The TI Handbook on Preventing Corruption in Humanitarian Operations, launched in February 2010, encapsulates in a user-friendly format the policies, good practices and tools that can be used by humanitarian aid providers to prevent, detect and mitigate corruption. The Handbook contains good practices and relevant references both for the policy and systems level and that can respond to corruption risks encountered at the various stages and functions of humanitarian operations. It is hoped that this will be a living document, continuously updated, strengthened and expanded by new experiences and lessons learned in the future.

The first phase of the TI programme concentrated on improving the diagnosis of corruption risks in humanitarian assistance programmes. The Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) of the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) in the UK developed a 'Corruption Risk Map’ for TI, which looks at the entire humanitarian assistance process. It identifies the points most vulnerable to corruption, what kinds of corrupt practices could occur, and which actors would be involved.

During the second phase of the programme, TI worked with a number of leading international humanitarian non-governmental organisations (Action Aid, CARE International, Catholic Relief Services, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Lutheran World Services, Save the Children USA and World Vision International) to discuss corruption risks they face in their work and to facilitate the identification and sharing of best practices in combating those risks, as well as of policy and practice gaps. The conclusions and recommendations from this research were presented in Preventing Corruption in Humanitarian Assistance: Final Research Report, published in 2008 and jointly developed by a team from the Feinstein International Center (FIC) of Tufts University, the Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) of the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), and TI.

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Bangladesh
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Georgia
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Indonesia
Ireland
Lebanon
Pakistan
Palestine
Sierra Leone
Sri Lanka
Sweden

Bangladesh:Transparency International Bangladesh

TI Bangladesh (TIB) started its campaign on integrity in humanitarian assistance in December 2007. The previous year TIB took part in a Transparency International survey, conducted in 10 countries, for mapping corruption in humanitarian aid and relief work.

In the backdrop of the devastating Hurricane Sidr, that hit the Southwest region of Bangladesh on 15 November 2007, TIB conducted research on Integrity in Humanitarian Assistance: Issues and Benchmarks. The data was collected through tracking relief operations in Sidr-affected areas of southern Bangladesh.

The study analyzed challenges facing humanitarian relief operations, identified the entry points, and the nature of the corruption that occurred. From the data that was collected, anti-corruption methods were discussed and then formulated. The report was released on 18 December 2007.

TIB has since been campaigning for promoting these benchmarks, engaging with possible donors, NGOs and the government. These advancements were made through direct contact, communications, presentations and training

On January 3, 2009 TIB briefed the senior officials of various departments and relevant institutions belonging to the Ministry of Food and Relief and Disaster Management.

On 12 April, 2009, TIB partnered with BRAC University to host an advocacy seminar involving health sector stakeholders. This created greater awareness among various stakeholders on the issue of integrity in humanitarian assistance.

On the basis of feedback and suggestions arising out of these discussions and the campaign, TIB will publish a Users’ Template for Integrity Benchmarks in Humanitarian Assistance. The expected release date is expected to be the autumn of 2009.

The full report is available on www.ti-bangladesh.org

For more information please visit: www.ti-bangladesh.org

Bosnia and Herzegovina:Transparency International Bosnia and Herzegovina

For more information please visit: www.ti-bih.org

Georgia:Transparency International Georgia

TI Georgia started advocating for more transparency and accountability in international aid in September 2008, when the US pledged one billion dollars in aid to the country in the aftermath of its conflict with Russia. With support from TI-S, the chapter managed to frame the subsequent donor conference - at which donors pledged 4.5 billion dollars - in terms of transparency and accountability, generating substantial media coverage.

TI Georgia has been conducting aid monitoring projects since October 2008. The chapter's good local reputation and its 3,000-strong emailing list, which includes all key aid actors in the country, ensures that TI Georgia reports are widely read and their recommendations considered. After initially concentrating on donor activities, the chapter's main focus now is on governmental, UN and NGO aid to Georgia's over 200,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), including food aid, medical services, and housing issues. Currently, the aid team consists of ten people, including several volunteers.

TI Georgia expects its aid monitoring activities to continue throughout 2009 and 2010.

For more information, please visit: www.transparency.ge

Guatemala: Acción Ciudadana

Accion Ciudandana, initiated the signing of a “Government Commitment to Integrity and Access to Information in the Execution of the National Reconstruction Programme” in December 2005. Districts covered in the project were mainly those most severely affected by Hurricane Stan; generally areas with a high proportion of indigenous population and high levels of poverty and underdevelopment. A range of methodological tools were developed during the programme such as a Citizen’s Guide to Social Auditing directed at civil society organisations, a public agents accountability guide and a web portal providing detailed information on the reconstruction process.

However, a series of difficulties were encountered during the project, including: poor infrastructure design; lack of effective state policy in terms of natural disaster; the response of communities to report damages was not always taken into account by authorities to allocate aid; lack of adequate territorial and risk management planning in areas not prone to natural disaster; and the poor coordination and organisation of construction efforts including the emergence of parallel structures.

For more information please visit: www.accionciudadana.org.gt

Indonesia:Transparency International Indonesia

Transparency International Indonesia kicked off the program called “Empowerment of Civil Society and Local Government to prevent Corruption in 6 District’ at the second week of February 2006. Following the design of the program several activities was implemented in 18 sub districts at 1 Municipality (Banda Aceh) and 5 districts such as Pidie, Bireun, West Aceh, Nagan Raya and Aceh Jaya. Those areas were chosen considering their position as among the worst areas being hit by earthquake and tsunami disaster on December 26, 2004.

