Regional Conference on Corruption and Development Aid II

Introduction

Corruption in development aid can arise on the side of the donor, or on the side of the recipient, or even collusion between the two sides. The lack of transparency and accountability, particularly with multilateral agencies, present particular problems for corruption control.

However, the most common form of corruption in aid is the unilateral misuse by receiving countries, ranging from petty corruption to grand systemic corruption. The conference will take a comprehensive look into the topic of Corruption and Development by addressing the following themes in the different sessions:

Session 1:

Corruption among aid recipients - Linking Development Aid to National Reform

Firstly, this session would seek to distinguish corruption from bureaucratic waste (which characterize many projects, and would be addressed in greater depth in Session 3). Secondly, the session would identify the main beneficiaries of corruption and discuss the role of civil society, media and external aid agencies in identifying corrupt agencies. Thirdly, the discussion would consider the question whether attaching formal conditionalities to development assistance work. Should combating corruption be used as one of the conditionality? How can we really applied the Monterrey principle of tying aid more stringently to democratic reforms, anti-corruption measures, stimulating private enterprises and growth, good corporate governance and with special focus on education, human resources development and health services?

Session 2:

Corruption within donors - Improving transparency and accountability of Multilateral aid agencies

In the second session, we would survey the in-house cleaning, with enhanced staff supervision and strict rules and penalties that multilateral aid agencies are now adopting. What are the best practices? In what context does the change in practices arise? Who is driving the change? In looking at this issue, the session should bear in mind that corruption is not purely a local issue that can be addressed by supporting initiatives of a technical nature. It is far more complex, and intertwined in a complex relationship between donor agencies, aid recipients and service delivery units.

Session 3:

Response to the Corruption Challenge - How to Ensure and Measure Effectiveness of Development Aid

The third session will consider what can and should be done in response to the challenges posed by corruption on the results and effectiveness of corruption aid. Both preventive measures and punitive measures will be considered. More efforts to identify anti-corruption allies, to build capability and capacity in agencies, donors and recipients will be considered. Some examples / case studies of initiatives that work could also be presented. Finally and most controversially, the session may discuss whether donors can justifiably be more selective in deciding who to assist and consider curtailing assistance where corruption is pervasive?