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Showing posts from February, 2018

Pacific Anti-Corruption Updates (17 Feb 2018): Fiji, PNG, Solomon Islands

Get AP-INTACT posts on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/apintactnetwork ) and Blogger ( http://newsbin-apintact.blogspot.com/ ) These updates are provided by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Anti-Corruption Project for Southeast Asia, and the joint UNODC - United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption (UN-PRAC) Project, with support of the Australian Government. If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser's address bar instead. FIJI: Commission Launches Anti-corruption Resource Manual With Teachers in North.  The Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) launched the pilot phase of the National Anti-Corruption Curriculum in partnership with the Ministry of Education for Northern Division teachers. http://fijisun.com.fj/2018/02/13/commission-launches-anti-corruption-resource-manual-with-teachers-in-north/ Investment Advisors Undergo Training on Ant

Norway wealth fund / OECD open government / Asia-Pacific competition law

Get AP-INTACT posts on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/apintactnetwork ) and Blogger ( http://newsbin-apintact.blogspot.com/ ) If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser's address bar instead. Norway wealth fund tells companies to fight corruption .  Norway's sovereign wealth fund, the world's biggest, told the 9,000 firms that it owns stakes in to boost their anti-corruption measures, including by offering whistleblowers better protection against reprisals. Agence France Presse/New Straits Times: https://www.nst.com.my/world/2018/02/335231/norway-wealth-fund-tells-companies-fight-corruption OECD Recommendation on Open Government .   Adopted by Council on 14 December 2017, the Recommendation of the Council on Open Government calls on governments to "develop, adopt and implement open government strategies and initiatives that promote the principles of transparency, integrity, accountability and stakeholde

StAR assistance overview / Pakistan healthcare corruption / Australia open government

Get AP-INTACT posts on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/apintactnetwork ) and Blogger ( http://newsbin-apintact.blogspot.com/ ) If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser's address bar instead. Overview of Assistance StAR Can Provide to Countries .  The StAR Initiative is a partnership between the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the World Bank Group that supports international efforts to end safe havens for corrupt funds.  The World Bank: http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/factsheet/2018/02/12/overview-of-the-type-of-assistance-star-can-provide-to-countries Digitising Pakistan's healthcare system to minimise corruption: Expert .  Digitising the health regulatory departments will help in reducing the chances of financial misappropriations and increasing their revenue for public healthcare expenditures, said Dr Waseem Ahmed, a UK-returned technical specialist in digitisation of management systems,

Art of bureaucraft / Citizen voice failure / Technology for accountability

Get AP-INTACT posts on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/apintactnetwork ) and Blogger ( http://newsbin-apintact.blogspot.com/ ) If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser's address bar instead. The art of 'bureaucraft': Why and how bureaucrats respond to citizen voice .  The aim of this research briefing is to highlight some of the more prominent issues related to bureaucratic responsiveness, particularly in relation to a 'willingness to respond'.  Anuradha Joshi & Rhiannon McCluskey/OpenDocs: https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/123456789/13446 Addressing failure in ICT-enabled 'citizen voice – government responsiveness' interventions: unpacking core assumptions and essential components .  this paper draws on three comparative studies of a range of 'citizen voice–government responsiveness interventions' from the Making All Voices Count portfolio.  Vanessa Herringshaw/OpenDocs:

Extractive sector transparency / Opentender portal/ Land rights portal

Get AP-INTACT posts on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/apintactnetwork ) and Blogger ( http://newsbin-apintact.blogspot.com/ ) If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser's address bar instead. Pioneering extractive sector transparency (paper) . This is a Publish What You Pay (PWYP) perspective on 15 Years of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). Asmara Klein, Global Initiatives and Impact Coordinator at Publish What You Pay International Secretariat, Copenhagen, Denmark/ScienceDirect: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exis.2017.10.008 Opentender launched . This platform allows users to search and analyse tender data from 35 jurisdictions (28 EU member states, Norway, the EU Institutions, Iceland, Switzerland, Serbia, Georgia and Armenia). Opentender Portals: https://opentender.eu/start Land rights data portal . This portal provides land rights data that can help learners explore and gain a

Beneficial ownership disclosure / Business integrity conference / Thailand integrity assessment

