Tackling corruption: A collective global responsibility

By Roby Senderowitsch and George Alan Bacarese

Corruption remains a persistent global challenge, with its impacts evolving alongside economic pressure and shifting governance landscape. While some countries are making progress, others are witnessing long-standing achievements come under scrutiny. In this context, there is a growing need to adapt strategies to new realities in our interconnected world. Collective action builds trust, fosters collaboration and innovation, and sustains momentum for achieving successful outcomes.

Addressing corruption is critical for fostering a fair and transparent economic environment, which in turn creates jobs, attracts investment, and promotes sustainable development. By reducing economic vulnerabilities and ensuring meaningful job opportunities—particularly for young people and women in developing countries—we can achieve both economic growth and social justice.

At the forefront of these discussions is the pressing need to innovate and redefine partnerships and collaborative approaches in the fight against corruption. To deepen global coordination around this agenda, the World Bank Group joined forces with OECD last month to co-host the Global Anticorruption and Integrity Forum. Similarly, our Partnerships for Anticorruption Global Forum this week on April 8-9, 2025 will underscore the importance of aligning anticorruption efforts with development goals. Public dissatisfaction with corruption reflects a broader demand for accountability and integrity worldwide. When corruption is left unaddressed, it fuels social unrest and weakens governance structures, making development goals even harder to achieve. However, building institutional resilience is no simple task—it requires political will, sustained reform efforts, and strong partnerships to sustain progress.

The role of partnerships in fighting corruption                                                                                  

Corruption typically involves multiple actors or networks of actors who collaborate to execute illicit activities. It is a deals-based approach that sustains agreements among certain individuals or groups, abusing entrusted public functions and harming the public interest (Victims of Corruption for Payback, World Bank Group, 2024). That is why the fight against corruption necessitates a coordinated effort involving multiple authorities, as well as various private and social actors.

Anticorruption reforms require sustained efforts at multiple levels, from grassroots implementation to high-level policy coordination and implementation support. Key discussions during the forum will center on how different stakeholders—including governments, elected officials, private sector leaders, civil society, and international organizations—can collaborate by exploring innovative strategies and methods to address corruption’s transnational impact, adapt to diverse contexts, and achieve meaningful results. Selected topics of interest will explore:

• How data and technology solutions are being harnessed for better outcomes in domestic revenue mobilization, tax revenue collection and public procurement.
• How the private sector can lead in fostering transparency and ethical practices, and how data sharing and international cooperation can be enhanced.
• The role of accountability institutions and the risks of institutional and state capture.
• Beneficial ownership transparency as a critical measure in combating illicit financial flows.

Innovation in anticorruption efforts

At the Global Forum together with more than 400 participants from around the world we will explore the challenges in tackling corruption and highlight innovative approaches—such as technological advances in investigations and analytics— that are making a significant impact. We will hear from Daron Acemoglu, MIT Professor and the 2024 Nobel Prize winner in Economic Sciences, about his research on how the quality of institutions leads to better economic outcomes.

Creating opportunities for dialogue

World Bank Group teams and partners will host interactive roundtable discussions to share lessons, experiences, and explore potential ways to collaborate. 

A collective global responsibility

Each stakeholder brings unique strengths to the table, and when leveraged together, they form a more impactful collective effort. For instance, a $75,000 grant from the World Bank’s Governance & Institutions Umbrella Program launched a collaboration to implement beneficial ownership reforms in Malawi. This initiative was further embedded in the $80 million Malawi Fiscal Governance Program-for-Results, demonstrating how funds from private foundations can be catalytic in bringing aligned parties to the same table to make a difference..

Addressing corruption is a shared responsibility that requires collaboration; through united efforts, we can pave the way for a more equitable future.

Editor’s note: The Partnerships for Anticorruption Global Forum, hosted by the  World Bank Group’s International Corruption Hunters Alliance (ICHA), Integrity Vice Presidency and the Anticorruption for Development Global Program (AC4D), will bring together around 400 partners, leaders, and practitioners from government, academia, civil society, the private sector, and other international development organizations working on anticorruption and integrity. The Forum will be co-hosted by the Chandler Foundation, the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth Development Office, the governments of Norway, Denmark and Sweden, the OECD, Transparency International, UNODC, and the Open Government Partnership.