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OECD 2025 Global Anti-Corruption & Integrity Forum  (26-27 March in Paris)

Renewing Nigeria's Anti-Corruption Agenda

Pathways for change and reflections on 25 years of policy 

Wednesday 19 March 2025 (8.00 –12.30 GMT | 9.00 –13.30 WAT)
Chatham House and MacArthur Foundation--Abuja, Nigeria and Online Zoom

UNCAC Civil Society news and updates (14 February 2025)--focusing on the impact on funding cuts to major anti-corruption initiatives  and improving the the CAC Implementation Review Mechanism

Corruption Perception Index 2024 (CPI), Transparency International (published 11 February 2025)
See also CPI 2024: Highlights and Insights

 
OECD Newsletter (February 2025) including a webinar Promoting Public Integrity in the MENA Region

UN International Anti-Corruption Day-9 December 2024

Uniting with Youth Against Corruption--Shaping Tomorrow's Integrity

GID Background
For more information see the About GIN section

The first Global Integrity Day (GID) was launched on 9 June 2020 and continues to be commemorated on 9 June 2021, 2022, and 2023. This special, annual day has been envisioned since December 2016, to shine the global spotlight on moral health for a more-whole world. It is a practical impetus as we endeavor a) to live in integrity always and in every area of our lives and b) to learn about and support a variety of strategic efforts for pro-integrity and anti-corruption ranging from developing public policy to developing personal probity.​ 

--The initial theme for this Day (GID 2020) was Confronting the Corruption of Racism.
--The theme for GID 2021 was Corruption and Poverty.  
--The GID 2022 theme was Integrity and Corruption in the Health Sector.
--The theme for GID 2023 was Faith-Based Champions Fighting Corruption.
--The theme for  GID 2024 was Fighting Human Trafficking.
--The theme for GID 2025 is Empowering People to Defeat Corruption. How can we empower people to develop the virtues and skills needed to live in integrity and to fight corruption (forming the character and competence needed to resist and confront corruption)? 

Going into the future--it would be strategic to see Global Integrity Day (GID-9 June) designated as a new United Nations International Day as well as a companion day to complement the already designated International Anti-Corruption Day (IAD-9 December) and vice versa.

We invite friends and colleagues around the world, and organizations and networks large and small, to join together in solidarity, finding common ground for the common good, to commemorate both special days on 9 June and 9 December and throughout this year. Your suggestions are very welcome for developing GID further. (MCAresources@gmail.com)

Sustainable Development Goal 16
--"Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms."
Sustainable Development Goal 16.5
--"Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels ."
Sustainable Development Goal 16.6
--Note the SDG Indicators, Metadata Repository  and information on SDG 16,
especially these indicators related to corruption: SDG 16.5.1. and SDG 16.5.2
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Reflections
It seems to us that most of the people that we would consider to be ‘champions’ of integrity and anti-corruption--be they faith-based or of no particular faith--are either not aware that they themselves are champions or would never consider themselves to be ‘champions.’ And furthermore, very likely they would not want others to refer to them by this term. Rather, they see themselves as common people who are merely doing their duty and the right thing, ordinary citizens who are just trying to do good, even if there are risks.  

What is true of our affirmation of colleagues in Global Mental Health (GMH) is also true for colleagues in integrity and anti-corruption: 'We acknowledge, with much appreciation, that many of the developments and directions in GMH are being shaped and implemented by colleagues out of the spotlight, on the ground, in the trenches—often unrecognized and under-funded. Thank you for your commitment and perseverance!' ‘All that is gold does not glitter.’ Tolkien (O'Donnell, Eaton, Lewis O'Donnell, 2021)"
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Featured Resources

May 2025
Coming soon--Updated version of Corruption-Free Churches Are Possible

See also Corruption-Free Religions Are Possible (2021)

Character Counts--What Kinds of People and Organizations Do We Want to Be? Member Care Update (August 2014). This foundational Update addresses the faith-based member care and mission sector and the humanitarian sector yet is relevant across all sectors. This month we hold up the mirror to check out our character as it relates to our motivations, relationships, and practices...How accurate is what we see--and want to see? Recall that character along with competence and compassion are three core qualities needed for member care workers. Part One focuses on our personal character, emphasizing our capacity for self-deception plus what to do about it (five resources). Part Two focuses on leadership and organizational character and the importance for honesty, courage, and support in confronting hard issues (five resources).

