A. H. Monjurul Kabir, 28 March 2011, Bratislava

1. Do Human Rights and Justice
Matter in Anti-corruption work?
A. H. Monjurul Kabir, 28 March 2011, Bratislava
monjurul.kabir@undp.org

2. Why Human Rights & Justice
Matter?
 Human rights creates  Freedom of Expression
enabling environment for  Media Freedom-Social
the prevention of media/FB Revolution!
corruption.  Freedom of Assembly
 The Sunlight Factor (A2J &
 Right to Information
R2I).
 Right to participate in the
 ATI measures largely
political process
depend on HR principles
and constitutional  Principles of Equality
guarantees.  Rule of Law and Judicial
safeguards
the list goes on …
Bratislava 28-29 March 2011

3. … Why HR&J Matter?
 Human rights focuses on  Vulnerability
disadvantaged & vulnerable  Widespread Discrimination
groups & marginalized  Limited Accessibility to
communities i.e., minorities, judicial institutions and legal
women, persons with safeguards
disabilities, persons living
with or affected by HIV etc.  Greater exposure to abuse
including corrupt practices
 Corruption threatens human
rights and, in particular, the  Lack of confidence in
rights of the poor leading to national institutions
disempowerment  Legal Disempowerment
 The poor need legal aid, not
pressure to pay bribes …
Bratislava 28-29 March 2011

4. Realities on the Ground …
 Corruption in the justice  Rule of Law and Judicial
system often goes hand in Integrity: Collaboration
hand with political between PACDE & PHASE
interference.  National Preventive
 Occurrence and or Mechanism (NPM)-
recurrence of Torture – strengthening a visiting
Corruption breeds torture. mechanism-CSO
 Inability of traditional engagement
institutional safeguards
 Strengthening of
 Conflicts, frozen conflicts National Human Rights
and post-conflicts Protection Mechanism
Bratislava 28-29 March 2011

5. … Realities on the Ground
 Exclusion – lack of  Voice and Accountability require
representation in national application of HRBA – Rights
development/development holders and duty bearers
programming  Protection of Human Rights
 Exposure of individuals who Defenders and Whistle blowers
report their suspicions in good  Creating synergetic relations
faith internally or externally between ‘National Integrity
 Multiple mandates and System’ and ‘National Human
jurisdictions, lack of Rights Protection System’
coordination and clarity,  Engaging CSOs …
overlapping
Bratislava 28-29 March 2011

6. What can we do?
• Enhanced awareness and  Joint ACHR CoP
advocacy to empowering  Joint work of NHRIs-AC
people Agencies
 Human Rights & AC  Piloting areas of
Mechanisms – differences, collaboration: investigation?
complementarities  Empirical evidence and Case
 Regional and Sub-regional Studies
trends and issues
 Partnership at National and
 Ombudsmen and NHRIs are Sub-national levels
in some countries actively
working against undue  Application of HRBA in Dev.
influence & other corrupt Programming
practices. - the Public
Defenders in Georgia and
Armenia
Bratislava 28-29 March 2011

7. Going Beyond Minimum!
• Baseline assessment of  Needs to be validated with
operational linkages between relevant stakeholders such as
AC & HR activities in the national anti-corruption and
region; human rights institutions
• Recommendations and and civil society)
roadmap for developing  If necessary workshop is to be
integrated AC & HR organized back to back with
strategic approaches and the DG CoP Meeting for the
operational responses. ECIS region
• Initiating a regional dialogue
will help to identify the entry  WHAT DO YOU THINK?
points for future
programming.
Bratislava 28-29 March 2011