Preventing corruption in humanitarian operations

This handbook offers a menu of best practice tools for preventing and detecting corruption in humanitarian operations that includes ways to track resources, confront extortion and detect aid diversion. The handbook, part of Transparency International’s broader work to stop corruption in humanitarian assistance, covers policies and procedures for transparency, integrity and accountability, and specific corruption risks, such as supply chain management and accounting. It is a timely, practical guide to help aid organizations deal with corruption in day-to-day operations.
The handbook is primarily aimed at managers and staff of humanitarian agencies, both at headquarters and in the field who work on the front line of aid delivery. It can also help donors assess the robustness and accountability of agency programmes, and help local civil society organizations and the media hold agencies to account.
The handbook has three sections. The first covers general policies and procedures that will create an organisational context that promotes transparency, integrity and accountability, and is strongly resistant to corruption. The next section addresses specific corruption risks faced by practitioners of the various support functions that underpin every humanitarian programme, such as supply chain management and finance. The final section looks at the risks of corruption most likely to be faced at the different stages of programme implementation, from needs assessment through to post-distribution M&E.