Completion requirements
4. Governance-Driven Support to Integrity Building
The OSCE has acquired significant experience in providing training, developing codes of conduct, enacting laws and policies, and supporting investigative measures, all key anti-corruption initiatives. However, when it comes to building a culture of integrity, a shared understanding of the purpose and values guiding the institution, as well as conditions necessary to create commitment to those values, should be built. To that end, governance-driven approaches (i.e., the application of a good governance lens) are important. When it comes specifically to developing integrity-building programmes, those should be guided, to the extent possible, by the following approaches:
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As in all efforts to support the consolidation of democratic institutions, integrity-building programmes or programmes with an integrity component should look beyond the government and be developed in consultation with not only the security sector institution concerned but also civil society, relevant parliamentary groups and other relevant actors. Taking an inclusive approach will not only foster a common understanding of the challenges and possible solutions, and ensure that programmes are fit-for-purpose, but it will also improve the public perception and increase citizens’ trust in the security sector. Therefore, these actors should be involved at all stages of the project cycle to the extent possible.
Without establishing or changing necessary institutional processes and mechanisms, training individuals will not suffice, despite the fact that it is vital to foster change in knowledge and mindset. Integrity should thus be tackled from an institutional perspective and aim at decreasing incentives and opportunities for engaging in corruption and other undesirable practices. This should focus on organizational integrity by establishing clear and transparent human resources and financial management processes and creating decent working conditions for the police, military and other security actors with respect for gender equality and human rights. For institutional approaches to succeed, enough time should be planned to enable changes in behavior of staff that, in turn, will impact institutional practices and processes.
Integrity-building programmes in the security sector should strive to meet the same ethical standards of integrity as any other public institution. These values should be upheld through mechanisms of internal accountability which outline clearly what behavior is expected and how inappropriate behaviors sanctioned. At the same time, external oversight mechanisms are fundamental to ensure accountability at all levels of the security sector, including at the management level. External oversight mechanisms include state and non-state actors and institutions engaged in the democratic governance of the security sector (e.g., parliamentary committees, judicial services, anti-corruption agencies, independent complaint authorities, civil society, the media, etc.).
For further information and a concrete example, see section 3 in Chapter 6 of the Guidelines.