# Leveraging Civil Society to Combat Corruption Risks in Emergency Response Management: The COVID-19 Experience URL: https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/transparency-civil-society-corruption-risks-covid19 Type: Publication or report Published: 2023-06-13 Updated: 2023-06-19 --- 13 June 2023 Governments and multilateral banks have spent unprecedented amounts of public money on the COVID-19 response. As with other public emergencies, this was no black swan event, as these loans brought increased vulnerability to corruption in public procurement and spending. Around US$560 billion is lost to corruption in the health sector globally every year, with the procurement phase being one of the areas that is most vulnerable to corruption risks. Public health emergencies, through the increased “urgency of needs, required flexibility and requested speed”, significantly exacerbate the corruption risks in procurement. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Transparency International clarified why procurement corruption costs lives when public funds and resources intended to benefit people’s lives and improve public services are siphoned off from their proper use. In response to these risks, the Transparency International secretariat, in collaboration with 10 national chapters, implemented the Adaptive, Risk-Based Approaches to Anti-Corruption in Covid-19 responses (ARBAC-19) project over the course of the past two-and-a-half years. The project aimed to identify, respond and follow up on the corruption risks in emergency response funding through tailor-made anti-corruption measures at national and international levels. This best practice report has been compiled to share the findings from the ARBAC-19 project and the chapters that took part. It presents three best practice case studies and makes global policy recommendations with a view to improving future pandemic and emergency responses. ### Related publications ## [Connecting the Dots: How financial intelligence units expose corrupt money flows and how they could do more](https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/connecting-the-dots) Publication • 24 June 2026 Financial intelligence units can play a key role in uncovering corruption, but only if they have the powers, resources and access to information they need. ## [Strengthening Public Oversight: Good practices for partnerships between civil society and supreme audit institutions](https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/strengthening-public-oversight-good-practices-for-partnerships-between-civil-society-and-supreme-audit-institutions) Publication • 29 May 2026 Stronger collaboration between Supreme Audit Institutions and Civil Society Organisations is needed for better public financial oversight. ## [Closing the Gaps: Detecting and investigating corrupt money flows in the Middle East and North Africa](https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/closing-the-gaps-middle-east-and-north-africa) Publication • 13 May 2026 Corruption and illicit financial flows remain serious and ongoing challenges across the Middle East and North Africa. ## [Into the light: Benchmarking beneficial ownership transparency frameworks across MENA](https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/into-the-light-benchmarking-beneficial-ownership-transparency-frameworks-mena) Publication • 13 November 2025 Across MENA, countries are reforming ownership transparency frameworks, but sustained progress depends on stronger implementation. ## Countries - [Argentina](https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/argentina) - [Brazil](https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/brazil) - [Hungary](https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/hungary) - [Honduras](https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/honduras) - [Kyrgyzstan](https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/kyrgyzstan) - [Lithuania](https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/lithuania) - [Lebanon](https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/lebanon) - [Sierra Leone](https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/sierra-leone) - [Zambia](https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/zambia) - [Zimbabwe](https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/zimbabwe) ## Projects - [Countering corruption amid COVID-19](https://www.transparency.org/en/projects/countering-corruption-amid-covid-19) ![](https://images.transparencycdn.org/images/Cover-image-covid-report.jpg?auto=compress&fit=crop&fm=webp&w=1200) [Download](https://images.transparencycdn.org/images/2023_Report_theCOVID-19experience.pdf)