Democracy That Delivers Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE)

orruption in the shipping industry is a persistent challenge to fair trade across the world, estimated to cost the international economy billions each year. The Martitime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN) is a global business network of over 200 companies who, since 2011, has become a pre-eminent example of collective action to battle corruption.  

On this week’s Democracy that Delivers, CIPE’s Ekaterina Lysova sits with MACN members Martin Benderson & Thomas Westergaard-Kabel to discuss their new, groundbreaking report on maritime corruption in Nigeria. Martin and Thomas utilize unique data and an innovative methodology to create a survey of corruption in Nigerian with a level of detail never before possible, demonstrating costs of over $162 million per year.  Their resulting assessment serves as a powerful case study for the wide-reaching implications of maritime corruption on low- and middle-income countries.  
 
Listen first-hand to these experts discuss how they performed their research, what trends the report reveals, and how their approach can be utilized by other researchers seeking to understand the true costs of maritime corruption.  

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Challenged by a legacy of oligarchic state capture and a war raging in neighboring Ukraine, Moldova has made significant strides in recent years in putting in place anti-corruption structures that strengthen the rule of law and democratic institutions. In the forefront of that effort is Moldova's Chief Anti-Corruption Prosecutor, Veronica Dragalin, a former Assistant United States Attorney who emigrated from Moldova as a child. In this episode of Democracy that Delivers, Dragalin discusses her innovations that she's introduced such as plea agreements, as well as the importance of building trust in the judiciary among a skeptical public. She joins Frank Brown, Director of CIPE’s Anti-Corruption & Governance Center, and Natalia Otel Belan, Director of CIPE’s Europe and Eurasia Division, to highlight her unique personal story, explain Moldova’s prosecutorial process, share the challenges and innovative tactics her office has used to crack down on corrupt behavior, and preview future plans for addressing corruption.
 
This podcast is brought to you by CIPE’s Anti-Corruption & Governance Center.

In 2022, FEDN Member Grace Nzou began the project “Using Democratic Spaces to Promote Ethical Practices in Business.” As one of the inaugural FEDN small grants projects, the first phase of the project focused on training youth in Elgeyo Marakwet on ethical entrepreneurship. The second phase focused on implementation, working with youth to submit memoranda, track budgets, and build lasting partnerships.  
In the final installment of this year’s FEDN small grants series, tune into a conversation hosted by Program Officer Tamari Dzotsenidze with Grace Nzou and Edwin Ronoh from RESTHUB on empowering youth in agribusiness and ensuring the sustainability of learning programs.

Between July 2024 to January 2024, CIPE supported a new project, “Democracy: A Digital Story for Young Generations” through the Kurdistan Economic Development Organization (KEDO). As part of the Free Enterprise and Democracy Network (FEDN) Small Grants initiative, they created a new website to educate youth on the importance of democratic values and institutions.
In the second episode of the FEDN small grants series, join Program Officer Tamari Dzotsenidze in a conversation with FEDN Member and General Director of KEDO Hussam Barzinji and Public Relations Officer Mustafa AbdulKareem on extending beyond the digital realm and finding hope under difficult circumstances.

Episode Description
Last year, Poland held extraordinarily consequential parliamentary elections where the conservative Law and Justice party (PiS) lost its majority for the first time since 2015. Against this backdrop, CIPE supported a new project, “The Rule of Law – Our Future” through the Institute for Private Enterprise and Democracy (IPED) based in Warsaw between July 2023 to January 2024. As part of the Free Enterprise and Democracy Network Small Grants initiative, the project educated voters about the importance of the rule of law and encouraged youth participation in the election.  
In this podcast, Program Officer Tamari Dzotsenidze from CIPE Policy and Program Learning is joined by FEDN Steering Committee member and president of IPED Mieczyslaw Bak and Director of Program Strategy Anna Szczesniak in a discussion on lessons learned over the course of the project and perspectives on engaging with youth.

Episode Description
The Ruggie Framework is a three-pronged approach that includes the obligations of corporations to uphold human rights, the responsibility of the state to protect those rights, and the provision of effective remedies for any infringements. 

In this CIPE Anti-Corruption and Governance Center (ACGC) podcast, Luis Fernando de Angulo, Senior Advisor to the Center for Responsible Business and a member of the Institute for Human Rights and Business, joins Michele Crymes and Angela Maria Velez of CIPE as they analyze the experience of Colombia’s private sector in upholding the Ruggie Framework. They discuss the private sector’s successes, challenges, and potential areas to improve the support of human rights going forward. Crymes is ACGC Deputy Director and Velez is the Program Director for CIPE Colombia. 
 
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In 2008, the United Nations Special Representative, John Ruggie, introduced a framework to the United Nations Human Rights Council to address the relationship between human rights and business activities. This framework, known as the Ruggie Principles, was a three-pronged approach that included the obligations of corporations to uphold human rights, the responsibility of states to protect these rights, and the provision of effective remedies for any infringements. In 2011, the United Nations Human Rights Council unanimously approved and endorsed the Ruggie Framework, otherwise known as the United Nations’ Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. 

Our special guest, Luis Fernando de Angulo, joins this podcast to analyze the Colombian private sector’s experiences of upholding the Ruggie Framework. Specifically, we will discuss the private sector’s successes, challenges, and areas to improve the supporting of human rights in the future.