Session on Corruption at the WEDC Conference

Timetable

16:00-16.10 / Introduction and presentation of WEDC’s research project / Sohail
16.10-16.14 / A Framework for Tackling Corruption in the Water and Sanitation Sector in Africa / Sue Cavill
16.14-16.19 / Pro-poor Accountability in WatSan at Ahemdabad, India / Rajendra Joshi
16.19-16.29 / Citizen Action: How Bridging the Gap leads to water and sanitation provision / Rabin Lal Shrestha, WaterAid Nepal
James Wicken, WaterAid Asia
16.29-16.34 / Involvement of Civil Society in a sanitation programme in India – eliminating corruption: A case study / James Varghese, Executive Directive Socio-Economic Unit Foundation
16.34-16.39 / Decentralisation and the role of NGOs in combating corruption in the WASH sector / Bep van Oostrom
16.39-16.44 / Explanation of formation and of groups and methodology / Sohail and Bep
16.45-17.25 / Open Space Discussions / Delegates
17.25-18.00 / Closing Discussion
18.00 / Close

Notes from the Open Space Discussion

  1. James Vergiese: Partnerships between LGG and Community: The Roadmap to Sustainability

Key points from discussion

  • Transparent procedures in the design and planning – implementation of the project
  • Capacity building at local government and community – effective community strategy
  • Buy-in political leaders and all stakeholders and monitoring community monitoring
  • LSG and Community involvement will contribute to sustainability
  1. Rajendra Joshi: Do user charges /contributions lead to accountability and less corruption amongst local authorise; private sector and NGOs/CBOs and empower user level individuals and institutions

Key points from discussion

  • Beneficiaries become customers
  • Value for money – time, quality and design of infrastructure
  • Participation/ownership

Other points raised in discussion include:

  • policy in pace – leads to better planning and design ownership – user charges
  • informed decision making
  • value for money
  • customer satisfaction
  • beneficiary becomes customer
  • transparency
  • information flow
  1. Sue Cavill: Demand and Supply of Corruption – public and private sectors and anti-corruption solutions

Key points from discussion

  • Think about the bigger picture of corruption – who is benefiting (e.g. most corruption in developing countries benefits developed countries)
  • There is also a lot of corruption in the foreign funding for large scale infrastructure development – unviable, long term effects, unsolicited proposals
  • Public sector needs to be strengthened:

Other points raised in discussion include:

  • Tied aid leading to inflated estimates(e.g. Tsunami)
  • Need for effective audit by aid agencies
  • Foreign funding for large scale development – unviable, long term effects, unsolicited proposals
  • What about conflict of anti-corruption with business interests?
  • Anti corruption reforms should not undermine public services
  • Public services are needed for social and economic development
  1. James Wicken Rabin Lal Shrestha: How can Citizens Action type activities become institutionalised mechanisms?

Key points from discussion:

  • Regulatory Framework (Right to Information, Right to Complaint, Right to Redressal)
  • Community Contracting/Community involvement in procurement
  • Community Certification – sign off by community
  • Education

Other points raised in discussion include:

  • Legislation – Right to Information
  • Regulation – Mechanisms to enforce
  • Consumer Involvement/Participation
  • Ratification/Certifying by communities/LGI- transforming to legislation/guidelines
  • Ensure accountability
  • Community Audit Systems – Involvement of NGOs as a pre-requisite
  • Community Contracting – procedural policy
  • Mandatory Community Involvement – planning
  • Education on Community entitlements
  • CapacityBuilding of Users – to speak on programmes, awareness of schemes, informed decision making
  • Social mobilisation
  • Community Voice – their choice
  • Grievance Cell/Complaint hour or Report Cards
  • Community Networks – recognise their authority
  1. James Wicken Rabin Lal Shrestha: How can Citizens Action type activities be scaled up within and across countries

Key points from discussion:

  1. Champions from Government/Media/Policy/LG Units to advocate, share, disseminate success
  2. Dialogue with policy makers and federal governments
  3. Hooking up with community groups beyond WatSan i.e. education and health
  4. Scaling up

Other points raised in discussion include:

  • Citizens groups, CBOs, RWAs, should have legal status and recognition
  • Rights perspective embedded in the approach
  • Demonstration of success/effect
  • Champions from media/government/policy/LG units to advocate and share the initiative
  • Large scale sharing of existing initiatives
  • Capacity building of communities
  • Networking with communities in the neighbourhood and cities
  • *Initiate dialogue with service providers/policy makers and government
  • *Hooking up with groups beyond water – e.g. education, health and land
  • *Key allies – media
  • *Scaling up – replication is important – not scaling up to a leviathan level

* Loaded with backlash

  1. Bep and Cor: What are the practical tools, actions and strategies that NGOs can use for increased transparency and preventing corruption

Key points from discussion

  • NGOs and community involvement in planning (Mapping)
  • Making financial information public (Right to Information Act)
  • Participatoryaudits

Other points raised in discussion include:

  • Right to Information to be legalised / used massively
  • Creating peoples institutions which are empowered educated
  • Close working liaison with the LGIs capacity building at local government level

Points raised in the closing discussion

  • Education of young people for example in the curriculum or through comic books.But don’t teach children about anti-corruption before they know about corruption!
  • Accountability arrangements and attitude and behaviour are both important in combating corruption. There is a need to make sure service providers have pride in their work, gratitude from consumers, and feel neededto prevent corruption.
  • Is there a need to scale up organisations intofederations– can’t the activities of individual NGOs be like ripples or cascades?
  • It was also noted that if civil society organisations scale up then they might lose their activism.
  • The importance of general moral values in society was raised.
  • The issue of political corruption – bribes to support election campaigns
  • How about legalising corruption? What about those aspects of infrastructure delivery that are corrupt but legal i.e. inflated bills, unsolicited bids with insider information
  • The definition of corruption should be re-thought i.e. abuse of public office for private gain – what about the private sector as the corruptor of the public sector; what if a company gains more than any individual person; the definition is too focused on short term - what about the long term consequences?
  • There is too much focus on financial aspects of corruption - what about definitions of corruption that include inequalities in service delivery and wasted funds, maladministration
  • The need to support government was raised, rather than to dilute public service delivery through parallel activities with NGOs.
  • Governments are accountability to the people in theory but what if government is not working?
  • There is a need for good monitoring in order to ensure better implementation of water and sanitation projects.
  • There is a lot of pessimism about the entrenched nature of corruption but things are changing - people have been prosecuted – there is positive news

Contact details

M. Sohail

Senior Research Manager

WEDC

LoughborughUniversity

Loughborough

Leicestershire

LE11 3TU

Sue Cavill

Cor Dietvorst & Bep Van Oostrom

IRC

P.O. Box 2869

2611 AX Delft

The Netherlands

Rajendra Joshi

SAATH
O/102 Nandanvan V,
Near Prerana Tirth Dehrasar,
Jodhpur, Ahmedabad 380 015
INDIA

Phone: +91-79-26929827
Tele/ Fax: +91-79-26926604

James Wicken

WaterAid Asia Regional Advocacy and Policy Adviser

Shanta Bhawan, Lalitpur

GPO Box 20214

Kathmandu

Nepal

Biraj Swain

Policy Officer

WaterAid India

25 Navjivan, Malviya Nagar

New Delhi 11 00 17

India

James Varghese

Socio Economic Unit Foundation

T.C. 16/309, Easwaravilasom Road,
Post Bag 507, Thycaud P.O.
Trivandrum 695 014

E-mail

Phone 91-471-2325907/91-471-2338434

Fax 91-471-2325914