Actions to Tackle Corruption

Money in politics covers a wide range of interrelated issues that damage governance structures and weaken the rule of law.

• Asset disclosure or wealth declaration requires public officials to disclose information about their personal wealth and business interests. 
  • North Macedonia defined the scope of the elected and appointed persons who are obliged to submit declarations of assets and interests statements.
  • The Republic of Korea strengthened its policies on asset disclosure for public servants. Restrictions on post-public employment are also strictly monitored to further promote the culture of civil service integrity
  • Additional recommendations can be seen in Transparency International’s publication on asset and interest declarations for OGP action plans and their compilation of international and regional standards and guidelines for asset disclosure. 

• Conflicts of interest: Public officials may find themselves in a position where they can use their office and the powers that come with it for personal gain. 
  • Panama enhanced its law on the Uniform Code of Ethics for public servants by specifying behaviors or actions that will be classified as conflicts of interest.

• Lobbying: While lobbying is an acceptable practice in any democratic society, safeguards need to be placed to prevent powerful groups to further their interests in expense of public good.  
  • Madrid and Ireland  established mandatory public registers of meetings between lobbyists and public officials which increased citizen access to information and improved accountability in the policy making process.
  • Chile adopted measures to effectively democratize their Law on Lobbying by changing the rules of the game and ensure lobbyist activities and financing are fully transparent.

• Political Financing: The absence of transparency in funding campaigns and political parties have eroded political integrity and contributed to the disillusionment of citizens with government. 
  • Croatia committed to publicly publish reports related to the financing of political activities and election campaigns, and enhance the legal and institutional framework for campaign financing.
  • Georgia and Ukraine have established monitoring systems for asset declaration by public officials
  • Some key recommendations can also be found in the guidance notes by Transparency International and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance on political financing for OGP action plans. 

The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates that corruption and fraud may amount to 10 to 25 percent of a contract’s value. This means that essential services may not be delivered to those who need it the most. Government contracts can be used to hide illicit money flows and with an estimated global average of $13 trillion a year, having a beneficial ownership register for government suppliers can make it easier to detect corruption. As of March 2021, a total of 219 commitments from 75 OGP members were submitted on open contracting and public procurement. About 33 percent of these achieved strong results.

• Afghanistan published contracting information using Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) and introduced systemic reforms that closed feedback loops and encouraged citizen participation.
• France increased access to contracting data with the aim of leveling the field for increased competition. Their initial success prompted submission of a second commitment to standardize their data in accordance with the OCDS. 
• Paraguay adopted the use of OCDS as part of their open data commitment. Increased citizens’ access to public contracts led to better public spending in the education sector.
• Ukraine established an online portal for e-procurement. This also proved helpful during the COVID-19 pandemic as the platform was “used as a tool for researching suppliers, price monitoring, and of course purchasing.” This quickly established a price equilibrium that kept market prices of medical commodities in check.
• Jalisco, Mexico,; Makueni County, Kenya; and South Cotabato, Philippines co-created a digital platform with inputs from civil society and in accordance with OCDS. The user-friendly interface allowed citizens to monitor and provide feedback on government projects.
• More examples of OGP action plans can be found in the OGP Guide to Open Government and the Coronavirus. Open Contracting Partnership also developed a guidance note for drafting action plans on open contracting.

Several high-income countries with their high levels of financial secrecy have long been considered tax havens, costing developing and emerging economies about $1 trillion annually in lost capital and revenue due to illicit financial flows. To address this, the United Kingdom announced a public register during the 2013 OGP Global Summit, which has grown to 31 members and resulted in 46 beneficial ownership commitments, 68 percent of which were considered “ambitious” indicating the transformational nature of this reform. Several OGP countries have also established registers in the extractives sector in compliance with EITI standards and built on future action plans to create public central registers. OGP’s Global Report on Beneficial Ownership took an in-depth look at the current commitments and offered detailed recommendations.

• Nigeria’s commitment to establish a beneficial ownership register is reflected in two action plans to the OGP; the first was implemented from 2017 to 2019, and the second from 2019 to 2021. A significant milestone in this journey was the passage of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) in 2020, which provided a legislative basis for Nigeria’s beneficial ownership register.
• Norway committed to an Ultimate Beneficial Owners registry to show who has controlling interests in Norwegian countries, as well as to comply with their international obligations through the Financial Action Task Force (FTAF). 
• The United Kingdom became the first country in OGP to establish a beneficial ownership registry following their OGP commitment in 2013, announced by the then UK Prime Minister at the OGP Global Summit. They were also able to set new standards in publishing data which allowed it to be reused by organizations and journalists without restrictions.
• Communities of practice have also been established to support beneficial ownership-related advocacy. In 2019, OGP and Open Ownership co-convened the Beneficial Ownership Leadership Group to drive the global policy shift towards free, open beneficial ownership data. Complementary to this are smaller regional networks for learning and exchange, such as the OGP Community of Practice for Beneficial Ownership in Latin America.

