Fighting Petty Corruption in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Results and Implications for Forest and Biodiversity Conservation of the USAID/DRC funded Relance Economique project

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Fighting Petty Corruption in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo Results and Implications
for Forest and Biodiversity Conservation of the
USAID/DRC funded Relance Economique project
A presentation to the ABCG/WWF by Michael
Brown President, Innovative Resources
Management January 13, 2005
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The Project

• STRENGTHENING THE CAPACITY OF CIVIL SOCIETY AND
  BUSINESS TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH
  ALONG THE CONGO AND ITS TRIBUTARIES IN THE DRC -
  THE "RELANCE ECONOMIQUE"

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How can a project promoting economic growth along
the Congo River and its tributaries be good for
biodiversity conservation?

• Answer
• Forest and biodiversity conservation will be
  promoted if those with the greatest incentive to
  threaten resources become more fully integrated
  into structures and mechanisms that create
  greater accountability and improved governance.

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Relance Economique facts

• Phase 1
• USAID funding - 1,000,000
• Duration 18 months (Jan 2003 to Jun 2004)
• Where Equateur and Bandundu provinces.
• Phase 2
• USAID funding 1,353,987
• Duration12 months (Oct 2004 to Sept 2005)
• Where Equateur, Bandundu and Orientale
  Provinces.
• Average household income in project zone
  46/annually/8 people.

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(No Transcript)
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Relance Economique Facts (cont.)

• Currently seeking funding (750,000 Building
  Capacity to Manage Crucial Conflicts in the DRC)
  to complement the projects anti-corruption
  focus.
• Issues to address
• Safeguarding the transition period
• Preparing for Demilitarization, Demobilization,
  Reinsertion (DDR)
• Supporting civil society involvement in the
  electoral process
• Enabling any policy shifts in decentralization
• Addressing resource based conflicts.

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Phase I - Key Activities

• Analysis of cost of corruption to diverse
  stakeholders.
• Provincial networking (2 workshops, Convoi
  Sans/100 Problèmes).
• National and provincial information
  dissemination.
• Creation of Comité de Lutte Anti-Tracasseries
  (CLATs).

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Our thesis from the beginning has been..

• Contrary to conventional wisdom, it is possible
  to contribute to significant reductions in
  corruption in a country as complex as the DRC.
  Furthermore, it is possible to do so through
  United States government sponsored activities.

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What is unique about the IRM approach to
anti-corruption?

• We mobilize social capital across Congolese
  society.
• We begin with bread and butter (versus abstract)
  issues (e.g. development, food security).
• We generate measurable impacts (s of barriers).
• We produce multiplier effects (CLATS, media).
• We successfully facilitate political and
  administrative participation with Espace
  Presidentielle, Ministries, Governors, Services.
• Coalitions formed can springboard elsewhere
  (elections, DDR).
• Mechanisms can be up-scaled (local to national).

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Tangible Results

• Multiple awareness campaigns run by civil society
  organizations addressing local corruption and its
  consequences to stakeholders and the economy.
• MOUs and agreements signed between government
  authorities and river associations for the
  control and reduction of taxes.

• Campaign of the Union Congolaise des Armateurs
  des Baleinières (UCAB) denouncing corruption in
  ports.
• Campaign of the Association des Armateurs du
  Congo (ASSARCO) in 24 ports in Kinshasa and
  Maluku.

• MOU between ASSARCO and Hotel de Ville de
  Kinshasa. Reduction in the cost of transport
  seals from 14 /ton to 0.50/ton, only 4 services
  in each port.

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Results (cont.)

• Civil society mobilized into committees (CLATs)
  to fight petty corruption on principal waterways.
• IRM research and studies show a reduction in
  illicit rent seeking of 95 in the Mai-Ndombe.
• IRM data base on corruption issues available for
  consultation.
• Presidential decree issued to fight corruption.
• The Espace Presidentielle has been engaged
  VPs Bemba and Yerodia.
• The DRC governmental Ethics and Anti-Corruption
  Commission (CELC) has agreed to support CLATs by
  promoting their legalization.

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Impacts

• Civil society is more aware now of corruption,
  its consequences, and ways to fight and reduce
  it.
• Spontaneous participation of civil society under
  committees (CLATs) to identify and fight
  corruption.
• Collaboration between GDRC and IRM to establish
  steps to fight corruption expanding.
• Increased demand for project voiced throughout
  the provinces.

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Impacts (cont.)

• IRM actions and activities continually reported
  in the print media, television and radio.
• Personal involvement of Vice-Presidents in taking
  measures to apply existing laws and regulations.
• CELC see CLATs as vehicles to enable civil
  society to pursue anti-corruption watch-dogging
  at local levels.

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What works and what does not work

• What works
• Transparency
• Objectivity in data and analysis
• Multi stakeholder collaboration
• Progressive capacity building of CLATs.
• What does not work
• Top-down planning
• End arounds
• Too much emotion and subjectivity.

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Where we go from here

• Strengthen the advocacy and operational capacity
  of CLATs.
• Extend activities into other provinces and river
  axes as feasible.
• Expansion of a multi stakeholder communication
  network through high frequency radio and
  structured meetings.
• Integrate conflict management activities.

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Where we go from here (cont.)

• Address tracasseries constraining road
  networks.
• Creation of committees for road users (based on
  the idea of CLATs for waterways).
• 2nd Convoy Sans/100 Problèmes between Kinshasa
  and Kisangani.
• Support the transition and electoral process as
  feasible.
• Collaboration between IRM and Deputies of the
  National Assembly on the proposed
  Decentralization Legislation.
• Explore opportunities for CLAT activities in
  forest zoning.

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The Secret to Success

• Be fully transparent
• Add value through continuing to help people
  understand the costs of corruption that they
  bear
• Be creative in helping people work out possible
  solutions to apparently insurmountable dilemmas
• Be systematic and resolute in following through
  in compliance concerning commitments.

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Implications for Biodiversity Conservation

• Low level corruption should not necessarily be
  assumed to be less of a threat to biodiversity
  conservation than high level corruption
  associated with conflict timber or blood
  diamonds.
• Without reduced corruption in daily life of the
  poor, it is hard to imagine how the masses will
  have the incentive to support sustainable forest
  and biodiversity conservation objectives.
• An approach that creates broad-based stakeholder
  coalitions involving civil society, government,
  and the media is the only credible approach to
  addressing corruption related issues impacting on
  forest and biodiversity conservation.

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Implications for Biodiversity Conservation
(contd.)

• Forest and biodiversity conservation activities
  should link to CLATs where feasible.
• IRM in our work in Relance Economique, CBFP and
  Congo Livelihood Improvement and Food Security
  (CLIFS) Project will progressively enhance the
  capacity of CLATS to deal with issues that impact
  on forest and biodiversity conservation.

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Our Objective in Fighting Corruption is Much More
of this,..
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and this, versus
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Or this.