result of corrupt tendencies among civil servants and some political leaders. According to a report signed by deputy Inspector General of Government (IGG) Raphael Baku on 28 February 2007, Rakai district chairman Vincent Semukula was cited for improper conduct in appointing his children Florence Najjuma and Henry Semakula to top district jobs. For more information see: http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/200706040519.html

TI’s national chapter in Lebanon, the Lebanese Transparency Association (LTA), is cooperating with Lebanon Support, an information platform created by the civil society organisations Samidoun, Mada and Handicap International during the July 2006 war, to launch a “Transparency Zone” on their website. The Transparency Zone provides a set of tools to enhance coordination among civil society organisations and between civil society and other actors in relief, recovery, and development activities. For more information see: www.lebanon-support.org

The Center for Regional Development, TI’s chapter in Armenia, has been monitoring party financing and use of administrative resource in the run up of the 2007 parliamentary elections in Armenia since November 2006, and has recently published a report on the findings. The report shows a number of shortcomings in the electoral legislation, such as the lack of definition of a pre-electoral campaign. As a result, all the actions carried out before the start of the official pre-electoral period are not considered, and therefore not regulated. Another gap is the lack of regulation of a third person bearing expenses for a party, which gives party supporters the possibility to finance a campaign avoiding the campaign fund. According to the findings of the monitoring project, two parties exceeded the 60 million Armenian Dram (AMD) (US $170,000) limitations for the pre-election campaign fund provided in the Armenian Electoral Code, with spending of more than 79 million and 130 million AMD respectively. The report is available at: www.transparency.am/elections.php

As part of the Transparent Healthcare Project, aimed at directing public attention to the poorly designed system for healthcare financing, TI Czech Republic (TIC) published a study in May detailing resources wasted in the system. The study found that the total losses in the Czech healthcare system in 2005 are estimated at CZK 20 billion (US $931 million), representing 9.5 percent of the national expenditures on healthcare. According to TIC, the main causes of these losses are inconsistent healthcare legislation, of which the requirements bring high transition costs. In addition, a number of top management positions in the healthcare field are staffed without the use of transparent recruitment procedures. To read the complete study, please go to: 2007_05_21_czech_health

On 22 March, TI’s chapter in Israel, SHVIL, held its annual Transparency Shield award ceremony. The Transparency Shield is awarded based on ethical behaviour and promoting transparency and social responsibility. This year’s award was granted to Professor Isaac Zamir for his contribution in the fight against governmental corruption and promoting ethics in Israeli society. The “Environmental Responsibility in Industry” project, run by the non-profit organisation “Sustainable Development for the Negev”, received a second award for its contribution in changing the style of struggling for the environment. The ceremony was followed by a discussion on bribery in international business transactions.

In May, TI Mongolia launched the ten-month monitoring project "Monitoring of Provisions of the Law on Corruption of Mongolia". The project will be implemented together with the civil society organisations Women for Social Progress and National Soyombo Movement. It has been designed to monitor and assess the implementation of the anti-corruption law and the efforts of the government to prevent corruption, as well as to ensure transparency of formation of the anti-corruption agency. The project is funded by the Open Society Forum.

The Romanian Senate unanimously adopted a law establishing a National Integrity Agency in May. TI Romania has contributed since 2004 to the original draft law to establish an organisation to prevent and oversee corruption risks in Romania. The law was passed by the Chamber of Deputies and sent to the Senate in September 2004. Now that the Senate has ordered the establishment of the National Integrity Agency. TI Romania will monitor the situation to ensure that the law is correctly and efficiently implemented through the National Integrity Agency.