Tens of millions of dollars have been spent to understand the causes of corruption and extensive reform efforts aimed at reducing and preventing corruption have been launched. As part of these reforms, more than 30 countries have established some type of Anti-corruption Authorities (ACAs) as a key element in their effort to fight corruption. Some ACAs have been successful and have made progress in the fight against corruption, others less so.  As a result, the World Bank, in collaboration with the United Nation Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the US State Department and the European Commission, agreed to create a platform for ACAs to share their experiences. This virtual platform offers the opportunity to ACAs staff, practitioners and international actors to connect and learn about each other’s experiences.  In particular, it aims at:

• gathering more systematic knowledge on the structure and experience of ACAs,
• increasing awareness of the challenges faced by these bodies,
• beginning to identify mechanisms that can help to overcome these challenges and establish initial criteria by which effectiveness can be monitored.

This initiative was initially launched following a two-day workshop on Anti-Corruption Authorities (ACAs) on March 24-25, 2010, which brought together 32 participants from 20 countries, including ACA Heads, practitioners, academics and other key stakeholders from around the globe.

At this stage more than 63 agencies have responded and shared their experiences and lessons learnt while implementing an AC Strategy in their country or region.  This platform would have not been possible without their cooperation and the cooperation of the 2010 Workshop participants who selflessly shared their challenges and experiences.