[open-government] FW: Two New Anti-Corruption Transparency Reports & Monitoring Methodology

Thu Oct 27 16:48:07 UTC 2011

 access info logo <http://www.access-info.org/documents/images/access_info_logo_mail.jpg>            TI Hrvatska Logo <http://www.access-info.org/documents/images/TI_Hr_logo.jpg> 

Two Studies Show Mixed Levels Transparency on Anti-Corruption Measures
& New Anti-Corruption Transparency Monitoring Methodology launched

25 October 2011, Marrakesh - Two new reports on levels of transparency in areas of government prone to corruption and on access to information about anti-corruption measures were released this week by Access Info Europe and partners from Transparency International at the  <http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/treaties/CAC/CAC-COSP-session4.html> Conference of States Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption currently taking place in Marrakesh, Morocco. 

 TUWYD Results <http://www.access-info.org/documents/TUWYD_results.jpg> The first global study to test access to information about the implementation of anti-corruption treaties, the  <http://www.access-info.org/en/anti-corruption/91-tell-us-what-youve-done> Tell Us What You’ve Done Initiative has found that half of the questions put by civil society to governments (50%) met with administrative silence. The research also found that only around one quarter of questions (just 26%) submitted in twenty countries plus the European Union resulted in information – either complete or incomplete information – being provided to the civil society requesters. 

The second study, conducted by Transparency International Croatia using Access Info Europe’s  <http://www.access-info.org/en/anti-corruption/205-corruption-transparency-methodology> Anti-Corruption Transparency Monitoring Methodology received 200 answers to 560 questions (35% or around one third) and found areas where progress has been made on transparency in some areas such as anti-corruption policies, conflict of interest, and licensing procedures. On the other hand, the first large-scale monitoring conducted using the methodology revealed that the corruption-prone areas of public procurement, financing of political parties, and privatisation of state assets are still closed to public scrutiny.

Downloads 
» The monitoring methodology, the reports and full data sets can be found on the Access Info Europe website:  <http://www.access-info.org> www.access-info.org
» Documentation in Croatian can be found on TI Croatia’s website:  <http://www.transparency.hr> www.transparency.hr 

 Results by Sector from Croatia
 Croatia Results <http://www.access-info.org/documents/images/Croatia_results.jpg> “Some of the information obtained by TI Croatia – including copies of contracts, audits, assets declarations, minutes, impact assessments, licences and many other documents that are fundamental to the fight against corruption – was released without problems showing that in some areas of public activity transparency is becoming the norm and the positive impact of the 2003 access to information law,” commented Sasa Segrt, Executive Director of TI Croatia.

“With the data from this monitoring TI Croatia is able to identify where there is a need to do further work to promote transparency. The data will also be useful to journalists and investigators conducting research in the field of corruption,” concluded Segrt.

The  <http://www.access-info.org/en/anti-corruption/205-corruption-transparency-methodology> Anti-Corruption Transparency Monitoring Methodology outlines the classes of information that should be available for any public decision making process or project, as well as defining detailed classes of information that requestors can ask for in six corruption-prone areas, namely; privatization processes, public procurement, licensing procedures, wealth and potential conflict of interest of public officers, financing of political parties, and the implementation of anti-corruption policies by administrative bodies, police and prosecution. 

The findings of the  <http://www.access-info.org/en/anti-corruption/91-tell-us-what-youve-done> Tell Us What You’ve Done Initiative revealed a more problematic picture, with high levels of administrative silence leaving the public in the dark about the measures being taken by their governments to fight corruption.

"Although civil society participation is seen as integral to the UNCAC process, we found that civil society is routinely ignored by governments when it comes to sharing information about anti-corruption mechanisms," commented Lydia Medland of Access Info Europe presenting the findings at the inter-governmental and civil society meeting in Marrakesh."

The Tell Us What You’ve Done Initiative was a pilot project carried out in 2010. It was inspired by an Access Info Europe court case in Spain which has been in process since 2007 when an Access Info Europe board member asked the Spanish Ministry of Justice about the implementation of the UNCAC. The request was not answered on the grounds that, given that there is no access to information law in Spain, there was is no legal basis for the request. This was confirmed by the Spanish High Court and the case is currently pending before the Spanish Supreme Court. 

  Q1: Self-
 assessment
 questionnaire

 Q2: Public
 sector
 integrity

 Q3:
Procurement

 Q4: Private
 Sector
 Integrity

 Q5: Actions
 for damages

 Argentina
 Armenia
 Chile
 Colombia
 Germany
 UK *

 Armenia
  Guatemala
  Israel
  Macedonia

 Armenia
 Colombia *
  Guatemala
  Israel
  Liberia *
  Macedonia
  Pakistan *
Info indirectly via self-assessment questionnaires:
  Argentina
  Chile
  Germany

  Armenia
  Colombia
  Israel
  Macedonia
  Nigeria
  Trinidad &
    Tobago

 Colombia
  Israel
  Trinidad &
    Tobago

 No Information Provided in response to any questions

 Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Italy, Nicaragua, Spain, Venezuela
 + European Union

 * = incomplete information which answers only part of the question only received 

For further information please contact:

Helen Darbishire, Access Info Europe <mailto:helen at access-info.org> 
helen at access-info.org | +34 667 685 319 

Lydia Medland, Access Info Europe (in Marrakesh)
 <javascript:location.href='mailto:'+String.fromCharCode(108,121,100,105,97,64,97,99,99,101,115,115,45,105,110,102,111,46,111,114,103)+'?'> lydia at access-info.org | +34 667 685 319

Sasa Segrt, TI Croatia
 <http://ssegrt@transparency.hr> ssegrt at transparency.hr | +385 1 4830 653

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