Tag Archives | Tunisia

Middle East and North Africa: a region in turmoil

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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Observing elections: Tunisia’s I Watch breaks new ground

In a month’s time Tunisia will take an important step towards its democratic transition. What most Tunisians have been waiting for will finally happen: the first free and fair parliamentary and presidential elections after the drafting of the new constitution.  Following the heady experience of the Arab Spring nearly four years ago, holding these elections […]

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Three steps to (start) recovering stolen assets

It takes a long time and great deal of good will, legal procedures and paper work to return stolen assets to the countries where they belong. In April 2014, Switzerland commenced the return of US$40 million of Tunisian assets linked to the former Zine El Abidine Ben Ali regime, which had been frozen in the […]

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Using technology to involve Tunisians in new constitution

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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Rediscovering the power of trust: the case of education in Tunisia

“I know I have a problem. It is all over the newspapers, everybody talks about it, but what can I do? I have no evidence. Can you bring me some evidence, please? Even better, just let me know what I shall do.” – A minister of education during an OECD integrity assessment about efforts to fight […]

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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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Corruption: An ongoing revolution in the Arab world

The Arab world witnessed unprecedented changes with the toppling of dictators in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya last year. The Arab Spring served to transform the anti-corruption issue from the responsibility of a few, to the preoccupation of many. In most countries in the Middle East and North Africa region, trust in government remains low, with […]

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The Arab Spring: one year on – part two

The following is an excerpt from an article published by the Huffington Post. A year ago, Tunisians were in the process of bringing down a corrupt leader. It all started on 17 December 2010 when Tunisian fruit-seller Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire outside the building of the local officials who had abused him. With […]

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The Arab Spring: one year on – part one

The following is an excerpt from an article published by Al Jazeera. As Tahrir Square fills up again with angry, disillusioned and disappointed citizens, those in power in the Arab world and those who wish to gain power through the ballot box in 2012 should ask themselves one question: How can the next generation of […]

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2011 in words and pictures

An illustrated, month-by-month look at some of the top corruption-related stories and trends of 2011. January Mohamed Bouazizi sets himself ablaze in defiance of bribe-seeking police. The death of the 26 year-old Tunisian fruit vendor serves as a catalyst for a surge of protests that quickly unfurl across North Africa and the Middle East. We […]

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