Monthly Archives

September 2013

News,

Empowering Citizens – Fighting Corruption through Social Media in Kosovo

by 3 September 2013no comment

 

Photo: Kosovo pupils in an overcrowded classroom

320 pupils were attending classes in provisional shelters in absence of a proper school. After InternewsKosovaand BIRN received reports through a platform which was created to report corruption cases and proved beneficial for other issues as well. They conducted in-depth research, interviews with teachers and parents and visits to the school, and, at the end, the case was addressed by the Ministry of Education which publicly promised that the school will be built in 2014.

In partnership with InternewsKosova and theBalkan Investigative Reporting Network(BIRN), UNDP has developed a web-platform “www.kallxo.com” which allows Kosovo citizens to report corruption in real time through multiple channels, including social media, SMS and the web. By visualizing and mapping reported corruption cases in the internet, the project aims to attract citizens’ participation and raise awareness on the level and form of corruption occurring in Kosovo.

One year after launching the platform, approximately 900 cases were reported, ranging from corruption in government, educational institutions, fraud at the local level, misconduct of public officials, etc.

Because of this success, www.kallxo.com is now also increasingly being used to report inefficiencies in delivering public services at the local level. To date, around 30 municipalities in Kosovo have placed an iFrame of www.kallxo.com on their official website to facilitate the municipality’s interaction with the citizens.

Highlights

  • One year after launching the platform, approximately 900 cases were reported
  • 30 municipalities in Kosovo have placed an iFrame of www.kallxo.com on their official website

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News,

The Role for Anti-corruption and Governance: Looking to 2015 and Beyond

by 3 September 2013no comment

  panel es

Photo: Eric Anderson, UNDP NY

New York— Making anti-corruption policies part of daily life and create more accountability at national and international levels were at the core of a global panel discussion this morning, held alongside the 68th United Nations General Assembly. The event was jointly organized by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Transparency International (TI) and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
 
The panel gathered to debate the role of anti-corruption and governance in the Post-2015 Development Agenda and launch the anti-corruption web-portal www.anti-corruption.org, a UN inter-agency tool led by UNDP to contribute to the discussion on the role of transparency and accountability in effective service delivery.
 
“UNDP has learned from experience that what works best are specific anti-corruption measures integrated into basic service delivery systems coupled with an increase in the engagement of civil society,” said Rebeca Grynspan, UN Under Secretary-General and UNDP Associate Administrator. “For the MDGs or the Post-2015 Development goals to be achieved, not only economies need to grow, but revenues must be invested back in better services and improvements in infrastructure for all people.”
 
The panel also discussed the strong correlation between corrupt practices and key development indicators such as gender equality, youth empowerment, universal access to water, health and education.
 
As an example, evidence from a recent study from Transparency International showed that in countries where more than 60 per cent of the population pays bribes to access public services, more women die in childbirth, fewer people have access to clean water, and illiteracy rates among young people are higher.
 
UNDP also published similar studies that shows how corruption is a major obstacle to service delivery: “UNDP, Seeing Beyond the State: Grassroots Women’s Perspectives on Corruption and Anti-Corruption, 2012” and “Fighting Corruption in Health, Education and Water Sectors, 2011”.
 
There is a growing consensus among development practitioners and member states representatives on the importance of integrating transparency and accountability measures in development policies as a way to prevent waste of crucial resources that are aimed at financing development.
 
“Opening data is key to combating corruption. We are opening our data and showing where corruption is, and sharing lessons learned on what we can do to improve,” said Heikki Eidsvoll Holmås, Minister of International Development of Norway.
 
In the fight against corruption, “ it is important to focus more on  building institutions rather than new frameworks for anti-corruption,” said Ngozi Okonjo-Iwela, Minister of Finance of Nigeria.
 
 Panelists today included Huguette Labelle, Chair of Transparency International;Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Minister of Finance of Nigeria; Heikki Eidsvoll Holmås, Minister of International Development of Norway; and Rebeca Grynspan, UN Under Secretary-General and UNDP Associate Administrator.
 
For more information, please click here to read

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News,

Anti-corruption Contribution to Urban Equity

by 3 September 2013no comment

 Wuf7

 UNDP Global Anti-corruption Initiative, the UNDP Colombia Country Office and the Bogota Chamber of Commerce invite you to a side-event:
“Anti-corruption Contribution to Urban Equity”
Organized during the 7th World Urban Forum (WUF7)

 

Date: Sunday April 6 2014

Time:9:00 – 11:00a.m.

