NATIONAL INTEGRITY SYSTEM ASSESSMENT: CURAÇAO 2013
Between 2012 and 2013, Transparency International conducted a National Integrity System (NIS) assessment on Curaçao. The Caribbean island has a population of 150,560 and is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has gone through significant political change in recent years following dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in 2010 and the resulting modification of its country status. The purpose of these studies is to assess systemic corruption risks faced by a country, and produce a set of recommendations on how to mitigate those risks in the future. Those recommendations can then be used by actors in civil society, government and the private sector for promoting integrity in the country.
There is a general lack of trust in Curaçao’s key institutions, the anti-corruption group Transparency International said in a report published today. This is a major obstacle for strengthening the foundations of this new country and will limit the success of any programme addressing corruption and promoting good governance.
Based on the findings of the Curaçao National Integrity System assessment, Transparency International recommends the following:
- Curaçao must ratify the United Nations Conventions against Corruption as a matter of urgency and develop an action plan to ensure its implementation and enforcement.
- All sectors of society must strive to increase the levels of transparency in their activities, internal procedures and funding sources. Given the pivotal role played by political parties in the Curaçao National Integrity System, the transparency of political party financing requires particular attention.
- The Government should prioritise funding and capacity building of law enforcement agencies to enable them to effectively conduct investigations and follow-up on cases put forward by Curaçao’s oversight agencies (the judiciary, the Ombudsman and the supreme audit and supervisory institutions).
- The Executive must work to ensure greater independence and accountability of the public sector. This entails ensuring that principles of proper administration are followed and that all internal mechanism to ensure accountability and integrity are in place. Compliance with these mechanisms must be monitored and sanctions imposed where necessary.
Karel Frielink
(25 June 2013)
.
