Archive | Access to information RSS feed for this section

India’s next government must take on corruption

  India has passed the half-way point in its chaotic elections where 814 million people are registered to vote. The last polling day is 12 May and results will be announced on 16 May. One of the big questions is how the newly elected politicians will deliver on their campaign promises to tackle corruption. Too […]

Read full story Comments { 3 }

Public consultation in Jersey: chance to come clean

The use of shell companies to mask the true owners of assets is still on top of the political agenda and interest in the issue continues to grow. This week the UK government announced further details of its plan to implement a public registry of company ownership. This is important because shell companies can facilitate […]

Read full story Comments { 1 }

Colombia – un gran paso hacia la cultura de la transparencia

El 6 de Marzo, el presidente colombiano Juan Manuel Santos firmó la Ley de Acceso a la Información. Esto fue el paso formal de un largo proceso liderado por organizaciones de la sociedad civil en colaboración con muchos sectores del país. El derecho de los ciudadanos a conocer en detalle el quehacer del gobierno y […]

Read full story Comments { 1 }

Colombia: a major step forward towards the culture of transparency

On 6 March, Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos signed the country’s access to information law.  This was the last formal step of a long process led by civil society organisations collaborating with many sectors in the country. The right of citizens to know what governments and public institutions are doing, and how public resources are […]

Read full story Comments { 1 }

Bangladesh factory safety in spotlight

On 24 April 2013 more than a thousand garment workers died when the Rana Plaza commercial building containing several factories in Dhaka, Bangladesh collapsed shortly after work began. A few months earlier, on 24 November 2012, more than a hundred workers died when a factory burned down in another part of the city. The owners […]

Read full story Comments { 0 }

Legacy of corruption: a challenge at the ballot box and beyond

On 5 April 12 million Afghanis are expected to vote to select their next president. The leading candidates have expressed their fear of corruption on the day of the election: ballot stuffing, vote buying, impersonation and voter intimidation are likely to resurface as during the last presidential elections. An unfair election will tarnish the legitimacy […]

Read full story Comments { 0 }

Arms Deals in the Dark: secret contracts in the defence sector

The past few months have seen major scandals in defence procurement involving The Colombian Defence Ministry, AgustaWestland and the UK government, Rolls-Royce and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, and Kongsberg Gruppen. The ghosts of corruption past are coming back to haunt these institutions. We’ve also seen major new contracts announced: BAE Systems and Saudi Arabia have agreed […]

Read full story Comments { 0 }

Shelving the shells

From one corruption fighting organisation to another, hats off to Global Witness. Founder Charmian Gooch and her colleagues have been recognised for their stellar efforts to highlight the damage done by corrupt practices in the extractives sector. In her award winning TED talk, Gooch highlighted the role of ‘the facilitators’ – global banks and global […]

Read full story Comments { 1 }

Guatemala Superior Electoral Court elections: swayed by merit or particular interests?

Shortly after publishing this blog, we were informed that the elections for the Superior Electoral Court took place unexpectedly on 11 March. David Gaitán, writer of this blog, gives this update: “Congress once again left transparency and accountability outside. It was done in the usual style, through contributions and negotiations in private and dark rooms. […]

Read full story Comments { 0 }

Time to stop secret contracts

We entrust governments – with our votes and money – to act transparently in our interest. This includes for the public contracts that they bid out to deliver: everything from schoolbooks to sanitation systems. Globally, these costs are estimated to top nearly US$ 9.5 trillion each year. Yet many of these contracts are done behind […]

Read full story Comments { 0 }