BY SAMMY JULIAN
Manila News Bureau Chief
MANILA – The Philippines has won the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Social Innovation Fund for Anti-Corruption for its proposal to setup “Citizen Empowerment Hubs” in university campuses.
The winning Philippine proposal developed by UNDP Philippines, the Ateneo School of Government and the Huairou Commission received the full award of $50,000.
Acting as repositories of knowledge, the “Citizen Empowerment Hubs” will serve as centers for capacity-building and technical assistance that will enable citizens and civil society organizations (CSOs) to meaningfully engage government.
The Huairou Commission, in partnership with the Philippine-based CSO DAMPA, will then use the hubs to train women to monitor the budgets of disaster risk reduction projects, thus ensuring that the process is transparent and governed with integrity.
A joint initiative of UNDP’s Global Anti-Corruption Initiative (GAIN) and the UNDP Asia-Pacific Regional Centre (APRC), the Social Innovation Fund for Anti-Corruption is part of a regional program that pilots innovative anti-corruption initiatives.
According to UNDP APRC Regional Anti-Corruption Adviser Elodie Beth Seo, poor governance and discrimination remain key development challenges despite the high economic growth in many countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
The fund intends to encourage UNDP country offices and partnering non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to come up with innovations that address corruption in a way that reduces poverty.
Aside from the Philippines, Pakistan also received the full award of $50,000 while another $50,000 award was split among Thailand, Vietnam and China.
The winners were announced during a Regional Dialogue on “Transparency, Accountability and Voices against Corruption – Accelerating Human Development in Asia-Pacific” held recently in Bangkok.
The regional dialogue was attended by 70 participants from 27 countries attended the dialogue, including representatives from UNDP country offices in Asia-Pacific and headquarters, NGOs and development partners.
The Philippine delegation included Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales and Deputy Ombudsman Cyril Ramos./PN
