What we do

Aware of the role of the judiciaries in effectively safeguarding the rule of law and limiting the devastating impact of corruption on societies, Transparency International movement has recognized the urgent need for robust judicial systems that can prevent and punish corruption as its global strategic priority. A judiciary committed to integrity, independent and accountable is more likely listen to the marginalized and uphold individual rights, as well as to sanction corruption and those who are stealing public money to enrich themselves.

What's at stake?

Corruption is undermining justice in many parts of the world. When corruption affects the judiciary, it fundamentally annuls the basic human right to a fair trial and denies citizens an impartial settlement of disputes with their neighbours, service providers or the authorities. A corrupt judiciary becomes captured by political and economic interests and bends judgements to serve the interests of a few, favouring inequality as opposed to delivering justice to all. In addition, corruption within the judiciary leaves corruption above the law in every other branch of government and economic activity in which it may have taken root. 

Our approach

Only an independent, accountable and impartial judiciary is able to uphold individual rights and prevent abuse of power by state and non-state actors. TI’s work has shown that the judiciary is often unable or unwilling to fulfil its mandate effectively.  In many countries it is paralysed not only by corruption within the sector itself but also by political or economic interference, weak legislative frameworks, or/ and lack of resources. As a result, citizens’ trust in the state is undermined, and the quality of overall governance is diminished. Engaging a diverse spectrum of actors is critical for breaking this vicious cycle by collectively demanding greater transparency, accountability and integrity from a country’s judicial sector. To promote integrity, independence and accountability in the judiciary we focus on three strategic areas: global knowledge & policy work, country projects and technical assistance & training.

Global Knowledge and Policy Work 

The Centre will serve the knowledge, policy and advocacy needs of the global TI Movement and global stakeholder community on judiciary-related corruption issues and solutions. As such, it will:

• act as a help desk and stimulate, coordinate and facilitate the development of knowledge (tools, solutions, etc.);
• enable cross-regional communication between TI Chapters and other actors;
• provide technical assistance and support for the initiation of national activities;
• coordinate global representation and advocacy activities;
• identify opportunities for global partnerships and managing global stakeholder relationships;
• lead global fundraising efforts and managing global funds;
• manage the disbursement and reporting of funds secured centrally;
• collect data to feed into the Programme monitoring and evaluation system.

Country Projects

The Centre will multiply the impact of the TI Chapters’ domestic work by creating change at the national level, facilitating collective advocacy and providing opportunities for participating TI Chapters to:

• develop or expand country-level knowledge, e.g. through targeted research and corruption risk
• mapping to understand gaps and loopholes in the judicial process;
• identify and manage opportunities for local partnerships and stakeholder relationships;
• provide input on global tool development;
• adapt and implement global interventions at the national level;
• engage people at grassroots level;
• communicate on national-level activities, sharing relevant knowledge and lessons learned.

Training & Technical Assistance

The Centre will train interested stakeholders at different levels (providers and users, incl. grassroots/ local level) to help them better understand judicial anti-corruption systems and practices, and to learn how to monitor judicial proceedings and report suspicious behaviour. The Centre will also deliver technical assistance interventions to judicial institutions and stakeholders to help them enhance their anti-corruption capacity and shape their internal anti-corruption programmes.