To further promote the anti-corruption agenda among PNG agencies, Transparency International Papua New Guinea (TIPNG) convened a workshop today (08/09/21) to showcase how interested agencies can develop organic anti-corruption strategies to boost their mandate, and better engage with the public. The workshop was part of TIPNG’s Promoting Anti-Corruption and Integrity Strategies Project (PAIS) Project, which is funded by the European Union.
“At TIPNG, we have positioned ourselves as a strong and willing partner in empowering Papua New Guineans to boldly stand up against all forms of corruption in our country. We want to critically and constructively engage with all stakeholders and encourage popular demand for good governance and accountability, but this cannot be achieved without the aid of our existing state agencies. TIPNG is committed to working with agencies to strengthen public trust through the development and sharing of agency-level anti-corruption strategies,” said TIPNG CEO Ms. Arianne Kassman during the Workshop yesterday.
The half-day Anti-Corruption Strategy Workshop was co-facilitated by TIPNG and Square Circle, a global development consulting company based in Brisbane, Australia. The primary objective of the Workshop was to inform interested agencies about the contents of the generic anti-corruption strategy template developed by the TIPNG and Square Circle, and to demonstrate how the template could be customized for each agency. The workshop today was attended by:
- Auditor General’s Office (AGO)
- Constitutional and Law Reform Commission (CLRC)
- Interim ICAC Office
- National Economic and Fiscal Commission (NEFC)
- National Judicial Staff Services (NJSS)
- And the Public Services Commission (PSC)
TIPNG through the PAIS Project will be working with state agencies to develop internal anti-corruption strategies throughout the remainder of 2021, which will be shared with citizens and journalists so that they can engage more effectively with the public sector to take action against corruption.
This work has been informed by TIPNG’s 2021 National Integrity System Assessment (NISA) Report which found that all 14 National Integrity pillars in PNG were less than adequate. Furthermore, the NISA identified a clear integrity gap between the existing laws and practice by agencies. The internal anti-corruption strategies developed by TIPNG in partnership with selected agencies will go towards bridging this integrity gap.
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