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Bookmark this page: www.oecd.org/dac/governance/corruption
OECD donors first introduced anti-corruption provisions in their work in procurement agreements funded through bilateral development aid, following the 1996 Recommendation on Anti-Corruption Proposals for Aid-Funded Procurement.
In 2003, donors set out to work together closely to ensure that they collectively support country-led anti-corruption strategies and to ensure that aid programmes themselves do not foster corruption, as detailed in the Development Assistance Committee’s Principles for Donor Action in Anti-Corruption. In these principles, donors resolve to harmonise their efforts to support developing countries’ anti-corruption work and to address the supply side of corruption.
In addition, the OECD published the DAC-approved Policy Paper: Setting an agenda for collective action (followed by the above-mentioned DAC Principles) which propose a collective donor approach to corruption. The paper identifies opportunities for collective action in a number of areas where a concerted approach seems essential if the multiple risks associated with corruption are to be successfully managed. It proposes specific actions to be taken by the DAC to help donors move forward with this agenda. In parallel, DAC donors have started to assess corruption jointly in aid recipient countries, starting with a pilot initiative in Cameroon.
The Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, endorsed in 2005, goes beyond previous agreements among donors and defines a clear, practical plan to help improve the quality and positive impact of development aid. Within this framework donors have committed to giving even greater support to developing countries’ anti-corruption efforts, aligning with country-led initiatives and promoting local ownership of anti-corruption reforms. Specific areas of focus are developing countries’ programmes to strengthen procurement systems and financial management systems. An overarching theme in donors’ work to fight corruption is policy coherence -- ensuring that policies to achieve one aim, like recovery of assets diverted from development goals, are not undermined by other policies, such as banking secrecy. The ratification and implementation of international agreements like the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) are part of coherent donor approaches.
There is now a clearer understanding of how donor countries are part of the problem of corruption and that OECD governments have a distinct responsibility to help prevent and address corruption.
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