Category: Conflict & Insecurity
London, 31st January 2017 – An attempt by two Republican legislators to repeal a vital section of the US safeguards against corruption threatens to seriously undermine national security, according to Transparency International. (more…)
8th November 2016, London – India must put in place strong safeguards to ensure effective anti-corruption mechanisms are built into any coming defence deals between the UK and India, according to Transparency International Defence and Security (TI-DSP).
During Prime Minister Theresa May’s visit to India it was announced that “the UK and India are committed to further strengthening their strategic partnership in defence.” India is the largest importer of arms in the world but scored a ‘D’ in TI-DSP’s 2015 Defence Corruption Index, meaning vast sums of vital public funding is at a high risk of corruption.
India must ensure that the new blacklisting policy remains a robust sanction while allowing India to procure the technology that meets its security needs. Blacklisting is a vital tool sending a strong message to Indian and international suppliers that corruption will not be tolerated, and protects India’s public funds from misuse. The new policy should replace mandatory minimum penalties with a debarment system that weighs mitigating factors, and allows for shorter sentences in the event of strong remediation actions taken by the company.
Katherine Dixon, Director Transparency International Defence and Security, said:
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“As India is one of the largest defence markets in the world, the UK Government is naturally extremely keen to cultivate deals. But unless India has in place strong anti-corruption mechanisms, public funds will continue to be at risk, while poor procurement practices contribute to military shortages and undermine public trust.”
“Recent allegations that a major British defence company paid bribes to win contracts only further underlines the risks that weak procurement systems are at serious risk of being exploited by unscrupulous suppliers or their agents.”
***ENDS***
Contact:
Dominic Kavakeb
Dominic.kavakeb@transparency.org.uk
020 3096 7695
0796 456 0340
Imaage: Crown Copyright
We know that corruption is a threat to international security. Now we need to work out how to address it.
Corruption threatens international security, destroying the legitimacy and effectiveness of governments and the defence and security sector, hindering economic development, and providing a powerful call to arms for violent extremist movements. Fortunately the issue is gaining recognition. NATO’s Building Integrity policy, adopted at the 2016 Warsaw summit, acknowledges that tackling corruption is a core task of the Alliance, including in collective defence, crisis management, and spreading security through cooperation with partners. Similarly, the 2016 Anti-Corruption Summit Communiqué commits nations to concrete action. (more…)
DECLARATION OF ACTION AFTER A ONE DAY SOUTHWEST FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION TOWARDS STRENGTHENING ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE NIGERIA DEFENCE SECTOR ORGANIZED BY THE CIVIL SOCIETY LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY CENTRE (CISLAC) WITH SUPPORT FROM TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL DEFENCE AND SECURITY PROGRAM HELD IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM OF TAHIR GUEST PALACE, KANO, KANO STATE ON THE 18th DAY OF JULY, 2016
(more…)
Invasion of Iraq fuelled corruption and instability
6th July 2016, London – Transparency International Defence & Security Programme (TI-DSP) welcomes today the publication of the Chilcot Inquiry that is rightly damning about the failures in post-conflict planning of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Stemming the outflows of cash is simply not enough.
By Leah Wawro, Programme Manager, Conflict & Insecurity and
Éléonore Vidal de la Blache, Project Manager – Africa, Conflict & Insecurity
Speaking with fellow anti-corruption activists in Nigeria at the UK’s anti-corruption summit last week, we hear the same thing we’ve heard many times before: ‘we can’t do this on our own, here in Nigeria.’
Last week protesters stormed the Green Zone in Iraq. In many ways, this was hardly news. Over the last decade, popular frustration with endemic government corruption has been sustained and febrile; corruption might reasonably be described as the most serious security threat the country faces.
Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India major peacekeeping contributors but amongst most prone to corruption
New York – 4th April 2016 – The top 30 Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) to UN peacekeeping operations are amongst those most at risk of defence corruption, according to new research from Transparency International.
Listen to an expert panel discussion on corruption and security governance across Africa. This discussion took place on 25 January at King’s College London and coincided with the launch of the Africa results for Transparency International’s Government Defence Anti-Corruption Index.
King’s College London’s War Studies Podcast also interviewed our project officer Hiruye Gossay to find out more about the Government Defence Anti-Corruption Index‘s implications for African security.
Transparency International Defence and Security (TI-DS) welcomes the publication of the Secretary-General’s report on The Future of UN Peace Operations,” and the recommendations in the Report of the High Level Panel on Peace Operations (HIPPO) and those of the Advisory Group on the Peacebuilding Architecture.