Contacts In Oxford: Kristyn Schrader +1-202-468-6826 kschrader@worldbank.org In London: Derek Warren +44-7932-607-469 dwarren@worldbank.org In Washington: Christian Hofer +1-202-458-0936 chofer@worldbank.org OXFORD, UK, April 12, 2006—Corruption and poor governance around the world will only be overcome through much greater emphasis on ethics and integrity in leadership, concluded the first World Ethics Forum, which ended today in Oxford. Held April 9th-12th, the Forum brought together over 250 leaders, thinkers, development practitioners, and youth from over 70 developed and developing countries. Participants were those whom have made significant contributions to improving governance in their countries, and have demonstrated exemplary leadership in the public sector, civil society, media, or local communities. Discussions at the Forum focused on strategies to promote ethical leadership and public integrity as tools for better governance and accelerated development. Commenting on the outcome of the World Ethics Forum from Washington DC, Danny Leipziger, World Bank Vice President for Poverty Reduction and Economic Management said: “Leadership with integrity is the missing link in the current governance discussions. I welcome the actions identified by the Forum and hope they will contribute to the global effort to foster Good Governance.” The goal of the Forum was to develop, empower, and connect leaders committed to integrity at all levels and in practical ways, specifically through: - awareness raising, recognition, and networking;
- coalition building across nations and sectors, and alliances for action;
- capacity-building for ethical, effective leadership; and
- supporting emerging leaders, and providing resources and refuge for exiting ethical leaders.
One initiative proposed at the Forum is the Global Integrity Alliance (GIA), which will recognize, support and enable the formation of coalitions of leaders from different sectors of society committed to integrity. Sanjay Pradhan, Director for Public Sector Governance in the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Vice Presidency at the World Bank said: “The dynamics of ethical leadership are under-analyzed, under-appreciated, and under-emphasized by the international community. Ethics and integrity are critical factors for development, and the World Ethics Forum allowed the exchange of views among public, private, and civil society leaders to create new joint initiatives and partnerships.” “Lax governance, lack of transparency, and corruption in particular, are key constraints to a country’s global competitiveness,” emphasized Frannie Leautier, Vice President of the World Bank Institute. “Leaders in both the public and the private sectors have to raise the bar on ethical behavior.” According to John Githongo, “Ethics and public service, at the end of the day, are not about pieces of paper, it is the judgment call in the heart of anyone who enjoys a position of public trust – if it feels wrong, it probably is. The challenge is to translate political will into concrete action.” “Ethical leadership is perhaps the greatest challenge facing much of the world today,” said Dele Olojede, “particularly in Africa, which has been facing appalling levels of leadership. We cannot approach reform and good governance without including ethics and integrity.” “Ethical leaders are the ‘human capital’ of governance reform,” said Prof Charles Sampford, Director IEGL and President of IIPE. “This Forum considered practical ways in which they could be celebrated and supported.” Background Organized by the World Bank, the International Institute for Public Ethics (IIPE), the United Nations University (UNU) and Griffith University through their joint Institute for Ethics, Governance, and Law (IEGL), the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Integrity Institute of Malaysia (IIM), the Forum was an important step in tackling the missing link in governance and moving ethical leadership in public life to the center of the international development agenda. Participants in the Forum included, among others, Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and current Director of the Ethical Globalization Initiative; Huguette Labelle, Chair of Transparency International; Rt Hon Sir Mekere Morauta, Former Prime Minister, Papua New Guinea; John Githongo, Former Permanent Secretary, Governance and Ethics, Kenya; Dele Olojede, 2005 Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Nigeria; Eduardo Rodriguez, President of the Supreme Court and Former Interim President, Bolivia; Digvijaya Singh, Former Chief Minister, Madhya Pradesh, India; and Dijana Plestina, Counselor to the Foreign Minister, Croatia.
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