On the 10th of November 2015, NID participated in a public dialogue on the topic of “Promoting Integrity and Accountability through the Application of the Integrity Management Toolbox”. The event was organised by the Desert Research Foundation (DRFF) in collaboration with the Anti-Corruption Commission Namibia (ACC) and funded by the Embassy of Finland. Participants were members of the civil society, stakeholders, international donors and the media.
The Integrity Management Toolbox provides a systematic bottom-up approach to increase levels of integrity and fight corruption. The toolbox has already been introduced in certain Local Authorities and Regional Councils in Namibia. In this context, Naita Hishoono, Executive Director of NID, also introduced the EU-funded project “Strengthening the interaction between Civil Society and Regional and Local Authorities through Development Committees”. She explained the functions and importance of Development Committees as the link between the people and the government. She also implied how the Integrity Management Toolbox could be employed for the Development Committees in order to strengthen their function as the “watchdog” over local authorities.
Other speakers were Bernadette Shalumbu of the DRFN, Christine Liswaniso of the ACC, Martin P. Edward of the Oshikuku Town Council and Anne Saloranta of the Embassy of Finland. The event was moderated by Ricardo |Goagoseb of NBC.