Get AP-INTACT posts on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/apintactnetwork ) and Blogger ( http://newsbin-apintact.blogspot.com/ ) If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser's address bar instead. Beneficial Ownership Disclosure by Multilateral Development Banks (commentary) .  "A parallel effort has begun to persuade the international development banks – the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development – to reveal the beneficial owners of the companies 'their monies' (read taxpayer monies) fund." Rick Messick/Global Anticorruption Blog: https://globalanticorruptionblog.com/2018/01/31/beneficial-ownership-disclosure-by-multilateral-development-banks/ Integrity in the Digital Era global conference .  "This conference (on 22 Feb 2018, in Frankfurt, Germany) aims to reflect the intern

Pacific Anti-Corruption Updates (10 Feb 2018): Fiji, PNG, Solomon Islands, Samoa

Get AP-INTACT posts on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/apintactnetwork ) and Blogger ( http://newsbin-apintact.blogspot.com/ ) These updates are provided by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Anti-Corruption Project for Southeast Asia, and the joint UNODC - United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption (UN-PRAC) Project, with support of the Australian Government. If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser's address bar instead. FIJI: Key trends from complaints to Fiji's Independent Commission Against Corruption.  FICAC now receives over 10,000 complaints each year about a range of issues from people across the country concerned about corruption, mismanagement, and abuse of power. http://devpolicy.org/key-trends-from-complaints-to-fijis-independent-commission-against-corruption-20180131/ Man remanded for allegedly dishonestly obtaining over $23,000.  A man

Philippines ranking drop / Australia corruption risk / Hong Kong freest economy

Get AP-INTACT posts on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/apintactnetwork ) and Blogger ( http://newsbin-apintact.blogspot.com/ ) If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser's address bar instead. Philippines suffers world's biggest drop in rule of law under Duterte .  The Philippines, under President Rodrigo Duterte, has experienced the biggest drop in rule of law globally over the last 12 months, according to a new report from the World Justice Project (WJP). Asian Correspondent: https://asiancorrespondent.com/2018/02/philippines-suffers-worlds-biggest-drop-rule-law-duterte Corruption Threatens Australia's Defense Program .  In pursuing its massive defense building program, Australia must protect itself against critical corruption risks. Chris Douglas/The Diplomat: https://thediplomat.com/2018/02/corruption-threatens-australias-defense-program/ Hong Kong ranks world's freest economy for 24th strai

Disinformation and democracy / Offshore Leaks Database / Assessing anti-corruption campaigns

Get AP-INTACT posts on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/apintactnetwork ) and Blogger ( http://newsbin-apintact.blogspot.com/ ) If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser's address bar instead. Disinformation and Democracy .  A two-part investigation into the threats to democracy posed by fake news and propaganda on social media. Al Jazeera: http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/peopleandpower/2018/02/disinformation-democracy-180201060250730.html How to investigate companies found in the Offshore Leaks Database .  This is the final of a three-part series on ways to search the ICIJ's Offshore Leaks Database  that now includes more than 680,000 entities from 55 secrecy jurisdictions. Cecille S. Gallego/International Consortium of Investigative Journalists: https://www.icij.org/blog/2018/01/investigate-companies-found-offshore-leaks-database/?utm_content=buffere5f9d&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&

UNODC cartoon campaign / Rule of Law / Facebook democracy threat

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UNODC pilot tests values education cartoon among primary schoolers in Mexico .  Following the recent unveiling of UNODC's cartoon campaign,  The Zorbs , the first Latin America pilot testing was held at the Colegio Romera primary school in Mexico City to bring in the perspective and experiences of young students, as well as primary level teachers, from this part of the world. UNODC & The Doha Declaration: https://www.unodc.org/dohadeclaration/en/news/2018/01/e4j-advances-value-based-and-skills-education-for-primary-students-in-mexico.html See also: UNODC develops new animated series to help promote primary-level ethics education. http://www.unodc.org/dohadeclaration/en/news/2017/11/unodc-develops-new-animated-series-to-help-promote-primary-level-ethics-education.html Rule of Law Index 2017–2018 .  Featuring primary data, the WJP Rule of Law Index measures countries’ rule of law performance across eight factors: Constraints on Government Powers, Absence

Sri Lanka corruption court / Philippines anti-graft chief / Promise and peril

Get AP-INTACT posts on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/apintactnetwork ) and Blogger ( http://newsbin-apintact.blogspot.com/ ) If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser's address bar instead. Sri Lanka Government takes steps to set up a special high court for bribery and corruption cases .  The cabinet has already given its approval to amend the Judicature Act No 2 of 1978 in order to establish a three-member high court dedicated to hear bribery, corruption, and highly complex financial crimes speedily. Colombo Page: http://www.colombopage.com/archive_18A/Jan31_1517382823CH.php Anti-graft chief defies Philippine President Duterte's suspension order .  The Philippines' top anti-corruption prosecutor defied an order by President Rodrigo Duterte to suspend her deputy on suspicion of leaking his bank records, accusing the Filipino leader of breaching the Constitution with the demand. The Japan Times: https://www.

