Transparency International Papua New Guinea (TIPNG) and the National Judicial Staff Services (NJSS) have now signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop an agency-level anti-corruption strategy for the NJSS. This initiative is part of TIPNG’s Promoting Anti-Corruption and Integrity Strategies (PAIS) Project funded by the European Union to strengthen public trust in national integrity institutions.
“TIPNG welcomes the decision by the NJSS to partner with us through an MoU for the development of an anti-corruption strategy that will support the NJSS mandate of providing equal access to an independent, fair and quality Judicial Services to all people. This signing signals TIPNG’s renewed engagement with the Judiciary as PNG’s third arm of government,” said TIPNG Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Arianne Kassman in a media statement.
“PNG’s National Anti-Corruption Strategy 2010-2030 calls on state agencies to develop internal anti-corruption strategies, yet to date there has been almost no uptake of this national policy. TIPNG invites other agencies to follow the leadership demonstrated by the NJSS and implement and inform the public of internal measures to bridge the integrity gap we see in our national integrity system,” she said.
National Judicial Staff Services (NJSS) was established by the National Judicial Staff Services Act 1987 to provide staff and other support services for the courts in the PNG National Judicial System. The NJSS provide legal, secretarial, and clerical staff to enable the courts to operate efficiently. NJSS further provides administration and support services to the Courts such as Buildings and Facilities, Finance, Human Resources, Legal, Audits, Policy Planning etc to the Courts.
TIPNG through the PAIS Project will be working with state agencies to develop internal anti-corruption strategies in 2021, which will be shared with citizens and journalists so that they can more effectively engage 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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