Humanitarian Aid: No Place for Corruption

4.7.2021, 9:00AM

This event is hosted by the Anti-Corruption and Governance Center at CIPE

About this Event

The COVID-19 pandemic has quickly become the deadliest global humanitarian crisis in a century. Front-line humanitarian aid workers are more critical than ever. As relief workers deliver vital medical and relief services around the world, better training is needed to avert the damaging practical, financial, and reputational costs of corruption.

The impact of corruption in humanitarian aid goes beyond issues related to the pandemic, such as the theft of personal protective equipment or misuse of emergency funds. Generally, humanitarian aid projects that are undermined by corruption are less able to stabilize post-conflict and post-disaster societies. To respond to this challenge, the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) has partnered with humanitarian organizations to develop a training program to give front-line workers the tools to identify and reduce corruption risks that arise in the field.

This virtual event highlights this initiative, which included the launch of a pilot program in the Philippines in March 2021. A panel of three relief-sector experts discusses the unique corruption challenges faced by humanitarian aid organizations and what these organizations can do to combat risks and increase trust in aid projects during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. This event is introduced by CIPE Anti-Corruption & Governance Center Director, Frank Brown and moderated by CIPE ACGC Program Officer Michele Crymes.

Panelists

Mark Webster is the Regional Director for Asia of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) and former CEO of ADRA Australia. He has 25 years of leadership experience with faith-based and secular humanitarian aid and development organizations in Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. He also spent 11 years as a field worker in Laos and Nepal. He holds a Master of Science in International Development and Administration degree from Andrews University

Emily Bussigel is the Deputy Chief Compliance Officer at International Medical Corps (IMC), an international NGO delivering medical relief and training programs in areas hard-hit by war, natural disaster, disease, and displacement. Emily oversees IMC’s internal investigation unit and monitors compliance with the various laws and regulations. Before joining the organization in 2016, Emily was a corporate lawyer at law firms in New York and Los Angeles.

Elizabeth J Folsom is Chief Audit Executive and Vice President of Global Internal Audit and Investigations for Population Services International (PSI). She oversees 35 global, regional, and country-based auditors and investigators at PSI, and she manages all audits and investigations for 250 donor-funded projects in 50+ countries. She is an Adjunct Professor at the Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland. Liz has a New York CPA license, an MBA from Georgia State University, and a BA in Accounting & Management from Lehigh University.

Location

Zoom