Transparency International – The Global Coalition against Corruption - November 30, 2009 - Back to Resources Page

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The existence of an effective national integrity system that addresses the potential
risks of corruption at all levels is a prerequisite for good governance. Creating
such a system requires broadening the accountability base within government so
power is not concentrated amongst a few positions, and so each individual who
occupies a public position is liable for his/her own performance and both monitors,
and is monitored by, others in the system. Developing a national integrity
system involves moving away from the top-down model of control, which is prevalent
in authoritarian one-party governments and dictatorships, to a model characterised
by horizontal checks and balances, and plurality of oversight mechanisms.
Institutions with the capacity to monitor and intervene in cases of abuse
of authority – such as parliaments, public watchdog organisations, free press,
courts, public auditors, civil society organisations and trade unions – are needed.
Such a system for safeguarding the integrity of government requires a broad vision
to protect all structures against corruption, through reform of both legislation
and institutional culture. To accomplish this, a phased approach is needed that
engages the participation of the community, civil society organisations, the private
sector, the media and religious institutions. Such a holistic reform program would
address all aspects of governance, including the institutional framework (governmental
apparatus and administration), and work toward legislation to protect civil
liberties and address corruption in government as well as policies and planning
that reflect the needs and desires of all sectors of society.

The implementation of a national integrity system is a major challenge for emerging
states. Although the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) does not possess
all the characteristics of a state, it can be considered an emerging governance
system. The PNA, as is the case with governments in other nations under similar
conditions, has not yet developed the institutional capacity to fulfill all of its functions
and lacks the expertise needed to fully develop the systems needed to
ensure integrity in government. Moreover, the PNA functions in a context in which
most of its territory is under military occupation by Israel, and in which Israel has
full control of the borders and border-crossings as well as much of the land and
other resources under the PNA’s jurisdiction.

This study examines the systems currently in place to ensure accountability in
public, private and non-governmental Palestinian institutions. This constitutes
part of a larger study sponsored by Transparency International (TI) to explore and
evaluate the experience of different nations, including a number of Arab states in
the region – Egypt, Lebanon and Morocco – in terms of systems of integrity.
The National Integrity System (NIS) assessment approach developed by Transparency
International provides the basis of the methodology used throughout all
of the country studies. This model sees the legislative, judicial and executive powers
of government as key pillars to uphold integrity, transparency and accountability
in a society, along with other major actors and institutions such as security
apparatuses, political parties, electoral commissions, supreme audit and control
bodies, civil services, anti-corruption institutions, local government, international
parties, the private sector, the media, NGOs and other civil society organisations.
This study assesses each of these sectors in terms of their structure, resources,
role in safeguarding integrity and transparency, protocols for addressing grievances,
relationship with other sectors and their role in promoting and monitoring
accountability in society. The assessment explores the legal, institutional, policy
and practical dimensions of integrity, transparency and accountability in each
instance.

AMAN was requested to conduct the study on the PNA within the larger TI research
project. Dr. Ahmad Abu Dayyeh, Dr. Mohammad Abu Zaid and Dr. Abdul
Rahman Tamimi were appointed to form a specialised research team. Ra’ida
Qandeel served as a research assistant, Jamileh Abed as coordinator and Dr.
Azmi Al-Shu’aybi, Commissioner for Combating Corruption at AMAN, supervised
the study. The team drew upon existing documents and studies conducted by
AMAN as well as interviews with officials representing targeted institutions, using
the National Integrity System (NIS) methodology provided by Transparency
International’s Secretariat to determine the status of existing systems to support
integrity.

AMAN has conducted a number of other studies exploring the issue of combating
corruption and examining the key pillars that support integrity at the institutional
level in Palestine. These include: A survey of national integrity system reconstruction
(2007, supervised by TIRI); Integrity, transparency and accountability
– a manual for combating corruption (2007); The reality of pension in Palestine
(2007); The financial performance of the PNA: Government tenders (2008); and
The problem of separation of powers in the Palestinian political system - The
executive power: The presidency and the Cabinet (2007).

To download the full report please click below:

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Transparency International – The Global Coalition against Corruption - November 30, 2009 - Back to Resources Page