Partner Spotlight: Turning Accountability into Action with Transparency International
By Gabriel Šípoš, Senior Legal Manager, Governance and Accountability Programme
TI’s Corruption Perceptions Index, the organisation’s most widely used research tool
International Lawyers Project (ILP) and Transparency International (TI), the world's largest anti-corruption movement, have worked together for over a decade now, united by a shared belief that legal expertise can be a powerful tool for advancing accountability. This year, our partnership reached an important milestone with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ILP and TI in early summer.
Since joining the Global Anti-Corruption Consortium, a partnership between TI and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), in 2020, ILP has helped bring legal accountability to the findings of investigative journalists under the motto “Turning Headlines into Action.” Across a range of countries in Southeast Asia, the Caucasus and Southern Africa, ILP has provided legal support to help utilise global anti-corruption sanctions mechanisms against corrupt officials who faced little or no scrutiny in their home countries. Alongside preparing evidence dossiers, ILP has trained numerous TI chapters on the use of targeted sanctions as a tool to combat impunity. For example, in 2023, ILP delivered training to 38 lawyers from TI chapters across the Asia-Pacific region.
The partnership has also worked very well into research. For a number of years, chapters of TI's Exporting Corruption report, which assesses enforcement of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, were drafted by ILP volunteer lawyers. In addition, the shrinking civic space in many countries has led ILP to provide legal support to TI chapters facing increasing restrictions.
Today, several new initiatives are under way with TI chapters in Sri Lanka, Brazil, Guyana, the Gambia, Romania, Cameroon as well as with TI - Secretariat. Most of them focus on providing legal research for their advocacy efforts.
Formalising the Next Chapter
While ILP and TI have worked together successfully for years, the MoU establishes a framework for deeper collaboration in the future. It will expand access to pro bono legal support for anti-corruption research and advocacy, strengthen cooperation across TI's global network, and help support rule-of-law defenders and civil society organisations facing reprisals for their work.
Following the signing of our MoU, ILP was invited to showcase the value of its pro bono legal support at an internal TI Summit in late June. More practically, ILP has also teamed up with TI’s Anti-corruption Helpdesk team to create a specialised channel for the chapters to use its volunteer lawyers when facing legal research questions.
The timing could not be more important. Around the world, organisations working to promote transparency and accountability are confronting shrinking civic space, increasingly sophisticated forms of corruption and persistent funding challenges. Responding effectively requires not only evidence and advocacy but also access to high-quality legal expertise. By combining TI's global reach and deep subject-matter expertise with ILP's network of pro bono legal professionals, the partnership is well positioned to meet those challenges.
For ILP, TI is much more than a partner. It is a trusted ally in the global effort to build societies where power is exercised in the public interest, corruption is challenged, and justice is accessible to all.
If you work on rule of law issues and wish to create a closer partnership with ILP, please contact us at contact@internationallawyersproject.org to discuss how we can help.
