Integrating Human Rights in the Anti-Corruption Agenda - The ICHRP

Recommendations
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
When designing participatory processes to prevent corruption, politicians,
officials and anti-corruption professionals and advocates should identify
and notify all groups who have a direct interest in the issue concerned
(breadth of participation). Vulnerable or disadvantaged groups may be
identified by, for example, carrying out a stakeholder analysis or mapping.
Particular attention should be paid to vulnerable and disempowered
groups. To prevent dominant groups from co-opting or controlling
participatory processes, officials and anti-corruption advocates should
equip themselves with tools that will detect and mitigate the informal
and discriminatory exercise of power. Taking account of different kinds
of power relations (visible, hidden and invisible) and the particular
needs of marginalised groups, officials and advocates should actively
take steps to ensure that such groups can organise their views,
express them frankly and be heard. For example, consultations can be
segmented by groups and then brought together in a plenary.
Politicians, officials and anti-corruption advocates should make sure
that groups have timely access to relevant information regarding both
the issue and the participatory process in which they have been invited
to engage. Information should be complete, up-to-date, truthful and
understandable (avoiding specialised language).
Participatory processes should say clearly what degree of influence
participants can expect to have on the decision or outcome and should
normally allow participants to exercise an influence that is significant
(depth of participation). At a minimum, the decision-making body
should take due and fair account of the opinions expressed and should
promptly and publicly notify those involved of the decisions made,
providing the text of the decision and its justification.
In addition to considering breadth, depth and power relations, public
officials and anti-corruption advocates should evaluate discrimination
when they design and implement participatory processes. They
should equip themselves with tools that enable them to identify
and mitigate discrimination and prevent indirect as well as direct
manipulation. If participatory processes fail to address inequities
caused by discrimination, they are likely to deepen rather than reduce
the subordination and alienation of oppressed groups. In this regard,
public officials and anti-corruption advocates should ensure that their
own actions and judgements do not reproduce or legitimise forms of
“invisible” powers that are discriminatory.
Integrating Human Rights in the Anti-Corruption Agenda: Challenges, Possibilities and Opportunities 13