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Partnership for Transparency Fund
...providing small grants to CSOs in developing countries to fight corruption
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Press Release
ptf@partnershipfortransparency.info
http://www.partnershipfortransparency.info
PTF - the not-for-profit anti-corruption project sponsor
Johannesburg, London, Washington DC, July 26, 2004:- The World Bank has joined the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) and the UN Development Program (UNDP) as a key funder of the Partnership for Transparency Fund (PTF), the not-for-profit sponsor of anti-corruption projects across the developing world and in Eastern Europe
In Johannesburg, PTF Chairman Kumi Naidoo said, "The World Bank's support represents an important step forward for PTF in supporting civil society organizations to develop vital anti-corruption projects. We provide very small grants that have a substantial impact. The record of our first four years, with 28 projects in Africa, Asia, Latin America and in Eastern Europe, amply demonstrates this."
Mr. Naidoo, who is the Secretary General of CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, added, "The World Bankhas informed us that it is providing PTF with a grant of $180,000 I particularly want to thank the Bank's staff and its President James Wolfensohn for this vote of confidence in PTF and its unique approach. There is mounting recognition that PTF can provide far smaller grants than major aid agencies can manage and that these grants can indeed have a real impact."
In London, PTF President Pierre Landell-Mills, stated, "PTF has been supported to date by a private UK foundation (US$25,000), by UNDP/UNOPS/BMZ-German (US$283,473) grant aid, and Sweden's Sida (SEK 3 million). PTF is providing micro-grants - usually $25,000 or less - to fund time-bound initiatives that increase transparency and curb corruption in the public sector. PTF, created in 2000, is also helping civil society to play effective roles in the design, implementation and monitoring of national anti-corruption programs."
Mr. Naidoo noted, "PTF's Board, composed of NGO activists and volunteers with extensive international experience drawn from all continents, recently approved an expanded program for the coming year. We are building on the experience of piloting an internet-based low cost program for delivering funds and advice to civil society organisations that engage constructively with public agencies in projects that can stop the miss-use of public funds. NGOs can play essential anti-corruption roles and a fundamental PTF premise is that this can be best achieved when implementing NGOs are independent of financing from official aid agencies - PTF is a valuable buffer and intermediary in this process."
Projects supported by PTF have been diverse both geographically and in terms of the range of projects. For example, they include the monitoring the auction of a mobile phone licence in Bulgaria, anti-corruption media campaigns in Mongolia, Nicaragua and Nepal, establishing Integrity Pacts in Colombia and Pakistan, preparing legislation to protect whistle-blowers in Nigeria, tracking public expenditure in Tanzania, improving the integrity of local government in Poland, Peru and the Philippines, tackling forest corruption in Costa Rica, and monitoring privatisation in Paraguay, Tanzania and Ecuador.
In Washington DC, PTF Vice Chairman Anabel Cruz stated, "PTF is run by highly experienced volunteers working alongside NGOs in an expanding number of countries. Our direct grants to NGOs involve few overheads and minimal bureaucracy. We are now facing a rising demand for funding from NGOs and we are hopeful that today's World Bank decision will influence other major funding organizations to now join this important initiative."
Looking at PTF's work over its first four years, President Pierre Landell-Mills stressed that PTF grants have enabled the civil society beneficiary organisations to pilot various different replicable anti-corruption measures, for example:
Providing a 'citizen watch' function to discourage corruption in the sale of state-owned assets and the auctioning of licences, to monitor public procurement, and in tracking public expenditure.
These projects also serve to build capacity within civil society, establish the right of NGOs to be valid partners of the public sector in improving governance, and increase public awareness of practical measures that can improve the management of public resources. Details may be found on PTF's website.
ptf@partnershipfortransparency.info
http://www.partnershipfortransparency.info
World Bank Joins Other Key Funders to Support the Partnership for Transparency Fund
PTF - the not-for-profit anti-corruption project sponsor
Johannesburg, London, Washington DC, July 26, 2004:- The World Bank has joined the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) and the UN Development Program (UNDP) as a key funder of the Partnership for Transparency Fund (PTF), the not-for-profit sponsor of anti-corruption projects across the developing world and in Eastern Europe
In Johannesburg, PTF Chairman Kumi Naidoo said, "The World Bank's support represents an important step forward for PTF in supporting civil society organizations to develop vital anti-corruption projects. We provide very small grants that have a substantial impact. The record of our first four years, with 28 projects in Africa, Asia, Latin America and in Eastern Europe, amply demonstrates this."
Mr. Naidoo, who is the Secretary General of CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, added, "The World Bankhas informed us that it is providing PTF with a grant of $180,000 I particularly want to thank the Bank's staff and its President James Wolfensohn for this vote of confidence in PTF and its unique approach. There is mounting recognition that PTF can provide far smaller grants than major aid agencies can manage and that these grants can indeed have a real impact."
In London, PTF President Pierre Landell-Mills, stated, "PTF has been supported to date by a private UK foundation (US$25,000), by UNDP/UNOPS/BMZ-German (US$283,473) grant aid, and Sweden's Sida (SEK 3 million). PTF is providing micro-grants - usually $25,000 or less - to fund time-bound initiatives that increase transparency and curb corruption in the public sector. PTF, created in 2000, is also helping civil society to play effective roles in the design, implementation and monitoring of national anti-corruption programs."
Mr. Naidoo noted, "PTF's Board, composed of NGO activists and volunteers with extensive international experience drawn from all continents, recently approved an expanded program for the coming year. We are building on the experience of piloting an internet-based low cost program for delivering funds and advice to civil society organisations that engage constructively with public agencies in projects that can stop the miss-use of public funds. NGOs can play essential anti-corruption roles and a fundamental PTF premise is that this can be best achieved when implementing NGOs are independent of financing from official aid agencies - PTF is a valuable buffer and intermediary in this process."
Projects supported by PTF have been diverse both geographically and in terms of the range of projects. For example, they include the monitoring the auction of a mobile phone licence in Bulgaria, anti-corruption media campaigns in Mongolia, Nicaragua and Nepal, establishing Integrity Pacts in Colombia and Pakistan, preparing legislation to protect whistle-blowers in Nigeria, tracking public expenditure in Tanzania, improving the integrity of local government in Poland, Peru and the Philippines, tackling forest corruption in Costa Rica, and monitoring privatisation in Paraguay, Tanzania and Ecuador.
In Washington DC, PTF Vice Chairman Anabel Cruz stated, "PTF is run by highly experienced volunteers working alongside NGOs in an expanding number of countries. Our direct grants to NGOs involve few overheads and minimal bureaucracy. We are now facing a rising demand for funding from NGOs and we are hopeful that today's World Bank decision will influence other major funding organizations to now join this important initiative."
Looking at PTF's work over its first four years, President Pierre Landell-Mills stressed that PTF grants have enabled the civil society beneficiary organisations to pilot various different replicable anti-corruption measures, for example:
Providing a 'citizen watch' function to discourage corruption in the sale of state-owned assets and the auctioning of licences, to monitor public procurement, and in tracking public expenditure.
- Offering a citizens' 'voice' in the elaboration of anti-corruption legislation.
- Building public awareness of the tools for fighting corruption through various types of media campaign.
- Supporting citizen charters to improve public transparency
and accountability; and participating in the formulation of
anti-corruption programs.
These projects also serve to build capacity within civil society, establish the right of NGOs to be valid partners of the public sector in improving governance, and increase public awareness of practical measures that can improve the management of public resources. Details may be found on PTF's website.