High revenues and profits from oil, gas, and mining renders extractive industries vulnerable to corruption. The OECD Foreign Bribery Report tagged the extractive sector as one with the highest incidents of bribery to secure contracts. At a global level, OGP amplified the effectiveness of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) by adding visibility to EITI commitments echoed in OGP action plans. To date, 51 OGP members have made 145 commitments in extractive industries, 70 percent of which are considered “ambitious,” and 33 percent have achieved strong results. OGP published the research paper, Seeking Synergy: OGP and EITI, which provides recommendations on how to leverage both initiatives to make meaningful reforms in extractives governance. 

• Canada established reporting standards which requires extractive entities to report payments made to governments. These reports aim to increase citizen awareness on how revenues are spent.
• Ghana and Armenia strengthened their EITI commitments by including open contracting and beneficial ownership in extractive sector management.  
• The Philippines included EITI commitments in three action plans from 2013 to 2022 which aimed to increase transparency through systematic disclosure of information. By 2017, it became the first country that received satisfactory progress according to EITI standards.

Whistleblowing is one of the most effective tools to expose and combat corruption. However, whistleblowers are often at risk due to potential retaliation. OGP developed A Guide to Open Government and the Coronavirus and included a module on whistleblower protection. 

• Australia improved whistleblower protections for people who disclose information about tax misconduct. Whistleblower protection was established in the corporate sector with consultation on options to strengthen and align these protections with those in the public sector.
• Latvia’s 2018 Whistleblower Protection Act promotes effective whistleblowing and whistleblower protection mechanisms by: increasing awareness; promoting opportunities to raise the issue to authorities; and promoting efficient, single whistleblowing mechanisms. The initiative has been recognized as part of the pilot OGP Leaders Network.

Asset Recovery enables governments to retrieve funds that have been illegally obtained. Once returned, these funds can be used to fund development projects for the public’s benefit. 

• Nigeria enacted legislation that would aid asset recovery and ensure proper and transparent management of assets and proceeds.

• Right to information is critical to transparency and accountability initiatives. It enables citizens and civil society to access and use information to monitor and hold governments to account. When used as an anti-corruption tool, having fair access to data and information makes it difficult to conceal illegal activities.
  • Sri Lanka created a robust right to information infrastructure that included mass trainings for public servants.
  • Colombia established a platform to facilitate access to public information by people with disabilities.
  • OGP published The Guide to Open Government and the Coronavirus: Right to information that highlights additional examples on increasing access to information during the pandemic. 

• Fiscal openness. Openness across the budget and fiscal cycle allows citizens to hold their government accountable and reduce waste. Over time, this can ensure that government spending reflects the people’s interests and needs. 
  • Georgia established a Budget Monitor portal through the State Audit Office with the aim of improving budget transparency and accountability, as well as promoting more efficient use of budget resources.
  • Colombia committed to make public finances transparent by publishing in open data formats to ensure interoperability of national financial systems. This will enhance citizen participation in allocating and monitoring resources. This also includes a tagging system to track, for example, COVID-19 expenditures in all budgeting and contracting processes.
  • More recommendations can be found in the International Budget Partnership and GIFT’s guidance on opening budgets through national action plans and public participation in budgets, respectively. 
  • OGP published a fact sheet and a Guide to Open Government and the Coronavirus on fiscal openness, which provides additional examples and policy recommendations.
• Gender and inclusion: In most countries, women and marginalized groups are underrepresented in political institutions, a challenge that worsens during crisis situations. Women are also more at risk in losing their jobs, affecting their financial independence and making them more vulnerable to gender-specific forms of corruption like sextortion. This is also a challenge for the LGBTQIA+, disability, and minority communities who depend on the government for health care, education, and other public services in which access may be tied to bribes.
  • Canada published an analysis of gender-based impacts for all budget measures.
  • Kenya allocated  30 percent of public procurement opportunities to women, youth, or people with disabilities at both the national and local level.
  • Additional resources can be found in Transparency International’s ”Recommendations on Women Against Corruption for OGP Action Plans.”