In May 1993, Peter Eigen and several dozen global dignitaries in the fight against corruption began Transparency International at a conference in Berlin. Frustrated by the failure of world leaders to publicly recognise the need to tackle corruption head-on, they sought to turn the tables against secret dealings, bribery and the abuse of power, creating “an international coalition against corruption in international business transactions”.
“Who would have thought what a wonderful, beautiful, powerful organization Transparency International would become. I think with great appreciation and gratitude of all my partners of the first days,” said Peter Eigen, founder of Transparency International and chair of its Advisory Council.
In the 20 years since, Transparency International’s daily efforts have moved far beyond shedding light on business transactions and now include public sector efforts aimed at creating transparent governments and accountable leaders, a network of advocacy and legal advice centres, research and a presence in more than 100 countries.
On a national level independent chapters in 107 countries have lobbied for whistle-blower protections, access to information laws and other good governance reforms. On the local level the movement’s legal advice centres in more than 60 countries have offered free advice to victims of corruption and have pressed for systemic change.
In the last 20 years corruption has gone from a taboo topic to the most-talked about social challenge in the world, according to TI. Two international agreements (the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, ratified by 40 countries, and the UN Convention against Corruption, ratified by 165) and several regional conventions between governments seek to stop the scourge of foreign bribery and corruption.
Huguette Labelle, the Chair of Transparency International, said: “Looking into the next 20 years Transparency International will pour its efforts into creating a corruption-free world where people can both truly hold their leaders to account and not to face the daily denigration of bribery. Even though corruption still eats away at development around the world, many projects and laws against this scourge have shown we can give people a voice. We must ensure that global fora from the G20 to discussions on the future of development take steps to meet the growing calls for greater accountability.”
On November 8, Transparency International will hold a conference marking its 20th anniversary.
