Mon, Nov 25, 2013

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20131125/letters/Fighting-corruption.496130#.UpNZWHHr6EU

This year is the 20th year of Transparency International, a global civil society organisation leading the fight against corruption. Through more than 90 chapters worldwide and an international secretariat in Berlin, TI raises awareness of the damaging effects of corruption and works with partners in government, business and civil society to develop and implement effective measures to address it.

Corruption, which IT defines as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain, is a complex phenomenon that affects all societies. Growing public awareness and a better understanding of corruption supported by TI research and advocacy have led to a deeper appreciation of the true scale of the problem. Today, many people recognise that corruption encompasses a wide variety of practices from the local to the global level, with its precise nature varying from country to country, sector to sector and context to context .

Whether large or small scale, local or global, the myriad forms of corruption are often closely interlinked and frequently serve to reinforce and perpetuate one another.

Corruption is also linked to, and often a driver of, major threats such as organised crime and human trafficking.

Governance gaps combined with the commitment of huge amounts of resources also make corruption a risk in several key social, economic and environmental policy areas, from climate change to humanitarian assistance and poverty reduction.

On the positive side, the close relationship between corruption and other issues provides enormous opportunities for collaboration and coalition forming. For instance, one cannot protect democratic freedoms and human rights without addressing corruption. And one cannot end corruption without working towards democratic accountability and respect for human rights. Transparency International is setting up a National Anti Corruption Organisation in Malta. For further information send an e-mail to jz@onvol.net.