Ten years since the Open Government Partnership was formed to promote more inclusive, transparent, and participatory governments around the world, the challenge of corruption has only grown in importance. The global population is confronting novel issues as technology fuels disinformation and criminal enterprises such as illicit financial flows, allowing corruption to spread and evolve. The rise of authoritarianism has roots in the corrosive impact of corruption on democracy and the rule of law. In short, the need for renewed, effective measures to combat corruption is more salient than ever. The Biden Administration recently agreed, recognizing in its National Security Study Memorandum combatting corruption as a top national security priority.
The justice sector has a complex relationship to corruption. It is one of the primary venues in which corruption is fought directly, through prosecutions of incidents of corrupt behavior, administrative regulation, and enforcement of corruption prevention mechanisms. At the same time, the justice sector is not immune to corruption’s pernicious influence. And, in a system that depends on public legitimacy, the justice sector is particularly affected by the destructive impact of corruption. It is thus particularly important for justice sector experts and reform managers to possess, and continue to deepen, an in-depth, nuanced understanding of the entrenched, resilient, and systemic nature of corruption in society.
Building upon the analytical foundation provided in the previous JUSTRAC Training “Understanding and Analyzing Corruption,” this two-day training will enable participants to not only expand their knowledge of anti-corruption efforts beyond traditional approaches but also to utilize concrete tools to respond to anti-corruption holistically, creatively, and strategically. Participants will apply these tools in a group setting drawing from hypothetical scenarios that will illustrate the challenges outlined during the training. At the end of the training, participants will leave with a nuanced and sophisticated understanding of programmatic responses to corruption as well as templates for all tools used throughout the training to apply to their own country of focus.