Interconnecting the various important efforts to combat kleptocracy – from research-generated evidence, to local civil society work, to the initiatives of international organizations and government actions such as sanctions – is critical so that strategies to tackle kleptocracy can effectively benefit people living in ordinary circumstances around the world.
So what can be done to help create a more coordinated strategy? As Melissa Aten, Senior Program Officer at the International Forum for Democratic Studies, has rightly pointed out there is something kleptocracies have not been able to plunder and that is their people.
Global Integrity supports those on the front lines confronting kleptocratic regimes. We help organizations work collectively to figure out solutions by asking tough questions, finding synergies, providing evidence and connecting it to practice, and elevating the stories of those leading the charge. This has been at the core of Global Integrity’s anti-kleptocracy efforts.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine and renewed interest to make kleptocracy a central issue both for domestic and foreign policy in western democracies has created unprecedented momentum. A number of actions from the US and the UK including targeted sanctions, specialized anti-kleptocracy cells and stronger anti money-laundering legislation are helping move the needle.
Meanwhile investigative journalism and research are helping us build evidence on how enablers in western democracies are facilitating illicit financial flows that ensure the stolen money cannot be traced, taking advantage of loopholes and weak leak legislation in law-abiding countries to hide the money.
We need to sustain these efforts while also progressing recommendations and taking actions such as localizing the response, assessing kleptocratic transitions, empowering local leaders and seizing windows of opportunity. Efforts tend to operate in silos and the abundance of recommendations makes it difficult to prioritize and create a coordinated strategy.
In collaboration with International Budget Partnership Kenya and the support of the National Endowment for Democracy, Global Integrity organized a workshop in Nairobi bringing together international and local activists, journalists and civil society leaders to work together and collaboratively think of concrete solutions to combat kleptocracy in Africa.
What made this workshop different, and what makes our approach to development different is that we support local actors in getting down to the brass tacks: co-designing an agenda that promotes creative and outside the box thinking, and builds trust and collaboration through interactive and fun sessions designed to produce practical outcomes. In Nairobi, the meeting provided the space and structure for everyone in the room to work together and draw a rough roadmap to combat kleptocracy in a way that is led by African organizations in an African context while interconnected with other efforts such as those described above.
Ideas to help tackle grand corruption that emerged from this workshop include continuing to make kleptocracy a human story, paving the path to connect with citizens and their struggles. And, at the same time, building the capacity of civil society to devise solutions at the country level by supporting a network of African anti-kleptocracy leaders to connect various pieces of the puzzle. Participants also emphasized the importance of tracking public expenditure to uncover corruption, bringing litigation to reclaim stolen assets and raising awareness through campaigns to push for policy reform. If you want to read about more solutions from this workshop, Janet Zhou from the Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development ZIMCODD has put together a brilliant summary.
As many of us who work in international development and fighting corruption know too well, conferences, workshops, and meetings come and go, themes, trends and solutions are discussed but then nothing happens afterwards. Everyone starts getting disillusioned and fatigued by the lack of follow up. We can’t make progress if we don’t set up a plan and operationalize it. This workshop was different. After all, this is how Global Integrity’s support to the Opening Central Africa coalition was born. We envision these meetings as a space to yield results for those attending by defining specific solutions, and supporting partners who will take on the mantle to drive them forward.
Organizations at the international level, like Global Integrity, have the responsibility to partner with those at the local level, who know the challenges from lived experience, take their lead on potential solutions, and invest in those solutions to implement them. For us, it means we will continue to partner and support those attending this workshop including the Opening Central Africa Coalition, International Budget Partnership, Accountability Lab, Finance Uncovered, Financial Transparency Coalition and many more to put these solutions into action.
