416teachers and school principals trained in integrity building2022
73senior officials and experts in the education sector assessment2021
41secondary schools in the Integrity KAP survey2021
6civil society organisations at the Integrity Exchange WorkshopBukavu, 2018
Why integrity
Low integrity holds development back
Low institutional integrity, which includes corruption, is one of the significant obstacles to development. It has harmful and devastating implications, particularly for the poor and disadvantaged groups.
It undermines citizens’ trust in public institutions, distorts markets and increases poverty, discrimination and inequality. Corruption happens simply because it is possible, so solutions to prevent it focus on corrupt behaviour within organisations. Inspired by Integrity Action, we understand integrity to be the alignment of four factors.
Accountability
The ability of stakeholders to check that we do what we say we do.
Competence
The ability to deliver quality and perform well.
Ethics
Behaving impartially and reliably with a public purpose.
Corruption control
Corruption is the abuse of a position of power for personal gain. Control and sanctions are essential, but we help clients restore health to their whole organisation by increasing its institutional integrity.
Our approach
From diagnosis to lasting reform
We offer holistic, innovative and practical tools and approaches that break taboos and the culture of cynicism, and restore employees’ trust that corruption can be dealt with effectively.
1
Assess
Integrity assessments and transparency and accountability analyses find systemic vulnerabilities to corruption and their main causes.
2
Plan
Long-term anti-corruption strategies, integrity plans, codes of ethics and integrity pacts, developed with the people who will apply them.
3
Train and lead
Workshops, courses, coaching and peer-to-peer exchange help leaders and staff act with integrity – and build it in others.
4
Reform
We facilitate internal change and reform at every level, and build relations with the community to deal with corruption together.
Our services
What we offer
Local governments, ministries, agencies, public enterprises, private businesses and civil society organisations can call on CERC for:
Designing and conducting integrity assessments to assess systemic vulnerabilities to corruption and identify their main causes
Designing and facilitating long-term anti-corruption strategic and action plans, and integrity plans
Designing and implementing capacity development: workshops, training, seminars, online courses, campaigns and outreach activities to strengthen institutional integrity
Facilitating internal change and reform processes at all levels of organisations and government
Designing and conducting integrity building leadership courses – training, peer-to-peer exchange and coaching – to help leaders and managers act with integrity and build integrity with others by creating viable alternatives
Elaborating effective solutions to systemic institutional weaknesses, to increase transparency, accountability, competence, effectiveness, efficiency and participation
Conducting transparency and accountability analyses
Designing and delivering courses that promote a moral organisational culture, developing and nourishing the ethical competence of employees
Developing codes of ethics in a participatory manner and creating the conditions for their effective implementation
Developing integrity pacts between public institutions and businesses, to promote a culture of integrity in the community, including in business relations
Developing relations with the community to deal with corruption collaboratively
Who we work with
Governments and ministries
Local governments, ministries and public agencies that want to assess and reduce their exposure to corruption.
Public enterprises and businesses
Codes of ethics and integrity pacts between public institutions and business.
Civil society organisations
Community integrity building, as with six organisations from South and North Kivu in 2018.
Schools and education authorities
278 teachers and 138 school principals from 150 secondary schools trained in 2022.
Story · Kinshasa and South Kivu, 2021
Assessing integrity in the education sector
In June and July 2021, CERC conducted in-depth assessments and studies on corruption and lack of accountability in education with 54 senior government education officials and 19 accountability practitioners and anti-corruption experts from civil society, teachers’ unions and religious associations. The work included 4 consultative workshops, the Integrity KAP survey in 41 secondary schools and a review of existing studies. Its findings and recommendations were used to influence policy and stimulate debate on corruption in education.
In June 2018, we supported an Integrity Exchange Workshop in Bukavu: 13 participants from six civil society organisations of South and North Kivu and the provincial Ministry of Education learned community integrity building and how to run an advocacy campaign.
In September 2022, we trained 278 teachers and 138 school principals from 150 secondary schools in Kinshasa and Bukavu in integrity building and anti-corruption measures in the school system.
In December 2024, with the Congolese Association for Access to Justice (ACAJ), we trained civil society members and a blogger, who committed to three principles: adopt an ethical compass, cultivate integrity and avoid grey areas.
Centre de Recherche sur l’Anti-Corruption (CERC) · info@cerc.cd · www.cerc.cd
CERC is a Congolese non-governmental organisation with special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) since 2021.
Exaucée
CERC’s assistant
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