Status: In draft
Corruption and human rights: integrating human rights in anti-corruption agendas
Introduction
This is a second report, presently in its draft form, of a project on corruption and human rights. The first report, Corruption and Human Rights: Making the Connection was published in February 2009. Developing a clear description of the conceptual links between human rights and corruption is important and has not been done so far. But a conceptual model alone will not meet the need, because human rights will not be effective tools in anti-corruption work if they are not applied in context. The anti-corruption movement has its own history: international standards have been agreed; and those involved have developed a distinct body of practice and a range of methodologies.
The second report examines issues of implementation. It discusses where use of a human rights framework can strengthen anti-corruption programmes at national and local level, and what obstacles and conflicts may inhibit effective cooperation. To what extent are anti-corruption programmes compatible (or at odds) with human rights principles? How should national institutional and legal contexts be taken into account? Where would use of human rights principles and techniques most improve the impact of anti-corruption programmes? What could human rights and anti-corruption professionals learn from one another?
The report does not advocate human rights as a policy panacea for every challenge faced by anti-corruption specialists. Rather it examines when and how the use of human rights might improve performance in certain areas; it also identifies the limits of a human rights approach in anti-corruption. The goal is to provide an operational framework for applying human rights principles and methods to anti-corruption programmes. It examines anti-corruption practice in different institutions and seeks to be a practical tool that public officials and practitioners can use to address the difficulties that arise when efforts are made to reduce or stop corruption. It includes practical cases and addresses the obstacles and challenges of applying a human rights framework in corruption programmes.
