home
about us
news room
global priorities
regional pages
policy and research
tools
publications
download newsletter in pdf-format
|
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: |
TI Zambia launches its new publication “Show me the Money!”
By Georg Neumann
|
|
According to the Zambian Auditor-General’s report over a 20-year period, about Kwacha 348,244 billion (Euro 64,5 million) worth of public money is either misappropriated, stolen or grossly mismanaged every year in the country. That translates to K6,964 trillion (Euro 1.3 billion) between 1984 and 2004, based on the average of misappropriated monies, revenue and expenditure losses. |
Aiming to stimulate greater public interest in how public money is allocated, spent and accounted for, TI Zambia launched its new book, Show me the Money! Where the Money Goes on 26 February 2007. The book will be complemented by an advocacy campaign to create greater transparency in public finance management by raising awareness for this issue among citizens.
Reinvigorating anti-corruption work in the Ukraine
By Alesia Kachur
|
|
The TI movement is reinvigorating its anti-corruption work in Ukraine by making the Anticorruption Committee (ACC), its new contact group. Since its foundation in 2001, ACC’s work has focused on monitoring election campaigns and political party financing. Now they are expanding their efforts into public procurement monitoring and research, as well as raising awareness about corrupt practices in higher education in Ukraine. |
The establishment of a new TI contact group in Ukraine coincides with the start-up of several major programmes funded by USAID’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), the World Bank and the European Union (EU). In early December 2006, Ukraine was approved for the MCC Threshold Program and received $45 million USD to fight corruption.
It is already apparent that a TI presence and anti-corruption efforts in the country have been missed. The revitalised work is not only welcome, but necessary to create a strong push from civil society for more effective reform in curbing corruption. TI looks forward to working with ACC in its efforts to restore some hope to Ukrainian citizens that they can influence the reform process.
Caracas Meeting to consolidate change: the Anti-American Convention Against Corruption in its second decade
By Johanna von der Weppen
|
|
In 2006, the Inter-American Convention against Corruption (IACAC) celebrated its tenth anniversary. Transparencia Venezuela and the Americas Department of Transparency International’s Secretariat organised a joint conference in Caracas from 12-14 February to discuss the developments and shortcomings of the Convention as well as to identify major challenges to its implementation in the next 10 years. |
TI´s Chair, Huguette Labelle, Transparencia Venezuela’s Executive Director, Mercedes de Freitas, and the Ambassador from Canada, Renate Wielgofz, inaugurated the conference. During the two days, representatives from several Latin American governments, TI national chapters, civil society organisations (CSOs) and experts of the IACAC monitoring mechanism discussed issues such as access to information and citizen participation. On the theme of public integrity, a TI study was presented giving an overview of the laws and practises pertaining to issues of conflicts of interest, whistleblower protection and asset declaration in nine Latin American countries. The conclusion of the study stated an urgent need to show more development in the implementation of existing laws.
A final declaration summarized the areas where improvement and more straight forward action from governments would be required, including: removing all obstacles for civil society participation as an independent and qualified observer in the implementation of the IACAC; reporting at the OAS 2007 General Assembly on any developments in the implementation of the IACAC; and generating and disseminating official statistical information to better monitor the implementation of the IACAC.
All documents and presentations from the Conference can be downloaded at: www.transparencia.org.ve/areas_accion.php?id_area=20