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IRMT press release no. 6 - World Bank video conference on RM and corruption control



IRMT Press Release - apologies for cross posting

28 June 2000

World Bank Video Conference on Current Records

Management, Poverty Reduction and Corruption Control

The World Bank Information Solutions Group and World Bank Institute, in partnership with the International Records Management Trust, a London based educational foundation, hosted earlier this month a multi-site video conference on the management of current records as a key aspect of poverty reduction and corruption control programs. The conference was audited from London, Paris, Washington and Buenos Aires and participants were senior civil servants from Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda, and senior Bank staff.

Mr Mohamed Muhsin, Vice President and Chief Information Officer of the Information Solutions Group told participants that the Bank, "holds this programme high in its priorities to support the issues that we face in fighting corruption the world over. Our commitment is to continue to help countries in the aspects of training and support; this forum that has been so exciting today should not in any way fizzle out, but instead should become something that is vibrant."

"This is something we have been planning for a long time as part of our learning program in records and archives in development because we see an important relationship between good governance and records and information organisation in borrower countries as well as within the Bank," explained Ms Flavia Fonseca, Chief Information Architect and Manager with the Information Solutions Group. "We are particularly happy to be the first conference that is being delivered to the new distance learning centers in Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda."

A statement by Dr Harrison Mwakyembe, Senior Lecturer in Law from the University of Dar es Salaam, set the focus for the conference. "Without access to information there is no transparency; without transparency there is no accountability; and without transparency and accountability there is no democracy."

Dr Anne Thurston, Executive Director of IRMT, said that "reliable, authentic, legally verifiable records constitute the primary form of information which governments require to serve their citizens."

With this in mind, the conference explored key issues such as the requirements for building and sustaining sound records management systems, the relationship between accountability and anti-corruption and records, the significance of accurate and readily accessible personnel and payroll records, and the difficulties of maintaining electronic records as legally verifiable evidence of government policies transactions, and contractual commitments.

Dr Sahr Kpundeh, a Governance and Anti-Corruption Specialist with the World Bank’s Governance and Finance Division, summarised the key role records must play in the drive to control corruption. "The ability to remove ambiguity and firmly establish who did what, when, why and how is a powerful means of constraining individuals from engaging in fraud and corruption. If a records system cannot capture adequate contextual information, the ability to provide evidence and establish accountability for action is greatly reduced. But keeping and managing records can be expensive, especially for developing countries with serious budget constraints, and certainly donors can play a role in supporting countries to better organise their records."

Plans are now underway for a major global forum on the contribution which records management can make to public sector reform, anti-corruption programs, and post-conflict resolution.

Conference proceedings and additional information will be available on the following websites:

http://archives.worldbank.org

http://www.irmt.org