We conclude the Update with three current resources from the humanitarian sector that illustrate how critical and diverse feedback--sharing concerns and suggestions in an open atmosphere--is helping to improve the sector's effectiveness. The freedom to give feedback is one of the greatest indications of an organization's and sector's health. Together, all the resources in this Update are meant to encourage us to further develop a crucial reflection of our character--our integrity-- by "telling ourselves and others the truth."   
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April 2025

The Pope Who Knelt--How Francis Made the Church Feel Like Home Again

A Tribute to Pope Francis by Greg Monteclaro. This is a brief and relevant reflection on the positive and enduring character qualities of Pope Francis and featured here in view of this year's GID theme on developing virtues.

The Name of God is Mercy (2016)--This book is based on an  interview with Pope Francis. Chapter 7 is Sinners Yes, Corrupt No. See a summary of his 11 Nov 2011 homily related to this chapter HERE)

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March 2025
Snakes and Wolves--Dealing with Psychopaths and Manipulators
Selected excerpts and summaries from Snakes in Suits-When Psychopaths Go to Work (revised 2019) and In Sheep's Clothing--Understanding and Dealing with Manipulative People (revised 2010)

Developing Character Strengths–Being the Leaders Our World Needs. Global Integration Update (March 2023). "In this Update...we feature Character, Virtue, and Leadership, an insightful conversation with Michael Lamb, the Executive Director of the Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University, organized by The Trinity Forum (17 February 2023--60 minute video). One of the main resources highlighted in this conversation was the research on Seven Strategies for Character Development. (Part One) We also share additional resources to help summon and shape character strengths...Note that this Update emphasizes character as being more dispositional than situational--yet without minimizing the role that social and environmental factors can have in influencing everything from pro-social to anti-social behaviors. (Part Two)
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February  2025

Speaking Truth to Abusive Power

Protecting Whistleblowers
Confronting Impunity and Retaliation

PETRA People Update (February 2025)
"This issue focuses on whistleblowers who with courage and integrity confront wrong doing and corruption--by themselves or with others--within their organizations, communities, and countries. It specifically addresses the need to protect authentic whistleblowers and to confront the impunity and retaliation that maintains (protects!) dysfunctional and deviant people and practices. The four featured resources include a new book on whistleblowing in the UN context, whistleblowing resources, a podcast on repentance, and definitions of integrity and corruption."

We the People: The UN Whistleblowers--Whistleblowing and Retaliation in the United Nations, edited by Caroline Hunt-Matthes (2025). We have found this new resource to be very helpful--instructive and often disturbing--as it looks at the reality of organizational and leadership malfeasance including cover ups and retaliation in the UN system. It is edited by a friend and neighbor whose story appears in the book too.

"The one thing that surprised me about Caroline’s story was the duration of her whistleblowing story...You tell an amazing story: 12 years in litigation. Your UN opponents want to wear you down, but you haven’t acquiesced” (page 6). We can definitely relate in our experience with parts of the Christian church and mission community! We highly recommend this book with the reminder (in line with the editor) that corruption is basically everywhere (not just in the UN) and there are many fine people and leaders within the UN system who are working sacrificially to make the world--and their organization--a better and safer place.
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January  2025
Whistleblowing--Responsible Practices for Healthy Organizations, Member Care Update (July 2018)
"Many of us are no strangers to the need to responsibly report wrongdoing--both to leaders inside organizations and to accountability bodies outside of them. But often nothing gets reported due to the lack of clear policies and/or the fear of retaliation--often via disguised discrediting, demotions, and dismissals. And occasionally there are whistleblowers who have questionable motives and/or frankly get their accusations/information "wrong." 

So we ask: Does your organization have or need a whistleblowing policy--special guidelines and protections for staff to confront wrongdoing in an organization? Does your organization encourage an ethos of transparency and accountability in all that it does? How can you help your organization stay ethically healthy via relevant whistleblowing guidelines/policies? These are crucial questions that we encourage you to explore through the many resources in this Update. See also our resources in the Global Integrity section of our main MCA website."

International Whistleblowing Network and the UNCAC Civil Society Coalition  

Corruption Perception Index 2024 (CPI), Transparency International (published 11 February 2025)
See also CPI 2024: Highlights and Insights. The [CPI 2024] shows that corruption is a dangerous problem in every part of the world, but change for the better is happening in many countries. Research also reveals that corruption is a major threat to climate action. It hinders progress in reducing emissions and adapting to the unavoidable effects of global heating. The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories worldwide by their perceived levels of public sector corruption. The results are given on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean)."

