Reducing Corruption
ONDCP FACT SHEET
Overview
Corruption slows and impedes the consolidation of democratic institutions and weakens the rule of law. Around the world corruption diverts resources from productive use, distorts economies, reduces growth, and causes enormous social tension. High levels of corruption make it more difficult for countries to grow and develop. It is all too often linked with transborder criminal activity, including drug trafficking, organized crime, and money laundering.
Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs) and other criminal syndicates with enormous resources to draw upon have a nearly open-ended capacity to corrupt. International criminals spare no expense to corrupt government and law enforcement officials in countries that serve as their base of operations or as critical avenues for transshipment of drugs, arms, precursor chemicals, or bulk cash.
Corruption also undermines the ability of United States law enforcement organizations to operate in a transparent, honest, confident, and predictable environment with their counterparts in other countries.
Taking a Leadership Role
The fight against all types of corruption is a high priority in our foreign policy. The United States, for instance, took a leadership role in the 2-year negotiation process which led to the signing of the U.N. Convention Against Corruption, in October 2003. The Convention Against Corruption is the most comprehensive of all existing international anticorruption instruments.
It contains innovative provisions that would commit governments to take steps to prevent corruption as well as to promote international cooperation in efforts to recover assets derived from corruption.
The Convention has been signed by 113 countries and ratified by 12. In December 2004, the Department of State contributed $500,000 to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, under whose auspices the convention was negotiated, to support ratification and implementation of the Convention.
A Promising Anticorruption Initiative
The U.S. also supports anti-corruption efforts on a much smaller scale, some of which show great promise and are starting to bear fruit. One unique anti-corruption initiative is a program developed by the National Strategy Information Center (NSIC), a Washington-based non-governmental research center, called the Culture of Lawfulness program.
Culture of Lawfulness is a school-based program that teaches students to be good citizens and respect the rule of law. The program has its roots in experiences in Sicily and Hong Kong, which successfully mobilized societal support for the rule of law, ultimately weakening the influence of the mafia and criminal elements in those countries.
The Culture of Lawfulness project works with national and state school systems to reach the next generation and through them, families and communities. Project staff members collaborate with educational authorities to develop culture of lawfulness courses, which are specifically tailored to the local socio-economic situation, integrate them into the curriculum, and prepare teachers. Schools use their own resources—classrooms and teachers—to institutionalize the program.
Post-course discussions with students reveal overwhelming enthusiasm for the course material and, more significantly, evaluations have demonstrated that the program has had a significant positive impact on students' knowledge and attitudes toward the rule of law. Culture of Lawfulness programs are being institutionalized in Mexico and Colombia and pilot programs are underway in Peru, El Salvador, Georgia, Lebanon, and elsewhere.
Another important sector is the police. In partnership with the Culture of Lawfulness project, in several cities in Mexico and Colombia, police are beginning to integrate education in the rule of law into their academic programs for entry-level and supervising police. This initiative aims to foster an understanding of how and why respect for the rule of law contributes to effective police work. It also intends to impart skills that will enable police to promote a culture of lawfulness—with the trust and participation of citizens.
To reach other significant sectors, the Culture of Lawfulness project teams up with researchers and civil society leaders to mobilize the mass media, religious institutions, NGOs, business, and labor. A plan is developed to help them use their influence and resources to foster respect for the rule of law.
National Strategy Information Center receives its support from private foundations and from the Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement. The Culture of Lawfulness project has been recognized by the United Nations and the Organization of American States as an effective program of preventive education.
Additional Information/Links
-
U.S. Department of Justice, Fraud Section (www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/).
-
U.S. Department of State—Information on Anti-corruption initiatives (www.state.gov/p/inl/corr/)
-
U.S. Department of the Treasury—Information on money laundering, customs, and international financial institutions (www.treas.gov).
-
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)—Center for Democracy and Governance, USAID's Efforts on Anticorruption, Handbook on Fighting Corruption (www.usaid.gov/our_work/democracy_and_governance/technical_areas/anti-corruption/).
-
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)—Charter for European Security, Rule of Law and Fight Against Corruption (www.osce.org).
-
Organization of American States (OAS)—The Fight Against Corruption in the Americas; Inter-American Convention Against Corruption; Resolutions of the General Assembly; studies and supporting documents (www.oas.org).
-
United Nations—Centre for International Crime Prevention (CICP), Global Program Against Corruption (www.UNCJIN.org/CICP/cicp.html).
-
For more information on the Culture of Lawfulness project, please visit www.cultureoflawfulness.org
Last Updated: March 2005
