I wanted to share some thoughts with you on UNDP’s value-added in the area of gender and anti-corruption programming. UNDP can add value to ongoing efforts to integrate a gender perspective into anti-corruption strategies by working with its government counterparts to establish a clear line of accountability between women, and poor women in particular, and the government officials that represent them. Unfortunately, especially in countries highly dependent on overseas development assistance, the large injection of donor funds into anti-corruption programmes in recent years has effectively established strong accountability relationships between donors and governments, rather than between citizens and their elected representatives. The fact is that the poor still remain largely outside of the accountability planning process. This not only means that their needs are rarely articulated in these strategies, but also, their exclusion from these transparency and accountability processes further delegitimizes their political representatives in the eyes of citizens, which can fuel corruption in the long-term.

To remedy this, and establish clear lines of accountability between citizens and their government, there needs to first be an increased emphasis on strengthening the checks and balances between the different branches of government of the State. In particular, this would mean three things: strengthening the oversight function that the parliament has over the executive branch, ensuring the independence of the judiciary and building the capacity of the judiciary to deliver justice and provide the poor with access to the judicial process. However, with around 4 billion people, in other words, the majority of the world’s population, lacking recourse to the rule of law, having legal frameworks in place does not make much difference. When the poor themselves lack recourse to laws and protections, they are unlikely to be able to hold public officials to account for breaking laws. Providing the poor with legal recourse is therefore key. So too is ensuring the poor are able to exercise their right to vote so they can at least weigh-in on eradicating corruption in the legislature.

UNDP provides direct support to governments to set up anti-corruption institutions and other national integrity systems. This support has included offering advisory services for the development of national and local anti-corruption strategies. On the demand side of accountability, UNDP also engages with civil society groups to assist them in their anti-corruption campaigns. Within its work on democratic governance, UNDP already works extensively to ensure the poor have access to the rule of law and that the poor are able to exercise their right to vote.

To help governments ensure that their national anti-corruption institutions and systems are pro-poor and gender sensitive, UNDP can inform its anti-corruption advisory services to governments with the knowledge and experience it has gained working with women’s NGOs on accountability and assisting with voter education and access to rule of law. By basing anti-corruption strategies on the needs of the different sectors of society, these strategies will reap greater development gains, as they will respond to the actual needs of those that are worst affected by corruption. And, in the process, governments will be establishing lines of accountability with those that elect them, rather than with donors.

Sincerely,

Winnie Byanyima
Director of the Gender Team; UNDP, New York