TIPNG to host integrity summit to consolidate national coalition against corruption

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TIPNG Board Chair, Peter Aitsi. Photo: supplied

TO mark the completion of the National Integrity Systems Assessment (NISA), Transparency International PNG (TIPNG) is now gearing up to host the National Integrity Summit from May 13th-14th, 2021, in collaboration with the European Union.

The integrity summit, will feature the official launches of the 2020 NISA report as well as the Integrity Initiatives of Excellence Awards, also known as the I(integrity)-RATE Awards. 

This National Integrity Summit is the first of two such events which will bring together government, civil society, the media and citizens to discuss a range of topics around corruption and to improve the country’s response to tackling corruption. 

TIPNG Board Chair, Peter Aitsi said that while the NISA is an insightful tool for gauging the strength of our integrity systems, the development and implementation of effective solutions must be supported by all participating agencies to ensure a lasting impact. 

“The NISA is an important tool, not only as a means of monitoring the health of our integrity systems, but also as a means of identifying key areas which need improvement. This will be the first step towards developing realistic and practicable systems and solutions to address these weaknesses,” said Mr Aitsi. 

“Any significant and sustainable effort to combat the corruption that is deeply rooted in our systems can only be achieved if we work together. This summit will act as a point of convergence for all concerned agencies. To raise our collective awareness of the challenges ahead of us and to engage in conversations which help us identify the most successful solutions, as well as how they may be replicated across our different agencies,” he said. 

DAY ONE of the program (Thursday May 13th, 2021) will include the official presentation of findings from the NISA report, as well as two panel sessions covering: a.)  the challenges of prosecuting corruption and how these can be overcome, and b.)  how regulators (or regulating agencies) can ensure that corrupt actors are penalized. 

DAY TWO of the program (Friday May 14th, 2021) will include the official launch of the I-RATE Awards as well as another two-panel discussion covering; a.) inter-agency approaches to stopping illicit financial flows in PNG, and b.) whistle-blowing and investigative journalism. 

The NISA is the first phase of TIPNG’s Promoting Anti-Corruption & Integrity Strategies (PAIS) project. The second phase will involve TIPNG working closely with participating agencies to development of anti-corruption strategies and frameworks to combat corruption within their closed systems as well as their partner agencies. The PAIS is funded by the European Union.  

-Press Release-