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Query 1: What examples are there internationally...

Query 2: Have these only been used at the beginning...

Query 3: Are there examples of technical groups meeting...

Query 4: What have been the factors which determine the success...

Due to the urgent nature of this query, the response will touch on some central issues only. If you would like further information on any of these issues, we would be happy to provide this.

This reply was produced by the U4 Helpdesk research team with expert input from Jeremy Pope, Co-Director, TIRI

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Part 1 - What examples are there internationally of getting stakeholders in anti-corruption reform in a country together?

Anti-corruption stakeholder meetings at country level generally fall into two categories:

• Multi-stakeholder events involving representatives of all sectors within a country, where the aim is to create, review or revitalise a national anti-corruption strategy;
  
• Events in which important sector stakeholders convene to create, review or revitalise a sectoral strategy within the framework of a broader anti-corruption strategy.

1.1 Examples of multi-stakeholder events focusing on national anti-corruption strategies

Events that bring together stakeholders from all sectors in an effort to combat corruption in a particular national context typically focus on the establishment or review of a comprehensive anti-corruption strategy. Typically, one stakeholder group will take the lead in convening and facilitating the event. Outcomes will depend, to a great extent, on the willingness of all stakeholders to cooperate and work towards shared goals. Such multi-stakeholder events have taken place in many countries. The following examples offer an overview of the various forms such events can take.

National Integrity Workshops

Multi-stakeholder events as a means to address anti-corruption reform first emerged in Africa, as groups in Uganda and Tanzania met to address domestic corruption problems.

In Uganda, governmental stakeholders met in 1995 to discuss the reasons for the country's ongoing corruption problems. Suggestions for reform were formulated, including measures to ensure the Inspectorate General of Government's independence from the Director of Public Prosecutions when prosecuting corruption cases. These suggestions were incorporated in the country's new constitution, which was drafted at the same time.

This event was the forerunner to later National Integrity Workshops, the first of which was held in Tanzania in 1996. NI Workshops convene representatives of a country's various stakeholders from the public, private and non-governmental sectors. Their aim is to systematically examine, and potentially overhaul, a country's National Integrity System (i.e. the sum of institutions whose actions contribute to overall levels of integrity). NI Workshops rest upon three premises:

• that the issue of transparency is of national interest;
  
• that national representatives of the public, private and government sectors be involved in a nationally driven process;
  
• that the contribution of outsiders is one of facilitation and observation, or the sharing of international experience.

Following stakeholder discussions designed to identify solutions for specific problems, such events usually culminate in the definition of an "action plan". This identifies practical measures, allocates responsibilities for follow-up as well as a timetable for action. Past NI workshops have sometimes also culminated in concrete stakeholder commitments via "integrity pledges", to which all participants subscribe. In Tanzania, for example, pledges covered issues such as asset declarations and overall political commitment to anti-corruption reform. NI Workshops should ideally be repeated within 12 to 18 months of the initial event in order to review progress and further refine the action plan in the light of changing circumstances.

For further information on NI workshops, please refer to chapter four of the Transparency International Source Book 2000.

World Bank Institute, Country-Specific Technical Assistance to Develop Anti-Corruption Strategies

As part of its broader efforts to promote good governance, the WBI has developed technical assistance programmes to help formulate comprehensive anti-corruption strategies at national level. These programmes involve the participation of civil society, government, private sector, and the media in the elaboration of a strategy and action plan to fight corruption.

National Transparency Plan Steering Committees are established to foster the implementation of public policies that provide a favourable institutional framework to combat corruption. In addition, surveys of citizens, businesses and public officials are conducted - usually by local, independent organisations - to collect qualitative and quantitative information central to the development of national action plans and strategies.

At national workshops, working groups focusing on key areas analyse survey results to develop a consensual anti-corruption strategy. Workshops are held with the participation of all branches of state, political parties, civil society, and professional groups. The implementation of an anti-corruption plan is of such importance to the country that the media are always invited.

An interesting example of WBI technical assistance that led to the formulation of key policy recommendations, is that of Peru following the collapse of the Fujimori government. Country level diagnostic surveys formed a base for the establishment of a national-level anti-corruption commission involving various important national stakeholders, including the former ombudsman. This commission devised a strong policy document identifying key anti-corruption measures for incoming President Toledo. Unfortunately, follow-up on these policy recommendations was weak and many recommended actions were not followed through.

