About the 'Defence Against Corruption' programme

The goal of Transparency International’s Defence Against Corruption (DAC) programme is to combat corruption in one of the most corruption-prone of all areas of public life: the defence and national security sectors. Transparency International UK, which leads the worldwide programme, works with: governments, defence companies, multilateral organisations and civil society to prevent corruption in defence, and to build anti-corruption capacity and integrity in defence establishments across the world.

The Defence Against Corruption programme aims to:

• raise awareness of corruption in the defence sector and provide practical tools to reduce corruption risks

• collaborate with governments and international organisations to enhance transparency in defence institutions

• work with defence companies to raise industry standards in international defence contracting

• develop centres of defence anti-corruption expertise

CORE ACTIVITIES

WORK WITH NATIONAL DEFENCE MINISTRIES AND ARMED FORCES to build integrity and reduce corruption risk. 

• work directly with defence ministries on a range of anti-corruption initiatives, including: implementing Transparency International’s Defence Integrity Pacts (independent civil society monitors in major acquisitions), for example in Colombia; assisting with the development of defence anti-corruption improvement plans, for example with Poland’s Ministry of National Defence; facilitating public reviews of upcoming defence procurements, for example in Croatia with the government and Transparency International Croatia
• promote good practice in nations by testing new, defence-sector-specific anti-corruption tool
  

COLLABORATE WITH INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS such as NATO, the World Bank, the African Union, and also multilateral development banks such as the African Development Bank, to develop tools and approaches that reduce corruption risks, with potential for adaptation in many countries.

• In 2007, NATO approved a new programme, “Building integrity and reducing corruption risk in defence institutions”. Developed with the Transparency International Defence Programme and others, this programme is creating new integrity building and practical defence-sector anti-corruption tools, for use by NATO members and partners. The programme includes a training module, an integrity self-assessment process for nations, and a compendium of best-practice. More information on the work with NATO can be found here. 
  

ENCOURAGE DEFENCE COMPANIES to collaborate internationally to enhance the integrity of international tendering

• work with major defence companies to catalyse a joint international agreement on anti-corruption standards in worldwide defence sales
• organise meetings of leading US and European defence companies that are chaired by Lord Robertson, former Secretary General of NATO
  
• facilitated the establishment of the anti-corruption working group of the European Aerospace and Defence Association. This, in turn, has led to the development of the European set of ‘Common Industry Standards’ against corruption
• work to extend the standards globally

STRENGTHEN CIVIL SOCIETY’S ABILITY TO ENGAGE CONSTRUCTIVELY ON DEFENCE, one of the best levers for transparency in defence, in order to reduce corruption risk

• raise awareness and interest in addressing defence as a key issue, and provide technical support to many Transparency International chapters across the movement
• work with governments to encourage engagement with NGOs in their own and other countries 
• promote constructive civil society engagement in defence oversight, for example through Defence Integrity Pacts.

DEVELOP NEW TOOLS to implement anti-corruption change

• encourage and facilitate the use of independent monitors and the Defence Integrity Pacts worldwide
• evaluate ways to assess the corruption risk in national defence institutions 
• conduct international surveys that expose and highlight areas of defence-related corruption needing to be addressed by civil society 
• enabling the promotion and identification of best practice and effective anti-corruption

EXPAND THE CAPACITY OF NATIONS TO ADDRESS DEFENCE CORRUPTION RISK by building international expertise on tackling defence corruption

• hold expert workshops to transfer knowledge and experience across borders. The Defence Against Corruption team has hosted or contributed to such events in Georgia, Switzerland and the UK, with plans for additional ones in African countries (21-23 July 2009 in Tunis) and the United States

RAISE AWARENESS in defence ministries, defence companies and among parliamentarians of corruption risks, and demonstrate that they can be tackled effectively

• facilitate meetings of senior military personnel and officials to discuss the topic
• organise international workshops for representatives from defence ministries, military officers and parliamentary defence oversight committees to discuss their experiences relating to integrity and corruption risks 
• contribute through research to topical books and articles 
• nurture an international community of anti-corruption practitioners publish e-newsletters, which have wide circulation: the Quarterly, which summarises the Transparency Internaional Defence team's current activities; and the Digest, a selection of defence corruption issues that have received recent media attention 
• speak at open and closed conferences

About Transparency International
Transparency International is the civil society organisation leading the global fight against corruption. Through more than 90 chapters worldwide and an international secretariat in Berlin, Germany, Transparency International raises awareness of the damaging effects of corruption, and works with partners in government, business and civil society to develop and implement effective measures to tackle it. For more information go to: www.transparency.org.