To illustrate how public sector corruption impacts on different issues, such as development and freedom of expression, we asked our friends at other organisations to let us know how public sector corruption affects the areas that they work on. We hope you’ll join in the discussions on the multi-dimensional effects of corruption and, most importantly, how we can work together to overcome this global disease. The following post has been prepared by Dr. Sipho S. Moyo, ONE Africa Director.
At ONE we are enhancing our aid advocacy work by highlighting attention on issues of good governance and transparency as being key elements to achieving sustainable development outcomes, including better service delivery across sectors like health, education, and better management of natural resource revenues, as well as more efficient investment in infrastructure for growth – energy, water, roads etc.
Our take at ONE is that transparency is a cornerstone of good governance as it allows citizens everywhere to hold institutions and governments accountable for their policies and performance, and thus fosters trust and helps to minimize corruption. That is why we support the emerging global governance initiatives which seek to partner with donor agencies, civil society, and governments for better development outcomes – such as the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), the Construction Sector Transparency Initiative (CoST) and the Stolen Assets Recovery (StAR) initiative.
In further acknowledging transparency and governance as global concerns we at ONE are proud to have been part of the advocacy coalition behind the success of the critical Lugar-Cardin oil revenue transparency amendment tucked into the recent US Financial reform legislation. This requires extractive companies listed on the US stock exchange to disclose to the Securities and Exchange Commission all payments made to foreign governments of the countries in which they operate. This increased transparency will help to reverse the “resource curse”, which has become shorthand for the corruption, conflict and poverty that is too often associated with natural resource-rich countries. Shining light on the payments made by multinational companies will empower African civil society to hold their governments to account for revenue received – an important step in ensuring resources benefit all citizens, not just corrupt elites. We are now rolling this campaign out in the UK and Europe, which will force companies trading in those countries to be more transparent and thus have a direct, positive impact on economic growth.
The 2010 Ibrahim Index, Africa’s leading governance assessment, reveals a mixed picture about recent progress across the continent. While many Africans are healthier and have greater access to economic opportunities than five years ago, many are less physically secure and more politically disenfranchised. The index highlights both the areas of progress and the setbacks in governance, and points to the need to pay attention to the rights and safety of citizens if Africa must continue to make progress along a sustainable growth and poverty reduction path.
As we heighten emphasis on results we also believe that increased assistance should be given to core public sector institutions in developing countries for improving their capacity, efficiency, transparency, and accountability in key functions like budget formulation, implementation, oversight and procurement management. This will result in higher quality service delivery particularly as the role of parliaments, judiciary, audit agencies, civil society and media becomes more important.
Ultimately better governance helps fight poverty, improves living standards and raises development outcomes. With improved governance, infant and maternal mortality will decline significantly as resources allocated to health service delivery are fully deployed as intended. The same is true for improving education and boosting GDP. Furthermore, good governance has been found to significantly enhance aid effectiveness. Transparency lies at the heart of much of this, and will continue to be a core principle for ONE’s advocacy work across the world.
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I´m so glad about this important work. I think the results help our countries, like México, effort their policies and performance, and thus fosters trust and helps to minimize corruption.
So how do I copy the table? I can’t select and copy and paste. And the table does not show up in the page source.
Have a look over at the Guardian Data blog at http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/oct/26/corruption-index-2010-transparency-international. There you can access the data as a Google spreadsheet.
Best,
Georg
I would sure like to see a study on the “corruption rankings” on multinational corporations, and would venture to guess that few, if any, would get a decent ranking.
Good stuff — but can we drop this absolutely inane term “good governance.” At the IACC we are talking about corruption – a vicious crime ruining the lives of tens of millions of people. It is perpetrated by villains. They in turn are often in conspiracies with multinational corporations and foreign governmental agencies. “Good governance” is a term the World Bank liked a decade ago when it was still reluctant to talk about corruption. Name a country with “good” governance? It is a silly term that embraces virtually all things to all people. In China there may be a radically different notion to ones held in the UK or US? But our concerns are not to get into such polemics, they are to focus on the crime of abuse of public office for personal gain. We should not be distracted by the euphemisms and generalities that the comfortable aid community has adopted, largely because it provides the bulk of its grants to governments that in many cases are widely perceived to be corrupt.
Looking forward to some candor at the IACC.
Regards, Frank Vogl
Fruad of Rs. 20 Crore has been committed in 5 Ismailia Reg. Credit Societies situated in Prince Aly Road J. K Area, Hyd, Sindh running under the name of Pr.K A. Khan by group of rich fruady fellows of Iamailia Community in June 2005. By above fruad 300 to 400 depositers 80% of Ismailies including Orhans, Widows, Old People,Special Persons & Pensioners of Hyd city & surroundings have been effected worstly, bcz they have been depending on mark-up so received monthly OR quarterly. Beside societies Viz.1. Aliabad 2. Al-Rahim .3.Hyd. Multi Purpose .4. Women M.P, who have been depositing their amounts with (5) Mubarak Cr.S, being Principal Society have seized due to it. All poor depositers including great No. of non-Community depositers r passing worst time since about 6 yrs. Now only way is to request in your kind honour to solve our problem 4 early return of Principle amount & including Up- to- date mark- up. from H. Sajid Khuwaja, Sc. Tchr, Govt. N. M. H. Skl, Hyd.
It appears there is a flaw in method of calculation of corruption perception index. Several countries (e.g. Sweden) are having high CPI score in spite of their involvement in promoting corruption in other countries. These countries are allowing people of other countries to deposit black money earned by them and charging money for maintaining the secrecy.
KOSOVO IS NOT A COUNTRY!!!! IT IS A SOUTH PART OF SERBIA, THANK YOU.
merci pour vos remarques tres important je souhaite si possible touver des lien ou adresse sur la corruption en mauritanie et problamique de tansparence y il des etudes sur des sujets
merci
Now that we are certain that political sponsorship is at the root of Regional, National and International corruption. How will Transparency hold politicians and businesses accountable when politicians and businesses make the very laws which have legalized political sponsorship?