Approval of Final Document to Conclude Today’s Sessions of the IV Global Forum on Fighting Corruption

Friday’s closing session of the IV Global Forum on Fighting Corruption will conclude with the approval of the Brasilia Declaration. The Minister of Control and Transparency, Waldir Pires, the representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Reiner Pungs, and the Executive Director of Transparency Brazil, Claudio Abramo, will offer a final assessment of the four days of discussions, workshops and panels. The IV Global Forum gave representatives of government as well as international and non-governmental organizations the chance to exchange ideas and experiences on strategies to confront corruption.
The official document will recommend that governments deny safe haven to individuals convicted of crimes and that they continue working toward the full implementation of the pertinent international conventions.

Public Procurement

At the conclusion of the workshop sessions on Thursday, the Ministry of Planning’s Executive Secretary, Nelson Machado, stated that the Brazilian government intends to increase investments in e-procurement. Mr. Machado went on to say that the e-procurement model expedites the procurement of goods and services, cuts costs and enables agencies to work with smaller volumes, thus facilitating storage and warehousing, to name just some of the system’s advantages.
The mandatory use of reverse bidding procedures, as provided for by a law passed on May 31 scheduled to enter into force on July 1, represents yet an important step the federal government to promote the use of computerized systems in official procurements, according to Mr. Machado. In 2004, reverse bidding procedures led to a 29 percent reduction in the difference between the base price and end price of procured goods and services.

South Korea a Model

According to Seung-Hyun Kang, Director of South Korea’s Public Procurement Division, in 2004 fully 93% of the South Korean government’ purchases were completed online. The country has a unified portal for official procurements of goods and services. Companies may use a single registration number to participate in any competitive bidding sponsored by any public agency. In 2004, total transactions through South Korea’s public procurement portal reached US$ 43 billion. With an average of 100,000 hits a day, it is the largest public procurement portal in the world.
 The portal’s launch computerized the government’s entire procurement procedures, from purchase order to final payment. “The portal contributes to reducing corruption, given that the process no longer involves direct contact with suppliers,” said Mr. Kang. According to him, the implementation of South Korea’s procurement system has led to savings of US$ 10 billion per year, while making the process faster and more transparent and tripling the number of companies that take part in competitive biddings.

Access to Information

Fernando Rodrigues, President of the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (Abraji), called for legislation on access to public information. Speaking at a workshop on public and private information, Mr. Rodrigues cited several legal decisions blocking the Folha de Sao Paulo from accessing information on the assets held by politicians running for office. "We don’t have legislation covering access to public information in Brazil despite the guarantees set out in the Constitution,” he noted while emphasizing the importance of ensuring the legal right of individuals to access documents that are of public interest. Candidates running for office are required to submit financial records to the electoral tribunals, and yet many regional tribunals resort to various arguments to deny disclosure requests.
“Civil society must become actively engaged in the effort to ensure access to information is provided,” said Peter Noorlander, a member of the British NGO Article 19 – Global Campaign for Free Expression.

Fighting Crime

According to the National Justice Secretary, Claudia Chagas, “We cannot fight crime with prisons alone, using traditional methods. We must deprive criminals of the proceeds derived from their illicit activities.”
Getulio Bezerra, Director of the Brazilian Federal Police and a member of the Anti-Organized Crime Unit said “Organized crime represents a threat to the State and, as such, deserves special attention from government.” Mr. Bezerra detailed some of the measures that should be adopted to assist law enforcement, the most important of which, according to him, would be to provide law enforcement agencies with effective legal support.

Ranking

Brazil ranks in the middle of Global Integrity’s survey of anticorruption measures and capacities for confronting the problem. Performed in 2003 and published last year, the study assessed the legislation and the anticorruption efforts of 25 countries. Brazil was 10th, receiving two above-average score, two average scores and one below-average score. The results of the survey and the methodologies used, as well as its potential application, were the subject of a symposium delivered by Global Integrity’s Director, Marianne Camerer.