The costs of corruption during humanitarian crises, and mitigation strategies for development agencies

U4 Helpdesk Answer

The costs of corruption during humanitarian crises, and mitigation strategies for development agencies

The COVID-19 outbreak poses particular challenges to anti-corruption efforts. The health sector is especially vulnerable to corruption; causing estimated annual losses of at least US$ 455 billion of the US$7.35 trillion spent. With a huge influx of cashflows and medical supply shortages, humanitarian emergencies create fertile ground for such problems. Corruption in humanitarian assistance results in a reduced quantity and quality of aid reaching the targeted beneficiaries, which may prolong humanitarian crises. Donor agencies can take some immediate steps to reduce the exposure of their own operations. These range from communication and coordination strategies to aid transparency and preventive safeguards in the area of internal controls and procurement processes.

18 April 2020

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Main points

Corruption in humanitarian assistance results in a reduced quantity and quality of aid reaching the targeted beneficiaries, which, as a result, could prolong humanitarian crises.
Corruption is occasionally seen as a cost of doing business in humanitarian contexts, especially where there is a perceived trade-off between exigency and due diligence. Yet anti-corruption procedures and accountability mechanisms are some of the best instruments to ensure that humanitarian assistance is being used effectively and donors’ objectives are achieved.
There are a number of immediate steps that donor agencies can take to tackle corruption in the context of the COVID-19 crisis, regardless of their existing level of preparedness. These range from communication and coordination strategies to aid transparency and preventive safeguards in the area of internal controls and procurement processes.

By

Matthew JenkinsResearch and Knowledge Manager

Aram Khaghaghordyan

Kaunain RahmanResearch Coordinator

Jorum DuriResearch Coordinator

Reviewed by

Arne StrandSenior Researcher

In collaboration with

Transparency International

Topics

Covid-19 and corruption

Health

Cite this publication

Jenkins, M.; Khaghaghordyan, A.; Rahman, K.; Duri, J. (2020) The costs of corruption during humanitarian crises, and mitigation strategies for development agencies. Bergen: U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre, Chr. Michelsen Institute (U4 Helpdesk Answer 2020:1)

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About the authors

Matthew Jenkins

Matt Jenkins is a Research and Knowledge Manager at Transparency International, where he runs the Anti-Corruption Helpdesk, an on-demand bespoke research service for civil society activists and development practitioners. Jenkins specialises in anti-corruption evaluations and evidence reviews, he has produced studies for the OECD and the GIZ, and has worked at the European Commission and think tanks in Berlin and Hyderabad.

Aram Khaghaghordyan

Kaunain Rahman

Kaunain received her Master's in Corruption and Governance from The Centre for the Study of Corruption at the University of Sussex in the UK where her focus area of research was corruption in international business. She works as Research Coordinator at Transparency International (TI), and her main responsibilities lie with the Anti-Corruption Helpdesk.

Jorum Duri

Jorum is a Research Coordinator at Transparency International, with his primary responsibilities at the Anti-Corruption Helpdesk.

Disclaimer

All views in this text are the author(s)’, and may differ from the U4 partner agencies’ policies.

This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

Keywords

anti-corruption measures, Covid-19, humanitarian assistance, humanitarian crisis, health sector, procurement

U4 Helpdesk Answer