TIPS Newsletter | February 2025 - TI: Corruption Perceptions Index 2024 and ESG in ABC reports

Dear TIPS Member,

In February 2025, Transparency International published its 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), ranking 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption. The CPI uses 13 independent data sources and a scale from 0 (very corrupt) to 100 (very clean). Key findings from the report include:

Worsening corruption levels: over two thirds of countries scored below the CPI mid-point of 50. From 2012 to 2024, 101 countries remained stagnant, 47 worsened, and only 32 improved.
Highest and lowest scores: Denmark had the highest ranking at 90, while South Sudan scored 8.
Democracy and corruption: strong democracies scored an average of 73, flawed democracies scored 47, and authoritarian regimes 33.
Corruption’s impact on climate policy: corruption undermines climate action by diverting resources, enabling harmful practices, and stifling progress, exacerbating the climate crisis and hindering efforts to mitigate it.

For climate policy, the report recommends integrating anti-corruption measures in climate finance and whole-of-government policies and projects to enhance transparency and accountability, supporting enforcement, safeguarding whistleblowers, and improving public participation in climate investments for fair and effective resource allocation.

In TI-UK news, the Business Integrity Forum last week launched its multi-year research project report entitled ESG Governance and Risk Management: Coordinating Anti-Corruption and Sustainability in Practice: A Guide for Boards, Ethics & Compliance, Legal and Sustainability Teams. The March TIPS Talk will present the findings (see link below).

Please see below the TIPS Newsletter for February 2025. We look forward to seeing you soon.

- the TIPS team

Upcoming Events

TIPS | Anniversary Event: Coordinating ESG and Anti-corruption: The Business Case | 25 March 2025 | 7-9pm GMT

ThoughtLeaders4 Disputes | The Anti-Bribery & Corruption Forum 2025 – 2nd Annual | 18 March 2025 | London

OECD | 2025 Global Anti-Corruption & Integrity Forum | Harnessing innovations to break new ground | 26-27 March 2025 | Paris

Recent Events

TIPS | Follow the Money: Proliferation finance and nuclear weapons | 25 February 2025, 9-8p, GMT, | Mayer Brown

On 25 February, the TIPS Network welcomed James Brady of the Centre for Science & Security Studies at King’s College London to discuss recent policy changes relating to proliferation financing, implications for financial institutions, and other regulated sectors in the UK. James described challenges in doing open-source research and how policy and politics change anti-proliferation. We thank Marko Starcevic, TIPS Managing Committee member, for facilitating the session and Mayer Brown for hosting.

Items of Interest

TI publications

ESG Governance and Risk Management: Coordinating Anti-Corruption and Sustainability in Practice: A Guide for Boards, Ethics & Compliance, Legal and Sustainability Teams. See here.
Power Politics: Emerging insights into climate lobbying in Scotland. See here.

TI blogs

Future of Fighting Corruption in the EU Stands on a Knife Edge. See here.
As the Azerbaijani Laundromat Scandal Reaches German Court, Will There Finally be Some Accountability? See here.
Chaos Unchained: Conflict and Corruption in Sudan. See here.
Three years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, how effective are the EU’s sanctions? See here.

Other items

FATF Annual Report 2023-2024. See here.
Supreme Court Likely to OK Trump’s Firing of Whistleblower Protection Agency Head. See here.
‘We Know No Borders’: How Kyrgyzstan Became a Hub for Sanctioned Car Exports to Russia. See here.
Joint statement: US anticorruption rollback risks a race to the bottom for Africa’s natural resources. See here.

Jobs Board

Senior Fundraiser, TI, Washington D.C. See here.
Principal Investigative Lawyer, Serious Fraud Office, London. See here.

Focus on...

Sharon Takhar

Associate at Cadwalader

Why did you get involved with the TIPS Network

I got involved with the network following the 2024 Summer Social, having met several engaging members. A colleague invited me along and had suggested I might find some of the events interesting and informative.

Please describe your experience as part of the TIPS Network

The TIPS Network is set apart by its wide range of event topics and speakers, as well as its diverse membership, which spans various disciplines across a number of fields including anti-corruption & bribery, fraud and economic crime. Members and committee colleagues alike are driven, passionate, and demonstrate a true enthusiasm for their work, making the network a dynamic and engaging community.

Connect with Sharon on LinkedIn.