ZAMBIA LAUNCHES INTEGRITY COMMITTEES TO FIGHT

UNCLAS LUSAKA 000144 SIPDIS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV ZA SUBJECT: ZAMBIA LAUNCHES INTEGRITY COMMITTEES TO FIGHT ADMINISTRATIVE CORRUPTION (U) SUMMARY. Zambia's Anti-Corruption Commission has launched eight Integrity Committees to fight administrative corruption, with plans to appoint additional committees in the future. The Committees are located within various ministries and agencies and will conduct training and introduce procedures to prevent, monitor and report corruption. The USG will continue to support the Anti-Corruption Commission (and its Integrity Committees) through USAID and the Millennium Challenge Account Threshold Program. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) On February 7, Zambia's Anti-Corruption Commission held a swearing in ceremony for members of eight newly created Integrity Committees. Secretary to the Cabinet, Joshua Kanganja, as the head of Zambia's civil service, officiated the event. The attendance of Kanganja, who also participated in the Integrity Committee's training exercises in Siavonga, was a positive sign of State House interest and support. ¶3. (U) The Integrity Committees (ICs) play a significant role in Zambia's National Corruption Strategy, which aims to eliminate administrative corruption, particularly graft, from its civil service. The ICs endeavor to ensure that individual organizations are responsible for corruption prevention in their respective organizations by conducting training and by introducing procedures to prevent, monitor and report corruption. ¶4. (U) The eight ICs, consisting of four to five members each, will be located in the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC),Public Service Pension Fund, Zambia Revenue Authority, Ministry of Lands, Immigration Department, Zambia Police Service, and the Lusaka and Ndola City Councils. The GRZ intends to appoint additional committees in other ministries, agencies and "public points of service delivery" after the successful implementation and training of the current eight committees. ¶5. (SBU) Following the ceremony, Kanganja approached the Ambassador to thank her for supporting the event and to acknowledge U.S. assistance to Zambia's anti-corruption efforts, including USAID funding and training to the Integrity Committees through the Millennium Challenge Account Threshold Program (MCATP). He also expressed interest in meeting with the Ambassador to discuss anti-corruption and presumably opportunities for increased cooperation. ¶6. (U) USAID/MCATP assistance to the ACC and ICs consists of training and the development of an improved information management system, including a case management system. USAID/MCATP are also strengthening the ACC's relationship with civil society by facilitating cooperation with Transparency International Zambia (TIZ). With USG assistance, TIZ is establishing a citizens' complaint mechanism, complementary to the one currently at ACC, which will incorporate an Advisory and Legal Advocacy Center to screen complaints from the public about corruption in government that will be analyzed, compiled, and communicated as feedback to the ACC. TIZ will also introduce a telephone hotline to receive complaints that, if credible, will be passed on to ACC for investigation. Although the ACC has its own hotline, the TIZ hotline will be available for those who do not wish to contact the ACC directly. MARTINEZ