Good Principles and Good Practices
Many claim
to have unfailing love,
but a
faithful person who can find?
Proverbs 20:6 NIV
There are a growing
number of efforts across sectors to prevent and deal with corruption. This entry highlights 10 of them, many having a global reach. We strongly welcome these efforts and encourage people to
rally behind them!
To be effective,
major anti-corruption efforts need consensus on guiding principles, unity in
public support, and commitment to practical applications. Practical
applications can be very challenging though, where these hindering factors
exist: limited experience/interest in dealing with corruption; risks of
reprisals and lack of whistleblower protection; threats to livelihoods, revenue
streams, status, reputations, public opinion, and power structures; and desires
to maintain the belief that one’s personal/organisational “world” is safe, good,
and impervious to corruption. The result of these hindrances is often a substantial
and deceptive gap between our good principles and our good practices—ultimately
at the expense of vulnerable people, especially the poor of the world.
PETRA People Update
The 10 examples featured
in this entry reflect the encouraging upsurge in the global efforts to confront
corruption. They highlight the potential for substantial progress in the church-mission
and humanitarian sectors along with the United Nations. The PETRA People
Network has been consistent with and is part of this new upsurge of united
efforts as it calls for action in the international NCI fraud. To quote the
Network’s Shine the Light-Together! petition:
This petition is a call to many organizations and people, especially in the church and mission community (CMC), to transparently and verifiably disclose how they have been affected. Members of these organizations (past and present), donors, and the public are asked to help by respectfully and resolutely calling for the assistance of those affected by NCI. Millions of euros and dollars are still missing.
Next steps: Present the petition with the 100+ signatories/comments to organisations affected by the NCI fraud. Share the results and encourage these
organisations to do the same. People will
thus have another opportunity to get on board with the growing efforts to
prevent and deal with corruption—to close the gap between good principles and
good practices. It is not too late to respond to the calls for integrity and
action--retroactive integrity can still be very helpful.
Current Efforts to Unite Against Corruption
1. Church Mission Sector
“We are a global coalition of
individuals, organisations and churches committed to shining a light on corrupt
practices and systems which affect us all, but particularly the
poorest, sabotaging essential public service provision…..We are
encouraging local action around the globe by citizens wanting to
expose and stand up to corruption. We are encouraging churches to
talk and preach about corruption, and ensure they are transparent and honest in
their own practices. And
we're gathering 1 million
signatures to
take to the world's most powerful leaders - the G20 - meeting in Brisbane in
November 2014….to take practical steps that promote greater
transparency in the financial affairs of business, government and
individuals. Together we can influence them to make it harder for corrupt
practices to flourish; including bribery, tax evasion, and abuse of public
influence–all of which impact poorest people the most.“
“[This
study is an] exploration of corruption, bribery, transparency, and justice in
the Scriptures…Spirituality
and resisting corruption are closely tied together in the Bible where right behaviour is inextricably
linked to the worship of God. This shapes
attitudes to corruption throughout the Bible.”
Salt and Light: Christians’ Role in Confronting
Corruption (2010, article)
“What
part does corruption play in your life? That may seem a strange question to ask an
audience such as this. Many may answer that, of course, as Christians, we would
have nothing whatsoever to do with it. But others among us live with the dire
consequences of corruption every day. Our assertion in this paper is that,
whether we recognize it or not, we are all caught up in one form or another of
corruption or its consequences and, as Evangelical Christians, we need to do
more to prepare and engage in the fight against it.”
Corruption: How Should Christians Respond (2012, article)
“The results of the 2010 Corruption
Perceptions Index of Transparency International indicate the seriousness of the
worldwide corruption problem. Although recent decades have witnessed a global
public awareness and an increase in attempts to eradicate corruption, it is an
ongoing problem. It is evident that legislation is not an effective deterrent
and it should therefore also be tackled at grass roots level by involving
ordinary citizens, including Christians. On an individual level, it entails
personal honesty and the living of exemplary lives. The golden rule of Jesus
Christ can serve as a guiding principle for everyday life, namely do to others
what you would have them do to you. On the public level, it requires the
willingness to act as whistle-blowers. Christians are called and sanctioned by
God to participate actively in society’s transformation. They need to think
ethically and to act with the proper attitude.”
