Integrity

Financial integrity

Digni works from the bottom-up to empower civil society organisations to fight against corruption in their local contexts and towards their local or national governments. Our anti-corruption work includes fighting corruption as well as working for strengthened financial integrity at all levels in the Digni chain.

Digni prevents and fights corruption by emphasizing financial integrity through updated tools and resources for our member organisations and their partners.

What our work entails:

Preventing

A successful anti-corruption work needs to focus on people and systems. In other words, one has to work to build attitudes, consciousness and knowledge amongst employees at all levels, while simultaneously making sure to establish transparent systems and routines that minimizes the risk and possibility of corruption.

Digni puts in a significant effort to prevent corruption by, amongst other things, doing the following:

• Work actively on attitudes to corruption amongst our member organisations and their partner organisations.
• Develop and implement good routines for assessments, reporting and spot checks for a proper financial management within the projects.
• Actively contribute to the Norwegian civil society organisation’s network on anti-corruption.
• Raise the expertise amongst Digni’s employees and members in terms of prevention, detecting, and handling cases of corruption through different courses and training, such as:
  • Financial integrity: We expect all employees in Digni, its member and partner organisations handling Digni funds, and it projects, to take the financial integrity course to increase knowledge and understanding of corruption in general, and specifically how to manage Digni’s anti-corruption principles.
  • Wycliffe’s grassroot course: Digni and its member organisation Wycliffe has developed a free, grassroot based, anti-corruption course. The course was refreshed in 2023 and is especially aimed at group lessons. The course can be downloaded, adapted if needed, and easily facilitated as instructions are given in a trainer’s manual. The course is available in English, Spanish, French, and Urdu.

Contact us for more information regarding courses.

Detecting

Having a zero-tolerance against corruption and financial irregularities entails that Digni works strategically to detect irregularities. This is done through analysing financial reports and audits, partner and project evaluations, whistleblowing, spot checks and partner/project visits.

Handling

Suspicion

When there is suspicion of corruption or financial irregularities, Digni will have a dialogue with the member to try to clarify facts of the matter, whether the suspicion is substantial, if funds should be frozen, and to ensure all relevant documentation and values within the project.

Examination

If a suspicion of financial irregularities is substantial, Digni will notify Norad’s Internal Audit department whom will consider whether there is a foundation to raise a case. If there is foundation, a case will be opened and Digni is responsible to gather all information and documentation that the Internal Audit needs. Examinations such as internal or external desktop reviews, special audits, or external audits will be carried out to examine the concerns. When background information is gathered and taken into account, Digni will suggest a solution which will finally be concluded by Norad.

Reaction closure

Once Norad’s Internal Audit has concluded, they will present a reaction in form of demands for repayment of mismanaged funds, claims for dismissal, filing of a police report, or other reactions. Digni will closely follow this up. If certain conditions are fulfilled, mismanaged funds can be repaid to the project. To clear a project, the member organisation must document that new routines within the project have been created, and that they have undertaken necessary measures according to Norad’s reaction.

Closed cases

Yearly Digni publishes a list of closed cases of financial irregularities. The numbers are gathered from the Norwegian Foreign Ministry’s quarterly reports on financial irregularities.