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Members of Parliament of Samoa attended an Introductory Workshop on the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in the capital city, Apia. The workshop aimed to develop further understanding of UNCAC and help inform Samoan MPs of the requirements and good practices of anti-corruption implementation. The workshop also encouraged further deliberation of anti-corruption reform in Samoa, in addition to raising awareness of the assistance available to Samoa in executing UNCAC.
 
Read the story in the website of The Parliament of Samoa.

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Accountability is meaningful only if the powerful can be brought into account, said Roberto Bissio, Social Watch Coordinator. He made this remark at the Interactive Dialogue “Elements for a Monitoring and Accountability Framework for the Post-2015 Development Agenda” convened May 1, 2014 in New York by the president of the UN General Assembly. Bissio said citizens should hold their governments accountable. Corporations also have to be made accountable not only to their owners and consumers but also to their workers and to the people that are affected by their operations. At a minimum, companies ‘partnering’ with the UN should be subject to the same reporting requirements as NGOs, including financial reports and a demonstrated adherence to human rights and UN principles, Bissio said.
 
Read the full presentation by Roberto Bissio in the Social Watch website.

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A revised Guidance on Conducting REDD+ Corruption Risk Assessments is now available. The first version of this Guidance was released in December 2012. The Guidance was revised in December 2013 to (a) build on the results and lessons learned from the pilots in Bangladesh, DRC, Kenya, Peru and the Philippines; (b) delineate and provide clearer guidance on two distinct but correlated aspects: corruption factors that enable or accelerate deforestation and forest degradation, and new corruption risks brought about by REDD+; and, (c) include practical “tip boxes”, for example on understanding types and forms of corruption, finding entry points for anti-corruption work in an RPP or a national REDD+ strategy, appreciating the value of gender disaggregated data, and handling sensitive issues.
 
Access the revised Guidance online here.

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The consolidated report of an e-discussion on “Judicial Integrity — Assessing Challenges and Results of Capacity Development Interventions” is now available.

The e-discussion took place from 4 November to 3 December 2013. It had two phases:

Phase I – Stocktaking of Judicial Integrity Programmes

• Are there public surveys or expert reports available on the performance of the judiciary? If so, what do they tell about people’s perception with regards to the fair and equal delivery of justice?
• What are good examples of enhancing judicial integrity? What was their impact?
• Have the Bangalore Principles or UNCAC’s requirements been instrumental in judicial reform projects and in what form? What evidence exists on its impact?
• What are the bottlenecks to engage with development projects that address judicial independence and integrity?

Phase II – Identifying Indicators of Judicial Integrity

• What are existing monitoring mechanisms and indicators of judicial capacity and integrity?
• In what ways have the Bangalore Principles or United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) requirements already been used as an evaluative framework to measure judicial integrity?
• How can we increase the evidence base on the impact of judicial capacity and integrity initiatives on corruption prevention?

The e-discussion was organized by UNDP’s Democratic Governance Group, Bureau of Development Policy (BDP), in partnership with the U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre at the Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the Asia-Pacific Integrity in Action Network (AP-INTACT).

Please click here for a PDF of the summary.

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Thailand’s Anti-Corruption Network, a private sector group led by a consortium of Thai businessmen and more than 30 industry associations, signed a partnership declaration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The new partnership aims to promote regular dialogue and strategy on fighting corruption, the development of public advocacy campaigns, and knowledge sharing in raising public awareness and building capacity of organisations within the expanding network.
 
Read the story in The Nation.

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