National Integrity Strategy (CI0019)

Develop a national integrity strategy with fight against corruption
references of indicators
June 2018-June 2020
Main implementing agency/
actor
High Authority for Good Governance (HABG);
Commitment description
What is the public interest
issue to be addressed by this
commitment?
- Several complaints of corruption;
- Several conflicts of interest in the administration;
- The poor compliance and adherence of public sector
officials to values, principles and ethical standards in
order to protect the public interest against private
interests.
What is the commitment ?
The High Authority for Good Governance undertakes to
prepare a national strategy paper which shall be used by
public and private officials as reference in the area of public
integrity.
How will the commitment
contribute to solve the
government problem?
The strategy paper will be shared and validated during a
workshop with all the development actors (administration,
private sector, and civil society organization).
This will help Public services, private sector and Non
government organizations embed ethical values, principles
and standards for the purpose of protecting general interest
against private interests.
Why is this commitment
relevant to OGP values?
This commitment improves and strengthens the fight against
corruption.
Additional information
Commitment budget: CFA F 50,000,000 broken down as
follows :
- CFA F 15,000,000 in 2019;
- CFA F35,000,000 in 2020;
Important activity having a
verifiable deliverable
Start date End date
Preparation and validation of
the country integrity strategy
April 2018 May 2019 paper
Implementation of the
country integrity strategy June 2019 June 2020
Contact information
Name of responsible person
from the implementing
agency
Mr. Koffi Kablan Marc Antoine
Title, Institution - Secretary General
- High Good Governance Authority
- Presidency of the Republic
Email and Phone - TEL : (+225) 22 47 95 00
- FAX : (+225) 22 47 82 64
Other
stakeholders
involved
State actors
involved
- National Statistics Institute (INS)
- Public administration
- Private sector
CSOs, private
sector,
multilaterals,
working
groups
Non Government Organizations

4. Develop a national integrity strategy with fight against corruption references of indicators

Commitment description

"The High Authority for Good Governance undertakes to prepare a national strategy paper which shall be used by public and private officials as reference in the area of public integrity."

Milestones:

1. Preparation and validation of the country integrity strategy paper
2. Implementation of the country integrity strategy"

Editorial note: For the full text of this commitment, see Côte d'Ivoire’s action plan 2018-2020: https://www.opengovpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Cote-Divoire_Action-Plan_2018-2020_EN.pdf.

Lead implementing agency/actor: High Authority for Good Governance (HABG) / NGO Social Justice, NGO Movement for the Fight Against Injustice in Côte d’Ivoire

Start Date: June 2018

End Date: December 2020

Context and design

Transparency International’s 2013-2018 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) reports that Côte d’Ivoire moved from 27 points to 35 points in 2018. This could be partly attributed to public integrity reforms undertaken since 2013, including adoption of an anti-corruption decree and new anti-corruption bodies –the Brigade for the Fight Against Corruption and the High Authority for Good Governance. [56] The High Authority for Good Governance (HABG) is leading the fight against corruption. One of its missions is to develop a strategic plan with indicators to assess the country’s anti-corruption achievements. [57]

This commitment intends to provide a national strategy for use by public and private officials as reference in public integrity. According to the action plan, the strategy would cover corruption complaints, conflicts of interest, compliance by public sector officials to values, principles, and ethical standards that protect the public interest from private interests. One government representative explained to the IRM researcher that the strategy has a pedagogical purpose, empowering citizens to identify acts of corruption and define corruption in each administrative service. [58]

As written in the action plan, the milestones can be verified. However, more detail is required about the content of the draft strategy and how it would be developed and applied to combating corruption. This commitment is relevant to access to information, as the strategy will be shared with the public. If HABG involves civil society in developing strategies, this commitment might prove relevant to civic participation. The action plan indicates only that the strategy paper will be shared and validated during a single workshop with the private sector and civil society organizations.

Nevertheless, the commitment as written is evaluated as having minor potential impact. While a national anti-corruption strategy could be “an opportunity to better establish the principles and values of integrity in Côte d'Ivoire” [59], the specificity of the commitment as drafted is low. One civil society expert in governance and transparency [60] explained that the diagnostic study should highlight the current system’s strengths and weaknesses should be and succeeded by time-bound proposals Moreover, the resulting strategy should also highlight the roles and connections of existing national anti-corruption and good governance structures. [61]

Completion

This commitment was not implemented because of fundamental changes in the commitment, among other factors. [62] In a letter from HABG to Cote d'Ivoire's OGP focal point, HABG explained that the original commitment aimed to build a national integrity system. [63] This is a system of government institutions and non-government partners aligned to combat corruption. The process starts with a diagnostic national integrity system assessment, as proposed by Transparency International. [64] However, HABG determined that evaluating and reinforcing the national integrity system would be a long-term goal that could not be achieved during implementation. Therefore, HABG requested that the commitment be updated to develop a national anti-corruption strategy. HABG emphasized that creation of a national anticorruption strategy is part of its core mandate and a crucial first step towards a national integrity system. However, the anticorruption strategy was not initiated during implementation due to COVID-19, presidential elections, and delays in recruiting a consultant. [65] Eventually, this commitment was integrated into Côte d'Ivoire's 2020-2022 action plan.