"As corruption grows in scale and complexity, over two thirds of countries now score below the mid-point on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). Corruption affects billions of people worldwide, destroying lives, undermining human rights and exacerbating global crises. It blocks real action where it’s needed most – and with autocrats on the rise and democracy weakening, the fight against it has never been more urgent." (quotes from the Transparency International website)

OECD Newsletter (February 2025) including a webinar Promoting Public Integrity in the MENA Region

Myanmar's Shwe Kokko: Inside a City 'Built on Scams' BBC (6 February 2025)
"The tall, shiny buildings which rise out of the cornfields on the Myanmar side of the Moei river are a sight so jarring you find yourself blinking to be sure you haven't imagined it. Eight years ago there was nothing over there in Karen State. Just trees, a few roughly built cement buildings, and a long-running civil war which has left this area of Myanmar one of the poorest places on earth. But today, on this spot along the border with Thailand, a small city has emerged like a mirage. It is called Shwe Kokko, or Golden Raintree. It is accused of being a city built on scams, home to a lucrative yet deadly nexus of fraud, money-laundering and human trafficking. The man behind it, She Zhijiang, is languishing in a Bangkok jail, awaiting extradition to China..."

The 11th biennial Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) is scheduled to meet 14-19 December 2025 in Doha, Qatar. The  Implementation Review Mechanism for the UNCAC is a major emphasis (member states' implementation of  the UNCAC). Note also the UNCAC Civil Society Coalition's Parallel Reports about member states' implementation of the UNCAC as well as information about the UN's review process.

OECD 2025 Global Anti-Corruption & Integrity Forum  (meeting 26-27 March in Paris)
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Some Global News Items from 2024
Integrity Review for Jordan. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (December 2024)
In English and Arabic--See the overview in the Executive Summary

"Recognising that corruption hampers public sector modernisation, economic progress and foreign investment, Jordan is undertaking ambitious reforms to tackle it. The reforms provide an opportunity to build on past achievements while taking a more modern approach to anti-corruption that focuses on integrity. This Integrity Review provides concrete recommendations on how Jordan can strengthen its institutional arrangements and take a strategic approach to public integrity, including promoting a culture of integrity throughout the public administration and the whole of society. The report also offers suggestions for reinforcing both internal and external control and audit, improving the whistleblowing framework and strengthening the criminal investigation of corruption cases."

International Anti-Corruption Day (9 December 2024) Uniting with Youth Against Corruption--Shaping Tomorrow's Integrity." Our world confronts numerous challenges, tragedies, inequalities and injustices, many of which are tied to corruption. With 1.8 billion young people in the world, fighting corruption is vital for the future of nearly a quarter of the global population. While young people are significantly affected by corruption, they also have the potential to become powerful agents of change in the fight for a future rooted in integrity....Therefore, the campaign for International Anti-Corruption Day 2024-2025 focuses on the role young guardians of integrity play as advocates, raising awareness about corruption and its impacts on their communities. They will actively participate in discussions, share their experiences and propose innovative solutions to combat corruption. The campaign will amplify voices of integrity leaders of tomorrow, allowing them to express their concerns and aspirations, with the hope that their appeals will be heard and acted upon. " (quote from website)

15 November 2024 is the first International Day for the Prevention of and Fight against All Forms of Transnational Organized Crime (TOC). Theme--Pulling together to push back: United against organized crime--Organized crime steals, corrupts and kills. "Criminal networks are exploiting global vulnerabilities on a vast scale—from human trafficking to environmental destruction and cybercrime. Organized crime operates across borders, posing serious challenges that no country can tackle alone...Led by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), this campaign showcases success stories where cooperation has led to meaningful progress, from dismantling trafficking networks to promoting sustainable alternatives to illicit economies. Together, we can push back against organized crime and build safer, more resilient communities worldwide." Short video overview HERE. High level event on 15 November at the United Nations Vienna HERE (archived on UN WebTV). See the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime. Note also the Alliance of NGOs on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.

21st International Anti-Corruption Conference--Transparency International
Confronting Global Treats--Standing Up for Integrity

(18-21 June 2024) Vilnius, Lithuania

Archived videos HERE

Integrity at All Costs,  Global Integrity Network--hybrid conference in Toronto (1 June 2024)

The recordings are available at the above link (presentations, testimonies, and discussions).