Integrity Commission Hosts National Anti-Corruption Strategy Consultation

About 80 persons representing a wide cross-section of public bodies and civil society participated in a national consultation workshop, aimed at developing a National Anti-Corruption Strategy, on Friday (July 19).

The workshop, organised by the Integrity Commission, which oversees the implementation of national anti-corruption initiatives, was held at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in Kingston.

The process, which has been ongoing, builds on an initial stakeholder engagement session held in April 2023.

In November 2023, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), a United Kingdom (UK) Government department, engaged Public Administration International (PAI), a consultancy firm, to assist the Integrity Commission in coordinating the Anti-Corruption Strategy’s implementation.

Key Speakers at the consultation were British High Commissioner, Her Excellency Judith Slater; PAI Lead Anti-Corruption Expert, Donald Bowser, and Director, Corruption Prevention, Stakeholder Engagement and Anti-Corruption Strategy, Integrity Commission, Ryan Evans.

Chairman of the Integrity Commission, Hon. Justice (Retired) Seymour Panton, in his opening remarks, which were conveyed on his behalf, commended the participants for attending the event.

“I recognise that your presence is an indication of your commitment to good governance and the building of a society that is free of corruption” he said.

Acknowledging Jamaica’s challenges with corruption perception, he said that the Commission’s goal is to eliminate that perception.

Jamaica continues to be scored at 44 on Transparency International’s 2023 Corruption Perception Index.

The ranking was released on January 30, 2024.

“The Integrity Commission wishes to have that perception erased. Your help in the process is critical,” Mr. Panton said.

He also expressed gratitude to the UK Government for its technical and financial support towards Jamaica’s anti-corruption efforts.

“We hope that today there will be a pooling of ideas which will help up to fulfil our statutory obligations,” he added.

High Commissioner Slater reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to partnering with Jamaica in combatting corruption, while emphasising the importance of prioritising the design of the Strategy.

She said that the Strategy should be a national endeavour, involving stakeholders from all sectors – government, private and public sectors and civil society – to ensure comprehensive and effective implementation.

“The intention is that it would be a general National Strategy and not just a strategy adopted by the Integrity Commission. Fighting corruption has to be a national multi-pronged effort, engaging all stakeholders, the private sector, government and civil society,” she emphasised.

In his remarks, Mr. Evans said that the issue of stakeholder engagement is fundamental to the work of the Commission.

He argued that corruption cannot be tackled in a singular way and the Commission must rely on the support of other players in the anti-corruption sphere.

“It requires ownership, it requires the feedback of stakeholders, it requires the participation of stakeholders in the dialogue, and it requires the involvement of citizens,” Mr. Evans added.