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5 reasons South Africa Arms Deal sweeteners turned sour

6 March 2014 in Access to information, Accountability, Africa and Middle East, Cost of Corruption, Defence and Security, Miscellaneous, Politics and government, Private sector

Ever since the South African government signed a US$4.8 billion deal to buy weapons from Swedish, British, German and South African defence companies in 1999, it has been hounded by allegations of corruption. The deal is still ongoing, and could still be cancelled. One of the justifications for the purchase was offset contracts – side […]

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Corruption-busting in Zimbabwe: why being a woman helps

5 March 2014 in Access to information, Accountability, Africa and Middle East, ALAC, Anti-corruption movement, Civil society, Cost of Corruption, Education, Health, Human rights, Impunity, People power, Politics and government, Poverty and development, Water, Whistleblowing, Young people

Saturday 8 March is International Women’s Day, and to mark the occasion we’re celebrating women corruption fighters across the world! All this week we’ll be interviewing some of the many remarkable women who fight corruption in our movement, and on Friday we’ll be profiling the women who spur YOU on to stand up against injustice. […]

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OECD moves forward on tax transparency

25 February 2014 in Access to information, Accountability, Anti-corruption Conventions, Asset recovery, Civil society, Education, European Union, G20, Measurement and Research, Politics and government

Last September G20 leaders moved towards greater transparency to crack down on tax evasion. They promised a “new global standard” to increase the exchange of financial information between countries. Whereas today tax authorities have to chase information from others authorities if and when they suspect foul play, this new standard will require any jurisdiction signing […]

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Money up in the air? Corruption in Yemen’s gas sector

13 February 2014 in Access to information, Accountability, Africa and Middle East, Anti-corruption movement, Civil society, Cost of Corruption, Impunity, Oil and gas, People power, Politics and government, Poverty and development

Hundreds of Yemenis protested on the streets of Sanaa against the government’s ongoing negotiations with French oil company Total about the pricing of liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is one of the main sources of the country’s wealth. Protestors claimed that Yemenis have lost hundreds of millions of dollars of potential earnings from the country’s […]

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It’s your school: keeping Mexico’s education system transparent

10 February 2014 in Access to information, Accountability, Education, Young people

Last December, 1,055 high school communities around Mexico – comprising almost 1.3 million students – engaged in a transparency and accountability exercise. This involves each principal of public high schools completing three electronic forms covering more than 100 indicators. These range from income and expenditure, to enrolment and academic performance, to the condition of school […]

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Using technology to involve Tunisians in new constitution

21 January 2014 in Access to information, Accountability, Africa and Middle East, Anti-corruption movement, Civil society, Human rights, Impunity, Measurement and Research, People power, Politics and government, Young people

As the first Arab country to have a constitution drafted back in 1861, Tunisia is again at the forefront of change as it takes its final steps in its democratic transition. The country that led the Arab Spring revolutions in the region is now – more than 150 years later – almost ready to adopt […]

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Semáforos en América: ¿Salvavidas o decoración urbana?

3 December 2013 in Access to information, Accountability, Americas, Anti-corruption Conventions, Defence and Security, Impunity, Measurement and Research, Politics and government

Imagina una escena en Buenos Aires, Caracas o cualquier otra capital en América: Son las 10:30 de la mañana y estás en tu coche corriendo a una cita a la que ya llegas tarde. El semáforo está en rojo, miras a la derecha, no viene ningún coche, miras a la izquierda, nada… Podrías saltarte el […]

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CPI 2013: Crackdown on Middle Eastern civil society must stop

3 December 2013 in Access to information, Accountability, Africa and Middle East, Civil society, Defence and Security, Human rights, Measurement and Research, People power, Politics and government, Whistleblowing

In the Middle East and North Africa, tear gas, bullets, office raids and imprisonment have been the hallmarks of state and non-state actions against civil society activists fighting corruption. The Bahraini government proposes a draconian NGO law; while Egyptian, Jordanian and other countries’ NGO laws continue to restrict NGO registration, freedom to operate, and international […]

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El Estor’s women becoming gatekeepers of transparency

28 November 2013 in Access to information, Accountability, Americas, Anti-corruption movement, Civil society, Education, Health, People power, Poverty and development

In the late 1800s a British settler set up a general trading store on the banks of the pristine Lake Izabal in the remote eastern part of Guatemala. The shop, being the only supplier of goods for kilometres around, drew a throng of support from the surrounding villages and soon the area around it developed […]

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Transparent Education wins lawsuit against Hungary’s biggest university

4 November 2013 in Access to information, Accountability, Civil society, Education, Europe and Central Asia, European Union, Young people

According to a 21 October ruling, Hungary’s largest university – Eötvös Loránd (ELTE) – is being ordered to release the names of student union members in the law faculty who received “public service scholarships” and bonus payments for participating in the student government. This groundbreaking ruling comes in the wake of a freedom of information […]

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