Press Releases
National Anti-Corruption Plan Unveiled at USAID- Supported Conference
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US Embassy Charge’ d’Affaires James Moore, |
COLOMBO, July 28, 2007: The final version of the National Anti-Corruption Action Plan was presented on July 28 to senior representatives of the Government, Parliament and Judiciary during the National Conference on Anti-Corruption at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall. The plan, a milestone in the USAID- supported Sri Lanka Anti-Corruption Program (ACP), proposes actions to be taken by government, civil society, the private sector, the media, and donors ─ to reduce corruption and enhance accountability.
The U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has provided $2.3 million to the ACP as part of its $135 million tsunami recovery and reconstruction program in Sri Lanka. The ACP was put in place to help key Sri Lankan Government institutions and civil society organizations strengthen measures to combat corruption and monitor the disbursement of tsunami-related development assistance.
“Funds invested in anti-corruption programs such as this will be small compared to the economic, social, and political gains that will flow from a corruption-resistant society,” said U.S. Embassy’s Charge’ d’Affaires James R. Moore, to the conference participants. “We look forward to the opportunity to work with the Government of Sri Lanka and civil society, as well as with other multi-lateral and bilateral donors, in this important collaborative effort.” Moore emphasized that youth will be involved in the project. “It is their future that is at stake. As the next generation, the country’s youth need and deserve a level playing field on which to pursue their dreams, start a business, and raise a family.”
“Let our children know that it is their right to expect total integrity from all who hold authority over them and that nothing short of this shall be expected or accepted,” emphasized Justice C. G. Weeramantry, who delivered the keynote address at the conference.
The Action Plan was drafted over the past 18 months by the ACP’s Consultative Council, which is made up of professional associations, chambers of commerce, religious groups, unions, and other civil society organizations. An Action Plan Review Committee was formed to receive and review comments on the draft, and to finalize the Plan.
Other principal partners in ACP include the Auditor General’s Department and the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption. In conjunction with finalizing the Action Plan, the ACP also: conducted more than 100 workshops, seminars and conferences, primarily in tsunami-affected districts, to elicit feedback and involvement from the people of Sri Lanka; broadcast TV and radio spots and distributed children’s books to raise awareness about anti-corruption; collaborated with the Auditor General’s Department on new methods and techniques of investigative auditing; and completed a survey of 3,500 households about their perceptions and experiences of corruption..