Making Laws and Institutions Work for People: IDLO's Work in Enhancing Anti-corruption and Transparency
Corruption, with its inherently corrosive effect on societies, poses a significant challenge to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its commitment to “leave no one behind”. Its profound negative impact on the rule of law, good governance, and human rights threatens peace and security, hampers the provision of public services, and thwarts inclusive economic development. This not only undermines trust in public institutions but also fuels discontent and insecurity. Corruption’s broad social costs are felt disproportionately by women, youth, and other marginalized and vulnerable groups, making it a threat to peace and sustainable development by increasing inequality and preventing the distribution of resources to intended beneficiaries.
Addressing multidimensional challenges posed by corruption requires a holistic approach that, in addition to relying on law enforcement and investigations, also eliminates the opportunities leading to corruption, promotes economic competition, enhances accountability in the political sphere and increases the participation of civil society in decision-making processes. The rule of law is critical to that effort. It can help eliminate discrimination in law and in practice and enable institutions to better understand and meet people’s needs. It can strengthen their ability to tackle corruption and to resolve grievances before they can fester into conflict.
Through a comprehensive approach encompassing programming, research, and policy advocacy, IDLO supports partners’ efforts in tackling corruption and promoting greater transparency, accountability, and integrity in public institutions, particularly in the justice sector.
The brief Making Laws and Institutions Work for People: IDLO’s Work in Enhancing Anti-Corruption and Transparency provides examples from IDLO’s global anti-corruption portfolio with specific case studies from Armenia, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Somalia, and Ukraine. It also provides key insights on promising rule of law approaches, good practices and lessons learned from implementation.
