Anti-corruption agencies from all 19 Commonwealth African countries will share strategies and innovative solutions in tackling corruption at a conference in Livingstone, Zambia, from 21 to 25 May.
The second Commonwealth regional conference for heads and deputy heads of anti-corruption agencies is hosted by the Commonwealth Secretariat - through the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation - under the auspices of the Zambia Anti-Corruption Commission.
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: The Commonwealth aims to build institutions by strengthening communities of practitioners, building professional networks and creating opportunities for countries to exchange solutions. GIDD provides technical assistance to build and sustainably develop the capacity of public, private and civil society institutions, which have responsibilities to the public. |
Director of the Governance and Institutional Development Division (GIDD) at the Secretariat, Max Everest-Phillips, said: “Fighting corruption in Commonwealth Africa will help to tackle poverty and make an important contribution towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, in that public resources will not be misappropriated but will be available for pro-poor programmes and projects.”
The meeting will see delegates, who form the Practitioners’ Network of Heads of African Anti-Corruption Agencies - established at the first regional conference in Botswana last year – enhance South-South co-operation by sharing the challenges, emerging practices and country innovations in promoting good governance and fighting corruption in public administration.
The conference will include discussions on: anti-corruption hotlines and reporting channels; the role of non-state actors; international co-operation and mutual legal assistance; and the status of implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption provisions.
| South-South co-operation: a process in which developing countries support each other through the sharing of best practices, technical expertise and resource mobilisation. |
Participants will also devise a regional action plan, which they will commit to implement under Commonwealth leadership. In addition the conference will strengthen relations between anti-corruption agencies within Commonwealth Africa and generate political buy-in and pressures for reforms.
Combating corruption is a crucial part of the Secretariat’s mandate, backed by Commonwealth Heads of Government, to institutionalise transparency and accountability in governments.
