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%28 %b. %2013|News
GOPAC launches a handbook to Improve Oversight in Congressional Systems
Panama City, Panama – To support elected officials in congressional systems, the Global
Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) and the World Bank Institute
(WBI) launched the handbook Improving Democratic Accountability Globally. The handbook
is the result of an international study group that was hosted by the Office for the Promotion of
Parliamentary Democracy.
Oversight capacity increases political stability and control of corruption. By improving the
oversight capacity of elected officials we can reduce corruption. This handbook provides
ability to assess the current oversight capacity and identify strengths, weaknesses and areas
for improvement.
“Improving parliamentarians’ oversight capacity enables legislators to hold the executive to
account and improve accountability to our citizens,” said GOPAC Chair Ricardo Garcia
Cervantes.
The handbook demonstrates how legislative oversight leads to reduced corruption, how
oversight can be evaluated and what steps can be taken in presidential systems to improve
oversight.
“At the end of the day, more oversight leads to less corruption. Corruption is a luxury that
developing countries cannot afford,” said Dr. Riccardo Pelizzo, co-author and Senior
Consultant with the WBI.
The handbook is a user friendly tool that parliamentarians’ and those who work closely with
parliamentarians can use to reduce corruption.
GOPAC is a worldwide alliance of parliamentarians working together to combat corruption,
strengthen good government, and uphold the rule of law. Based in Ottawa, Canada, GOPAC
has 49 national chapters on 5 continents. GOPAC supports its members’ efforts through
original research, global anti-corruption capacity building, and international peer support.
Visit GOPAC on the web at gopacnetwork.org, on Twitter at twitter.com/GOPAC_Eng, and
on Facebook at facebook.com/gopacnetwork