At the initial stage of this project, TI Indonesia held a preliminary study called the ‘Post Disaster Aceh’s Local Integrity System (LIS) Assessment” funded by BMZ, Germany. The study took time between November-December 2005. The study is intended as a mapping process to identify the risk of corruption in the local level as well as to identify role of local government institution on public budgeting policy within the districts covered within the project.

Overall Transparency International Indonesia in Aceh follows an overarching strategy to build the foundations of the province’s integrity system and take into account the specific context of a region recovering from the worst natural disaster witnessed in recent history and undergoing dramatic political and social changes. The main achievements include among others: community monitoring in 18 communities, partnership agreement with BRR, dialogues with donor institutions and aid agencies, advocacy in local elections, integrity pact, Draft of local regulation on transparency and participation, documentary film picturing the situation of local communities affected by the Tsunami.

For a summery of the main achievements and more information please visit: www.ti.or.id

Ireland:Transparency International Ireland

TI Ireland held a series of training workshops for Irish development agency staff during the summer of 2007 to raise awareness and build the capacity of non-profit organisations in preventing corruption in development. The second of the workshops looked at the prevention of corruption in humanitarian relief and reconstruction efforts. Led by Roslyn Hees, Senior Advisor at TI, the workshop drew largely from TI's work with the Overseas Development Institute and the Christian Michelsen Institute on the Corruption Risk Mapping Project for Humanitarian Assistance. A follow up workshop will be held in Dublin in summer 2008 (date TBA).

For more information please visit: www.transparency.ie

Lebanon:The Lebanese Transparency Association (LTA)

Reconstruction in post-war Lebanon after the war of July 2006 gave birth to a new wave of efforts in rehabilitating the war-torn country. Mismanagement and short-sightedness were omnipresent and the reconstruction process has thus been riddled with corruption scandals that have not only discouraged foreign investors but have also had a pervasive effect on the national economy.

In 2005, LTA published a report that features experiences from Lebanon, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Sierra Leone. Moreover, it suggests nine “Integrity Principles” for post-war reconstruction largely based on emphasising local knowledge and capacity and on controlling and monitoring the post-war spending imperative by international donors. LTA’s latest research project, which is part of a multi country study on corruption in post-war reconstruction countries under TIRI, looking at the experiences of Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Lebanon, Mozambique, Palestine, Sierra Leone and Timor-Leste, has been suspended due to current fighting in Lebanon.

For more information about LTA’s work see TI Lebanon in Post-Conflict reconstruction or visit the website at: www.transparency-lebanon.org

Pakistan:Transparency International Pakistan

TI-S and TI-Pakistan convened a workshop to support transparency measures and curb the risk of corruption, mismanagement and waste in the country’s reconstruction efforts. Held in Islamabad on 7-8 February 2006, the event entitled: 'Ensuring the Transparent Use of Earthquake Reconstruction' was opened by H.E. Shaukat Aziz, Prime Minister of Pakistan. It brought together participants from key government agencies, donors and civil society, as well as international experts in disaster relief. The discussions built on lessons learned from previous natural disasters - including the tsunami and the Gujarat earthquake.

The workshop produced concrete recommendations for a framework of good practice and stakeholder responsibilities. The recommendations focused on the importance of participatory decision making, transparency and monitoring of aid flows, monitoring and evaluation of procurement and service delivery, and effective enforcement and complaint-handling mechanisms. The workshop drew on lessons learned from the response to previous disasters, as well as considering the specific impact of the Pakistan earthquake and the national context.

Read the conclusions and recommendations for action

For more information please visit: www.transparency.org.pk

Palestine Authority:The Coalition for Accountability and Integrity - AMAN

For more information please visit: www.aman-palestine.org

Sierra Leone:National Accountability Group (NAG)

Sri Lanka:Transparency International Sri Lanka

TI Sri Lanka (TISL) undertook several initiatives in the aftermath of the devastating tsunami in 2008 with the principal objective of preventing corruption in the reconstruction process and to promote accountability and transparency. A few months after the tsunami, TISL convened a meeting with relevant stakeholders, including the government of Sri Lanka, to raise awareness on potential corruption issues. TISL conducted research to analyse the reportage of the domestic media during the period immediately after the tsunami in early 2005. A competition was conducted a few months later to obtain the views of the public on best practices to promote a people friendly reconstruction process. The ideas received were submitted to the relevant government offices and other stakeholders.

An evaluation was conducted by an economist in late 2005 to assess the reconstruction process, including observations on the different stages of the reconstruction process. The analysis of the findings was published under the title: ‘The Tsunami Reconstruction Response: Sri Lanka.’ A value for money audit which holistically evaluated certain selected tsunami reconstruction projects was completed in December 2006. A hotline was manned in the early part of 2007 to receive complaints and public views from tsunami hit areas. The received complaints were then sent to the relevant authorities and institutions for further investigations. A number of field visits were conducted in the second half of 2007 to assess the ground situation three years after the tsunami.

For more information please visit: www.tisrilanka.org

Sweden:Transparency International Sweden

TI Sweden jointly organised with the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency Regards Carin (SIDA) a seminar on corruption in humanitarian aid in May 2007. The seminar was open by the State Secretary Joakim Stymne and was followed by a short introduction by TI-Sweden, followed by a panel discussion, including presentations by the International Secretariat of Transparency International and the Norwegian Refugee Council

A further follow up meeting is planned in the second half of 2008.

For more information please visit: www.transparency-se.org