Extractives online course / Myanmar digital forum / Philippines education transparency

Get AP-INTACT posts on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/apintactnetwork ) and Blogger ( http://newsbin-apintact.blogspot.com/ ) If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser's address bar instead. NRGI/WB/UN/Columbia online course on extractives launches .  The Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) relaunches its online course on Natural Resources for Sustainable Development: The Fundamentals of Oil, Gas, and Mining Governance with new and revised content on 5 February 2018, including video transcripts in Spanish, French and Russian, and a fully Arabic version at http://bit.ly/resource-course-arabic . To know more or apply, please visit https://resourcegovernance.org/natural-resources-sustainable-development-fundamentals-oil-gas-and-mining-governance Thank you to Katarina L. Kuai, Senior Program Officer, Natural Resource Governance Institute, for sharing this information. AP-INTACT shares this information strictly as a ser

UNODC eNews / UNDP news centre / OGP news

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Get AP-INTACT posts on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/apintactnetwork ) and Blogger ( http://newsbin-apintact.blogspot.com/ ) If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser's address bar instead. eNews UNODC .  The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) publishes this update of the latest UNODC and international drugs and crime news. Click here to read Issue No. 104, 1 February 2018: https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/enewsunodc/2018/February/unodc-enews---1-february-2018.html UNDP Asia-Pacific news centre .  The latest news on the work of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific. Visit UNDP's online News Centre here: http://www.asia-pacific.undp.org/content/rbap/en/home/presscenter.html Open Government Partnership in the news .  A weekly round-up of Open Government Partnership (OGP) media coverage around the world . Read the Week of 22 January 2018 editio

Pacific Anti-Corruption Updates (3 Feb 2018): Fiji, PNG, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Tonga

Get AP-INTACT posts on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/apintactnetwork ) and Blogger ( http://newsbin-apintact.blogspot.com/ ) These updates are provided by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Anti-Corruption Project for Southeast Asia, and the joint UNODC - United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption (UN-PRAC) Project, with support of the Australian Government. If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser's address bar instead. FIJI: Customs recognition .  "Customs can contribute to the increased security of the business environment by focusing on activities that promote an enabling, safe, and fair and sustainable environment including by streamlining procedures, tackling corruption, enhancing integrity, and facilitating the movement of people, goods and craft." http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=432771 High Court Grants FICAC Time .  The Fiji I

Secure messaging apps / Corruption link / Cryptocurrency crackdown

Get AP-INTACT posts on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/apintactnetwork ) If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser's address bar instead. Secure Messaging Apps Are Growing Faster in Corrupt Countries (commentary) .  "Secure messaging apps [such as WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal] are growing overall, and growing most in corrupt countries." Brandon Labelle/Apptopia: https://blog.apptopia.com/secure-msging-growth-corrupt Signal and Telegram are growing rapidly in countries with corruption problems .  "There's a distinct link between perceptions of corruption, and the use of privacy-protecting messaging apps." Matthew Hughes/The Next Web: https://thenextweb.com/apps/2018/01/23/signal-and-telegram-are-growing-rapidly-in-countries-with-corruption-problems/ How to Crack Down on Cryptocurrencies (commentary) .  "By targeting the ability to transfer bitcoins to other currencies – even just

South Korea chaebols / Philippines corruption prober / Vietnam anti-corruption mechanisms

Get AP-INTACT posts on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/apintactnetwork ) and Blogger ( http://newsbin-apintact.blogspot.com/ ) If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser's address bar instead. Why Samsung's Recent Conviction Will Not Rid South Korea of Chaebols (commentary) .  "Why is it that South Korea seems to lack the political will not only to dismantle the chaebols, but even to hold Samsung (and other large chaebols) accountable for corrupt activities?" Janie Ponder/Global Anticorruption Blog: https://globalanticorruptionblog.com/2018/01/29/why-samsungs-recent-conviction-will-not-rid-south-korea-of-chaebols/ Philippines' Duterte sanctions corruption prober after bank records 'leak' .  Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte punished an anti-graft prosecutor suspected of leaking his bank records on Monday (Jan 29) after an opposition politician had accused Duterte of corruption. Channel