For further information, please refer to the WBI's capacity building and diagnostics web page.

Regional Learning Workshop on Combating Corruption in Africa, 2003

This multi-stakeholder anti-corruption workshop took place from 27-30 January 2003 and was organised jointly by the African Development Bank, the African Union, the World Bank Institute, the Global Coalition for Africa and Transparency International. It brought together 80 participants from 16 countries, drawing on the experiences of participating countries, plus regional and global experience, to collaboratively develop a national anti-corruption strategy that would then be promoted and implemented in the respective countries.

The workshop content was developed in collaboration with the World Bank Institute (WBI) and the Global Coalition for Africa (GCA). Country delegations were comprised of five delegates, each representing a different sector (parliamentarians, NGOs, private sector, executive, judiciary). As a general rule, the ADB and AU secured government participation while TI suggested names from NGOs and the private sector.

The workshop was seen to be successful in that it helped promote dialogue between stakeholders and led to the development of a concrete strategy in a few, but not all, cases. The lack of agreed follow-up mechanisms meant, however, that the long-term impact of the workshop was low.

For further information, please refer to the workshop proceedings.

1.2 Examples of multi-stakeholder events focusing on sectoral anti-corruption strategies

Sectoral stakeholder events bring together representatives from a particular sector in a bid to identify strategies for countering corruption in this area. Such events often address elements of wider anti-corruption reform efforts. Examples include meetings of stakeholders from the private sector (as exemplified by the Lebanese Transparency Association's Private Sector Task Force), or meetings that focus on particular elements involving the public sector, such as public procurement. Though often held at national level, such events can also be international, bringing together actors from different countries working in the same field.

Lebanese Private Sector Task Force

The Lebanese Transparency Association, a National Chapter of Transparency International, acts as a facilitator for a group of Lebanese private sector representatives with a shared interest in curbing corruption in the private sector. The group includes around 30 professionals and volunteers, consisting of private sector associations and institutions in addition to representatives from civil society, academia and the public sector

Conceived initially as a forum for members to exchange their views and experiences, the group evolved into a task force which, among other things, has submitted recommendations for legislation to parliament and is developing a code of conduct framework for the private sector.

For further information, please refer to the Lebanese Transparency Association

Preventing corruption in public contracting project

In a project aimed at reducing corruption in local government procurement, stakeholders from various backgrounds in Malaysia, Indonesia and Pakistan are being brought together in a process facilitated by Transparency International and its national chapters in these countries to learn about tools designed to reduce corruption and increase transparency and accountability in the procurement process.

The project relies heavily on the collaboration of major stakeholders at all stages, from an initial assessment to identify the needs and capacities of stakeholders and the potential for partnership, to workshops on sharing good practice and tools for promoting transparency and accountability in public procurement.

For further information, please contact: lptakeda@transparency.org

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Have these examples been used only at the beginning of a new reform process/strategy design or are there examples of events to restore flagging momentum, strengthen deteriorating relations between stakeholders and agree a framework for monitoring progress?

Many multi-stakeholder events do emerge as the result of elections or other 'windows of opportunity' in the fight against corruption. In such a setting, they enable strategies to develop that can combine addressing corruption wrongs of the past with approaches to building anti-corruption systems for the future. In this sense, the bringing together of stakeholders to frame a nation-wide or sectoral anti-corruption strategy can help initiate long term reform. Continual follow-up and monitoring is, however, essential to maintain the momentum of such reform.

In a similar way, multi-stakeholder events can also be implemented to restore flagging momentum in the reform process. In such situations, however, the building of good will and new momentum for change may be more difficult, due to finger pointing and recriminations as to why anti-corruption reform has not met expectations. This is clearly an additional challenge to such events. The following are examples of stakeholder events that have sought to revitalise reform efforts that have either stalled, or may be in danger of stalling.

Proetica's National Stakeholder Gatherings, Peru

Due to the lack of follow-up on recommendations outlined by the national-level anti corruption commission in Peru mentioned above, Proetica (TI's national chapter in Peru) has initiated a series of annual stakeholder events in an attempt to keep the commission's pending recommendations on the national agenda. Three such meetings have been organised so far involving important national anti-corruption stakeholders.

For further information, please contact: asalas@transparency.org

New Anti-Corruption Governments Meeting, Kenya

Between 11-13 October 2004, Transparency International-Kenya, the Department of Governance and Ethics of the Government of Kenya and the TI Secretariat in Berlin organised an international experts meeting in Kenya on the theme New Anti-Corruption Governments - the Challenge of Delivery. The purpose of the event was to foster constructive dialogue on the anti-corruption options open to new reform minded governments and to develop key recommendations to support their efforts.

