Commonwealth countries are rated among the least corrupt in Transparency International’s 2016 Corruption Perceptions Index.
Commonwealth countries are rated among the least corrupt in Transparency International’s 2016 Corruption Perceptions Index
In Sub Saharan Africa, four of the top five countries with the lowest perceived levels of corruption are Commonwealth member countries, with Botswana highest performing in the region.
Botswana hosts the Commonwealth Africa Anti-Corruption Centre, which was established in 2013 by the government, Commonwealth Secretariat and Association of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Commonwealth Africa.
New Zealand shares top billing overall in the index with Denmark, a non-Commonwealth country. The Bahamas is the highest ranked Commonwealth member in the Caribbean, while Singapore is the best performing member state in Asia.
The index covers perceptions of public sector corruption in 176 countries. According to Transparency International, countries at the top of the index share characteristics of open government, press freedom, civil liberties and independent judicial systems.
Commonwealth countries are also among the highest performing in the 2016 Ibrahim Index of African Governance, making up seven of the top 10 ranked countries.
No country in the world is untouched by corruption and some Commonwealth countries performed less well in both indices.
At Transparency International-UK’s 2016 Anti-Corruption Lecture, Secretary-General Patricia Scotland recognised the continuing challenges posed by corruption including for Commonwealth member countries.
The Commonwealth brings “something very special” to international efforts against corruption, she stated, as she pledged “practical action to eliminate the scourge of corruption from institutions of governance and public life at every level”.
The Commonwealth Secretariat assists its member governments to tackle systemic corruption by supporting public sector institutions, law-makers, judges and enforcement agencies to share best practices and benefit from training.
Since its launch, the Commonwealth Africa Anti-Corruption Centre has supported nearly 20 anti-corruption agencies with training and sharing of best of practices in investigations, prosecutions, management and public education.
Dr Roger Koranteng, the Commonwealth Secretariat’s head of public sector governance said, “We continue to provide all round technical support to anti-corruption agencies in Commonwealth developing countries through innovative capacity-building, and establishing and managing regional anti-corruption agency networks.”
