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From Coast to Coast: cycling for a better school system in Honduras

10 February 2015 in Americas, Education, Human rights, People power, Young people

Transparency International’s partner in Honduras, Asociación por una Sociedad más Justa (ASJ), is also part of a civil society alliance called Let’s Transform Honduras (Transforememos Honduras). In January, Let’s Transform Honduras organised its 5th Bike Race from Costa a Costa – Coast to Coast. I’ve worked with ASJ since they joined Transparency International’s global anti-corruption […]

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Supporting security and development in the Americas

2 February 2015 in Accountability, Americas, Anti-corruption movement, Civil society, Cost of Corruption, Defence and Security, Human rights, Impunity, People power, Politics and government, Poverty and development

Last week, US vice-president Joe Biden wrote an important article in the New York Times to explain his administration’s plans to channel resources to support security, governance and development in Central America. Biden wrote that in order to sustain economic growth and economic equality in a region plagued by violence, poverty and corruption, you need […]

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Youths from Asia Pacific unite in the fight against corruption

23 January 2015 in Access to information, Accountability, Asia Pacific, Civil society, Cost of Corruption, Education, Health, Human rights, Impunity, Measurement and Research, People power, Politics and government, Poverty and development, Whistleblowing, Young people

Young people constitute a sizeable portion of the Asian Pacific population and tend to be particularly exposed to bribery and corruption as students, pupils, workers, customers and citizens. But young people can play a pivotal role in the fight against corruption, in Asia Pacific and beyond. While people from the older generation tend to see […]

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Sub-Saharan Africa: corruption still hurts daily lives

3 December 2014 in Access to information, Accountability, Africa and Middle East, Aid, Anti-corruption movement, Civil society, Cost of Corruption, Human rights, Impunity, Measurement and Research, People power, Politics and government, Poverty and development, Private sector

Once again, the Corruption Perceptions Index results are not fundamentally different from previous years: the majority of African countries still have a score of less than 50 per cent, which in our view depicts a situation of endemic corruption. In a continent with high level of economic growth rates (compared to many parts of the […]

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Middle East and North Africa: a region in turmoil

3 December 2014 in Access to information, Accountability, Africa and Middle East, Aid, Anti-corruption Conventions, Anti-corruption movement, Asset recovery, Civil society, Cost of Corruption, Defence and Security, Human rights, Impunity, Oil and gas, People power, Politics and government, Poverty and development, Private sector, Whistleblowing

Three out of the bottom 10 countries on Transparency International’s 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index are from the Middle East and North Africa. Two of these three are in the midst of gruesome civil wars where lives are being lost daily. Iraq and Libya tell a story of a region in turmoil plagued with geopolitical insecurity, […]

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Corruption in the Americas: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly?

3 December 2014 in Access to information, Accountability, Americas, Anti-corruption movement, Civil society, Cost of Corruption, Human rights, Impunity, People power, Politics and government, Poverty and development, Private sector, Sport, Whistleblowing

The 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index does not show significant movement in the scores of the countries in the Americas. For the more cynical among us, this is a good sign as there is always the possibility of worsening. But the reality is that stagnation is not good news. Each year that passes without things improving, […]

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Challenging corruption in Afghanistan

1 December 2014 in Access to information, Accountability, Aid, Anti-corruption Conventions, Anti-corruption movement, Asia Pacific, Civil society, Cost of Corruption, Defence and Security, Human rights, Measurement and Research, Miscellaneous, People power, Politics and government, Poverty and development, Private sector

Two years ago all the major donors to Afghanistan met in Tokyo to map a way forward for the war-torn country. Then president Hamid Karzai promised if the money kept coming in he would ensure it would not be lost to corruption. At the time Transparency International recommended a raft of measures aimed at curbing […]

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Vicious cycle of money, power and influence leaves the rest of us behind

11 November 2014 in Accountability, Anti-corruption movement, Civil society, Cost of Corruption, Human rights, Impunity, Lobbying, Measurement and Research, People power, Politics and government, Poverty and development

We live in a world where 1 billion people live in extreme poverty, with less than US$1.25/day. This is the same world where the market for super yachts is booming. The 85 richest people in the world have the same wealth as the poorest 3.5 billion. The gulf between the haves and the have nots […]

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A Critical Pivot towards Anti-corruption for the OGP Initiative

28 October 2014 in Access to information, Accountability, Anti-corruption Conventions, Anti-corruption movement, Civil society, Cost of Corruption, Human rights, People power, Politics and government

Since its inception in 2011, the Open Government Partnership (OGP) has sought to advance a vision of the world where governments are transparent, accountable, and inclusive. It is catching on. The OGP started with just eight countries and now has 65 who have agreed to share that vision and introduce practical ways to make it […]

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Speaking up for Greek whistleblowers

28 October 2014 in Access to information, Accountability, ALAC, Anti-corruption movement, Civil society, Cost of Corruption, Europe and Central Asia, European Union, Human rights, People power, Politics and government, Whistleblowing

A passionate antiquities specialist, K. blew the whistle on malpractice he witnessed on a restoration site. The result? He was called to account and has continued to suffer retaliation since. Sophia Ioannou explains what happened – and why urgent action is needed to protect K. and others who speak up against corruption. K.’s story It […]

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