In Together against Corruption, Transparency International announces that it will step up its anti-corruption efforts in the next five years. Regulatory authorities are also expected to contribute to these efforts. This shows that the "anti-corruption" theme will stay in the spotlight in the coming years.
The strategy
Transparency International (TI) is the global movement against corruption. In Together against Corruption it provides the framework for its 2016-2020 anti-corruption ambitions. TI's strategy centers on (i) raising awareness, and (ii) advocating systematic change. TI points at an "implementation gap" between anti-corruption rules and how they are actually implemented. To bridge this gap, TI argues that (i) laws must be enforced, (ii) loopholes must be closed, (iii) whistleblowers must be protected, and (iv) justice must be delivered swiftly. Together against Corruption sets out three areas of priority:
- People and partners – TI aims to facilitate a culture of anti-corruption actions
- Strong movement – TI strives to become better at what it does
- Prevention, enforcement and justice – TI wants to promote prevention and end impunity for corruption
Prevention, enforcement and justice
In the coming years, TI will push to implement standards in political finance, procurement, conflict of interest and lobbying. It also aims to work with regulators and business leaders to ensure clean business environments. TI will further focus on countries' ability to deliver justice – including whether law enforcement systems have the capacity to prosecute and adjudicate corruption cases. Interestingly, TI will, where justice systems turn out to be ineffective, "denounce corrupt global networks and publicly unmask and name corrupt individuals, coordinating actions in a number of countries across our movement and with our partners."
Outlook
TI has announced that it will carefully and consistently monitor the impact of its 2016-2020 strategy. Together with its intention to evaluate and disclose monitoring results publicly, TI is likely to follow up with more specific publications. TI further states that it will now also identify individuals and corrupt global networks. Considering that TI is an important point of reference for local governments and regulatory authorities of key countries, it is expected that anti-corruption will remain in the spotlight in the coming years.
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