Location:Centro Mayor (Calle 41 # 55-80), UN Room. Medellin, Antioquia.

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9:00-9:15         Opening remarks by Fabrizio Hochschild, Resident Representative, UNDP Colombia

9:15-10:15       High level panel discussion

  • Hon. Akwasi Oppong Fosu – Minister of Local Government and Rural Development , Ghana
  • Mr. Sergio Fajardo, former Mayor of Medellin and actual Governor of Antioquia
  • Mr. François Vincke, Lawyer, Member of the Brussels Bar, Vice-Chairman of the ICC Commission on Corporate Responsibility & Anti-corruption
  • Judith Pinedo, former Mayor of Cartagena and former director of UNCITA
  • Kodjo Mensah-Abrampa, Policy Advisor – Local Governance, Democratic Governance Group, UNDP

Moderator: Karen Hussmann, Coordinadora Proyecto para aumentar la Integridad y Transparencia en Colombia; Unión Europea – FIIAPP.

 

Responding to the theme of the WUF7 on the role of cities in addressing inequality and exclusion, this multi-stake holder dialogue will bring together national government representatives, mayors and representatives from the local levels, private sector, academia, and the United Nations to contribute to the discussion on how cities can be agents for change and transformation in promoting transparency and accountability and fighting corruption.

If you have not signed up for WUF7, you can sign up for the side event half an hour before it starts.  For more information please contact:

Nadya Aranguren (nadyalibertad@pund.org.co +571 4889002 ext. 212, +57 3118125521).


Organized by:

 

logoUNDP

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News,

UN conference produces anti-corruption strategy recommendations for Asia

by 3 September 2013no comment

 

Photo: UNODC (

On 21-22 October 2013, high level representatives of anti-corruption authorities as well as national planning authorities from the South, East and Southeast Asia and anticorruption experts from around the world gathered in Kuala Lumpur at the invitation of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with the Government of Malaysia, to discuss a set of Guidelines for Anti-Corruption Strategies, that could instruct the process of developing, designing and implementing sustainable anti-corruption strategies.

The participants included several officials of anti-corruption authorities, other anticorruption practitioners, and representatives from national planning authorities, and executive, legislative and judiciary branches. Representatives of UNDP, UNODC, the World Bank, the ADB/OECD Anti-Corruption Initiative for Asia and the Pacific, Transparency International and U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre also took part in
the proceedings.

The participants reviewed and discussed country experiences from around the world, with a particular focus on South, East and Southeast Asia, relating to the process of developing anti-corruption strategies, the design and content of anti-corruption strategies and the monitoring and evaluation of anti-corruption strategies.

The Asia Regional Meeting on Anti-corruption Strategies aimed to have participating countries share their experiences in developing, implementing, and monitoring the implementation of anti-corruption strategies. It sought to clarify the preparation process of anti-corruption strategies; analyze the content and design of effective anti-corruption strategies; and identify mechanisms to ensure effective implementation, monitoring, oversight and reporting.

“While the development and launch of national anti-corruption strategies shows that many governments are committed to fight corruption, these strategies have not always yielded the expected impact,” said Mr. Phil Matsheza, Practice Leader, Democratic Governance, UNDP Asia-Pacific Regional Centre in Bangkok. “This conference hopes to provide States with the knowledge and tools to carry out effective anti-corruption strategies.”

A key Meeting outcome was to get participants to agree on a set of guidelines or indicators to develop and implement an effective and successful national anti-corruption strategy.

In the opening speech Hon. Senator Datuk Paul Low Seng Kuan, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department pointed out: “No nation can sustain economic progress unless corruption is eradicated or significantly reduced. Many challenges and problems caused by failed economic management and crime are related to abuse of power and corruption.”

The work of UNODC and UNDP includes assisting countries in the region to address anti-corruption issues collaboratively, including working with States to develop or revise anti-corruption strategies. Meeting participants focused on South, East and Southeast Asia country experiences as they reviewed the development, design, and monitoring and evaluation of anti-corruption strategies from around the globe.

“South-South Cooperation is essential to improving existing anti-corruption strategies and designing new ones,” said Michelle Gyles-McDonnough, UN Resident Coordinator for Malaysia. “By sharing our experiences, challenges, best practices and guidance we remove obstacles to creating a more secure and better future for our fellow citizens, to creating countries that grow, countries that care, and countries that work.”

Download here the Kuala Lumpur Statement on Anti-corruption Strategies

 

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