The meeting involved 150 participants drawn from government, civil society, and the private sector in key transition countries, as well as a number of international experts. Participants were selected from countries with new governments that came to power as part of a major system change where

1. anti-corruption was a stated aim of the government's political platform prior to assumption of office, and
2. concrete anti-corruption measures had been taken following assumption of office.

Working groups were designed to foster discussion, exchange ideas and identify lessons learned. At the working groups, invited speakers delivered theme and research based presentations making analysis and recommendations. This provided the basis for discussions and recommendations.

For more information, please contact gdell@transparency.org

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Are there examples of technical groups meeting before the stakeholder event rather than as a follow-up, to set a framework which the event can discuss and support?

Events that bring stakeholders together with the aim of formulating or reviewing anti-corruption strategies always require some degree of technical preparation for the meeting to be effective. Significant stakeholders may have little time to prepare for such events and their active engagement is more likely if supported by good technical preparation. In the case of the Regional Learning Workshop on Combating Corruption in Africa mentioned above, a working group composed of representatives of the organising agencies prepared a methodology for anti-corruption strategies to be used by country stakeholders at the workshop itself.

Often a steering committee for such a meeting is a useful preparatory step. This group can offer technical input into programme design, creative ways of organising meeting sessions (break outs, sessions moderated by journalists, brainstormings) that help stimulate thinking and achieve results 'outside the box', and map out draft versions of final recommendations/next steps that can be presented to the participants for debate and discussion but that keep the event focused.

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What have been the factors which determine the success or otherwise of such events?

The success or failure of anti-corruption stakeholder events depends on a variety of factors. Naturally, not all of these factors can consciously be influenced.

• Good preparation by an organising committee or steering group: Due to the time constraints commonly faced by stakeholders from professional backgrounds, solid preparation of background documentation, as well as clear definition of the processes involved, can substantially improve the outcomes of stakeholder events.
  
  
• Ownership. Evidence suggests that local ownership of reform strategies is key in determining the degree of their success. Where the role of outside participants in stakeholder events appears to overstep facilitation of the process and the sharing of good practice, such events run the risk of losing their credibility.
  
  
• Timing. The timing of stakeholder events can be crucial to their impact. If well-timed, they can capitalise on external factors, such as elections or the drafting of a new law, to generate increased momentum for reform. For example, the timing of the NI Workshop in Uganda played a crucial role in its success, as it coincided with the drafting of a new constitution by the constituent assembly. Likewise, in Tanzania, the impact of the NI Workshop was enhanced due to its taking place in the run-up to the country's first multi-party elections in recent history.
  
  
• Political will. A lack of commitment among stakeholders to support anti-corruption reform and cooperate in the definition and implementation of anti-corruption strategies, will greatly hamper the success of any stakeholder event. This may, for example, manifest itself in the failure of stakeholders to agree on a common strategy, as was the case for the Algerian delegation at a stakeholder meeting organised by the ADB, AUC, WBI, GCA and Transparency International in Yaounde, 2003. Alternatively, a lack of commitment may manifest itself in the failure of officials to act upon the recommendations formulated by the stakeholder group.
  
  
• Participation from a wide range of stakeholders. Identifying the 'right' stakeholders from a wide range of sectors can take time as well as a high-degree of knowledge of a particular national context. Their presence is, however, crucial to the outcome of the event, since only their cooperation can lead to a solid consensus which can form the basis of future action.
  
  
• Publicity. In most circumstances, the wide dissemination of information about such stakeholder events is crucial to their broader impact. Publicising both preparatory materials and output documents can help raise awareness of concrete anti-corruption measures and commitments, contributing to public pressure with regard to their subsequent implementation.
  
  
• Effective follow-up/policy 'take up'. The success of stakeholder events is determined not only by initial outcomes in the form of a concrete strategy, action-plan or recommendations, but also by the capacity of stakeholders to carry through on the suggested ways forward in the medium and longer term. A clear indication of success is reference to the event as a point of change in the policy reform process, and the adoption/implementation of the event's recommendations. Ultimately, such events must become a reference-point for change in the fight against corruption and should, therefore, involve new commitments or partnerships that can be followed-up within an agreed framework.