About GTF-PoS

Accountability flourishes when a healthy balance of power exists between the state, civil society, the marketplace and the international arena with no one institutional sphere being in absolute control.  GOPAC: Controlling Corruption: A Parliamentarian’s Handbook August 2005

The GOPAC Global Task Force on Participation of Society has been inactive since the Kuwait Conference. The Hon Musikari Kombo has agreed to lead and develop a work program for this task force.  Its focus is on the representation role of parliamentarians.  (Other GOPAC GTFs deal with the other two democratic roles of parliamentarians - legislative and oversight.)

Corruption diminishes in direct proportion to public demand for integrity.  UNCAC Article 13 and GOPAC’s initial PoS policy position recognize the essential role of parliamentarians in increasing and supporting public demand.  The main mechanisms for parliamentarians to help increase public demand are:

a) elections and political parties;

b) the media; and

c) civil society organizations. 

The impact and effectiveness of each of these mechanisms on the actions of the executive branch and the civil society individuals and organizations that participate in corruption can be very different in different regions of the world.  There are a number of well accepted practices that support the participation of society in the fight against corruption and effective oversight of government, including Access to Information legislation and administrative and Parliamentary committee practices – open meetings, televised hearings, and inviting witnesses.   There also are a number of creative anti-corruption initiatives, such as the experience in Kenya with constituency development funds where citizens have become directly involved in combating corruption or exercising oversight; and the “zero rupee note” in India.
Currently, the GTF leader and the GOPAC Secretariat are establishing an initial team (GTF members and partnering organizations) and preparing a workshop for the February 2011 GOPAC Global Conference in Mexico City where the team will:

1. review successful existing and creative anti-corruption practices from various regions of the world involving the participation of society, including assessing related information from the Monitoring Report, with a view to gathering and promoting successful initiatives to parliamentarians and society;
2. recommend priority activities for the GTF;
3. update the GOPAC policy position;
4. bring forward a resolution for review and approval by the Global Conference.

For further information please contact Ted Cooke, GTF PoS Secretary at: TedCooke@rogers.com