2. Humanitarian Sector
“The…Standard
outlines the key commitments to improve the quality, effectiveness and
accountability of humanitarian action. It consists of 10 commitments, each with
accompanying core requirements, indicators and means of verification to help
organisations respect the commitment and to assess their level of application
both at the organisational and operational level. The Standard includes
organisational, operational and individual aspects; it describes the necessary
capacities, responsibilities and performance measures. These measures are
essential for the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of
accountable and high-quality and effective humanitarian programmes. [Note: The Standard is still in development.
Commitments 6 and 9 are especially relevant in ant-corruption efforts—Complaints
Handling and Stewardship of Resources.]
[This Charter] is an initiative of
international NGOs demonstrating their commitment to transparency,
accountability and effectiveness. The Charter provides the only global,
cross-sectoral accountability framework for NGOs. The Charter defines
principles towards which the Members report annually. This [framework] triggers
organisational developments which have significantly improved the effectiveness
of NGOs.
Preventing
Corruption in Humanitarian Operations (2010, Transparency International)
“The handbook is designed to help anyone
working in the humanitarian sector identify and prevent the corruption risks
faced by their particular organisation or department, or within a specific
programme or role. It does not try to set out industry-wide standards for aid agencies
in emergencies. Rather, it describes ‘what to do’ to minimise corruption risks,
while numerous reference documents attached offer technical details on ‘how to
do it’.
“IATI
is a voluntary, multi-stakeholder initiative that seeks to improve the
transparency of aid in order to increase its effectiveness in tackling poverty.
IATI brings together donor and developing countries, civil society
organisations and other experts in aid information who share the aspirations of
the original IATI Accra Statement 2008 and are committed to working together to
increase the transparency of aid.”
3. United Nations
“Corruption
is an insidious plague that has a wide range of corrosive effects on societies.
It undermines democracy and the rule of law, leads to violations of human
rights, distorts markets, erodes the quality of life and allows organized crime,
terrorism and other threats to human security to flourish. This evil phenomenon
is found in all countries—big and small, rich and poor—but it is in the
developing world that its effects are most destructive. Corruption hurts the
poor disproportionately by diverting funds intended for development,
undermining a Government’s ability to provide basic services, feeding
inequality and injustice and discouraging foreign aid and investment.
Corruption is a key element in economic underperformance and a major obstacle to poverty alleviation
and development. I am therefore very happy that we now have a new instrument to
address this scourge at the global level. The adoption of the United Nations
Convention against Corruption will send a clear message that the international
community is determined to prevent and control corruption. It will warn the
corrupt that betrayal of the public trust will no longer be tolerated. And it
will reaffirm the importance of core values such as honesty, respect for the
rule of law, accountability, and transparency in promoting development and
making the world a better place for all.” (from the Foreword by Kofi Anan)
The
Global Compact (2000)
“The UN Global Compact is
a strategic policy initiative for businesses that are committed to aligning
their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in
the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. By doing so, business, as a primary driver of globalization, can
help ensure that markets, commerce, technology and finance advance in ways that
benefit economies and societies everywhere. As social, political and economic
challenges (and opportunities)—whether occurring at home or in other regions—affect
business more than ever before, many companies recognize the need to
collaborate and partner with governments, civil society, labour and the United
Nations. This ever-increasing understanding is reflected in the Global
Compact's rapid growth. With over 12,000 corporate participants and other
stakeholders from over 145 countries, it is the largest voluntary corporate
responsibility initiative in the world.”
*****
Unite against corruption.
Do what is right, even if there are risks.
Act resolutely to protect vulnerable people.
Close the gaps between good principles and good
practices!
