Tag Archives | NGOs

The UN Convention against Corruption & civil society: Taking stock after ten years

14 December 2015 marks ten years since the landmark UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) came into force. UNCAC represented the first truly international consensus on the importance of tackling corruption at all levels and it explicitly identifies the important role that civil society plays in holding governments to account. To make this happen, UNCAC recognises […]

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CPI 2013: Crackdown on Middle Eastern civil society must stop

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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What NGOs can do to make sure politicians are clean

French politicians will today vote on a law on “transparency in public life”. The law will oblige politicians to publish declarations of interests, although it looks like asset declarations will only be registered with public authorities. Asset declaration rules have been introduced in many countries as a way to enhance transparency and integrity as well […]

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Too little transparency in new Czech law on political party financing

The Czech parliament is currently considering a new law to increase transparency in how political parties are funded. This should have been a reason to celebrate, given that Transparency International Czech Republic and other non-governmental organisations have been working on this for the past two years. But the law could and should have been so […]

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“My CEO will tear off my head, if I suggest to him that we implement IATI.”

This text was crossposted from the Open Knowledge Foundation’s blog Open Aid. The author is Claudia Schwegmann. These were the precise words of a senior policy person of a big German NGO when I presented IATI some 18 months ago. In the past, reactions of other NGO representatives have been less drastic but still very clearly […]

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Haiti’s hard road to recovery

In the three years since the devastating earthquake killed hundreds of thousands of people and destroyed much of Haiti’s infrastructure we have had to contend with two cyclones, a cholera epidemic and a drought that currently threatens our food security. No wonder Haitians and donors are suffering from reconstruction fatigue when too often the small […]

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Open Government Partnership: From Commitment to Action…?

Under the Open Government Partnership  governments commit to transparency, and using technology to fight corruption. The Partnership creates a potentially unique opportunity for civil society to push for government accountability and empower citizens in the fight against corruption. Gathered at a scenic Adriatic coast in Dubrovnik, European civil society organisations were supposed to discuss their […]

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Europe’s hunger for energy needs an integrity check

Europe’s thirst for energy remains high as regulations in the Eurozone tighten and the focus on energy efficiency grows. At the same time, an energy infrastructure that allows EU countries to quickly shift power to where it is most needed when shortages occur still needs to be built. With this in mind, the drive to […]

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A year in the life of the Egyptian civil society

By Engi M. El Haddad What a year… what turmoil of emotions … what renewed determination. At first it was elation. At long last we saw it happen. We saw our people stand up for their rights. After decades of being disparaged, harassed and made fun of, Egyptian civil society – small groups working on issues […]

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UK Kenya aid scandal highlights transparency role in development

Daniela Christen, from Transparency International Switzerland, presents a practical guide for NGOs on dealing with corruption in development cooperation. The British government will ask for a return of large amounts of money they had given to the Kenyan government for a free education scheme. Between 2005 and 2009 corrupt officials of the Kenyan education and […]

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