Working Group 1: Rule of Law and Anticorruption
The rule of law (RoL), justice and accountability form the backbone of a functional democracy contributing to inclusive and sustainable development. Launched in June 2023, the TED Working Group “Rule of Law and Anti-corruption” facilitates information exchange and engages its members in strategic dialogue. This working group aims to enhance cross-regional cooperation and to support joint initiatives on rule of law and anti-corruption in partner countries.
The working group comprises of about 45 members, including EU policy makers, research institutes, think tanks and non-state actors. The workstream 1.1 on Rule of Law and Access to Justice is co-chaired by Germany and the Netherlands, involving the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Dutch Ministry for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, respectively. The workstream 1.2 on Accountability and Anti-corruption is co-chaired by France, represented by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and Sweden, through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).
The Workstream 1.1 focuses on advancing people-centred justice as a means to reduce the global justice gap.
Priority 1: Enhance the understanding of people-centred justice and its integration into rule of law programming, thereby improving the quality of rule of law policy and programming in support of people-centred justice reforms.
Two working group sessions focused on evidence-based rule of law programming,” examining recent rule-of-law portfolio reviews by the EU, UNDP and USAID. Additionally, they explored the methodology, rationale, and findings of global Rule of Law Indices presented by the World Justice Project and I-IDEA. A survey assessed members’ needs in utilising the Rule of Law Index data to inform their evidence-based policymaking and programming, yielding 27 responses from 25 institutions.
Priority 2: Through a comprehensive mapping of existing and planned rule of law programmes, opportunities for improving complementarity and synergy can be identified, ultimately fostering more coherence and impact of the programmes at country levels.
Efforts included mapping the TED Network’s rule of law portfolios in partner countries, initiating discussions with EU Member States (MS) and the EU, conducting desk research and administering a survey with 10 responding participants.
The Workstream 1.2 on Accountability and Anti-corruption outlined the following priorities:
At the HQ level: Deepen the understanding of accountability and corruption, identify and disseminate best practices, establish basic principles for robust and comprehensive anti-corruption approaches and develop innovative strategies where possible.
At the partner country level: Provide guidance to country-level staff on implementing anti-corruption measures across sectors, bolstering support to anti-corruption approaches in programme development at the country level.
A working group session on continuing the discussions from the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) in December 2023, emphasising promoting transparency and integrity in public procurement and ensuring responsible spending of funds.