GOPAC Launches Preparation of a New Global Plan and Monitoring Report for Parliamentarians and their Key Partners to Combat Corruption

The GOPAC/UNDP Oslo 'Toolkit for Parliamentarians' is based on the five key Policy Positions and priorities that parliamentarians identified to improve their capacity and performance in preventing corruption. The policy positions were approved by GOPAC members at their November 2008 Global Conference in Kuwait. UNDP also funded the first Toolkit ‘proof of concept’ workshop in Accra Ghana earlier this year.

GOPAC has established Global Task Forces (GTFs) for each key policy position to assist parliamentarians identify specific actions they could take to combat corruption, namely:    

i) Anti-Money Laundering GTF;

ii) UN Convention Against Corruption GTF;

iii) Parliamentary Oversight GTF, which includes Resource Revenue Transparency;

iv) Parliamentary Ethics and Conduct GTF; and

v) Participation of Society GTF.

The ‘Toolkit’ provides a standard basis for national chapters to:

• identify strengths and weakness of the capacity and performance of their country’s parliamentarians in preventing corruption;
• identify recent and any ongoing improvement initiatives in their country, (last 2-3 years); and
• suggest further practical performance improvement initiatives and identify any capacity building activities that may be necessary to deliver them.

National chapter leaders are being encouraged to take advantage of the ‘Toolkit’, to engage other parliamentarians, civil society representatives and others in their country as they complete their country’s report, to develop a joint response in order to strengthen their country’s coalition to help prevent corruption.   Similarly, GOPAC members in countries that don’t yet have a country Chapter are being encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity the Survey and Toolkit provides to engage their colleagues in establishing a country chapter.

GOPAC is an international governance network comprised of some 500 current and ex parliamentarian members in 60 countries, who are dedicated to good governance and parliamentary oversight to prevent corruption.  GOPAC was founded in October 2002 at a Global Conference in Ottawa Canada that brought together over 170 parliamentarians and 400 partners and observers dedicated to fighting corruption and improving good governance.   GOPAC is the only parliamentary organization whose sole focus is on preventing corruption.   

GOPAC delivers its activities in four ways:

i) through a Biennial global conference that sets priorities and policy positions;

ii) through Global Task Forces on the key policy areas noted above;

iii) through Regional and country chapters that both contribute to the global initiatives, ’domesticate’ resulting products and policies, and lead reforms and help set the global agenda; and

iv) through individual members who’s participation assists them carry out their democratic roles more effectively and lead reforms.

One GOPAC aim is to deliver knowledgeable and experienced parliamentarians to further the anti-corruption agenda.  GOPAC members are also invited to contribute their expertise to other organizations, for example for consultation on initiatives or as speakers at events.  Since 2008, GOPAC has received programme support from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The World Bank Institute, the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, the United Nations Development Program and USAID have also been important partners and funders.

GOPAC programming is closely aligned with the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC).  Indeed, GOPAC arranged Forums of Parliamentarians at the 2006, 2008 and 2009 UNCAC Conference of States Parties (CoSP).  Ideally, governments in the almost 150 countries that have ratified the treaty to date should invite parliamentarians, where permitted by their constitutions, to be part of the CoSP delegations and also work in an ongoing way with GOPAC chapters and members to strengthen complementary parliamentary performance.

For more information about the draft Global Plan and Monitoring Report that will be presented and discussed at the next GOPAC Global Conference in Mexico City in February 2011, please contact Ted Cooke at TedCooke@rogers.com

 

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