The Foreign Service Journal, May 2009

M A Y 2 0 0 9 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 9 Campaign for Foreign Assistance Reform In an open letter to President Obama and the U.S. Congress, more than 150 prominent individuals and in- stitutions urge that foreign assistance reform be made a priority — “because the economic and geopolitical realities of today, and the challenges of the fu- ture, demand that we use every dollar as effectively as possible to fight poverty and disease, increase prosper- ity, strengthen weak states and further other U.S. strategic interests abroad” ( www.modernizingforeignassist ance.net/network/open_letter_to_ obama.php ). The open letter and broad citizen campaign behind it are a project of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Net- work, a coalition of international de- velopment and foreign policy practi- tioners, policy advocates and experts, concerned citizens and private-sector organizations. To follow the issue of foreign assis- tance reform and participate in the campaign to accomplish it, visit www. modernizingforeignassistance.net . — Susan Brady Maitra, Senior Editor Taking the Pulse of Civil Society Corruption, transparency and in- tegrity are topics that have moved to the top of the agenda for actors in in- ternational civil society. Recent reports from two nonprofit organizations show where countries stand in early 2009. For the third year running, Global Integrity found that poor regulation of political financing is the leading gover- nance problem worldwide ( www.glo balintegrity.org ) . The group’s 2008 report tracks anti-corruption practices in 57 countries. GI does not measure corruption or perceptions of corrup- tion per se; rather, it evaluates the ex- istence, effectiveness and citizen access to anti-corruption mechanisms at the national level. Other key findings include continu- ing poor access to government infor- mation in much of the Arab world and an increasing lack of transparency in the Horn of Africa. Surprisingly, de- spite the fact that Eastern and Central Europe are generally perceived to have weak anti-corruption and good- governance mechanisms, states in that region are doing relatively well on the Global Integrity Index. Additional highlights from the 2008 report in- clude a special focus on China, Iraq and Somalia. The entire report can be found at ( http://report.globalinteg rity.org / ). Another view of the health of civil society is offered by Transparency In- ternational ( www.transparency.org ) . The Corruption Perceptions Index, Bribe Payers Index, Global Corruption Barometer and Promoting Revenue Transparency series are all aimed at raising awareness and diminishing apa- thy and tolerance of corruption ( www. transparency.org/policy_research/ surveys_indices/about ). TI’s Global Corruption Report 2008 , released last fall, highlights cor- ruption in the water sector. More than one billion people live without access to safe drinking water and, as this re- port documents, corruption plays a critical role in perpetuating the crisis. The Global Corruption Report 2009 , due out by midyear, will focus on cor- ruption and the private sector, in addi- tion to an annual review of anti- C YBERNOTES A s one of the developing countries, we are at the low end of the produc- tion line for the global economy. We produce products, and these products are consumed by other countries. … This share of emissions should be taken by the consumers, but not the producers. —Li Gao, director of the climate change department at China’s National Development and Reform Commission at a meeting in Washington, D.C., on March 17, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7947438.stm