CPI 2022 for Middle East and North Africa: Lack of government integrity fuels ongoing conflict in Arab States

Palestine won’t be better off if it were on the Index

CPI 2022 for Middle East and North Africa: Lack of government integrity fuels ongoing conflict in Arab States

With results published since 1995, the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is developed and maintained by Transparency International (TI). CPI is a composite index used to assess corruption perceptions in the public sector, placing a particular focus on the legislative, political, and economic settings as well as governance processes across countries. CPI uses 13 independent sources of information, mostly expert reports and surveys in each country. These are compiled by independent international think tanks and institutions. Information sources are analysed by external experts appointed by TI. To endorse the addition of a country to the CPI, at least three approved sources are required to be met. A country’s score is the perceived level of public sector corruption on a scale of 0-100, where 0 means highly corrupt and 100 means very clean.

CPI 2022 ranking of the majority of countries in the Middle East and North Africa region, including Arab countries, declined

Arab countries’ scores on the CPI 2022 ranged from 13 to 67 of 100. Thirteen out of 16 countries did not score higher than 50 on the index. For political, civil, and social rights, the region continues to struggle with authoritarianism, with even the leadership changes sparked by the Arab Spring uprisings of over a decade ago ultimately failing to improve the social contract. Power structures have continued to allow those at the top to retain control and hinder political integrity. This has caused pervasive civil unrest – and violent conflict – as people fight for their rights and voices to be heard. The instability and consolidation of power in turn fuels political corruption, feeding the vicious cycle of authoritarianism, corruption and conflict across the Arab world.

The top scorers among the Arab States are the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (CPI score: 67) and Qatar (58). Countries enveloped in conflict Libya (17), Yemen (16) and Syria (13) score the worst.

Corruption is profoundly intertwined with, and fuelled by, conflict. As a result, initiatives for development, reduction of poverty, tackling of unemployment, and promotion of civil rights and freedoms have all failed.

Many states have been built on corrupt systems that empower the few and employ Wasta (favouritism) and bribes, stratifying societies and building up grievances that lead to conflicts and bloodshed. Cases in point are Libya, Yemen, and Syria. As Arab spring protests failed to establish democratic states, civil wars have erupted between various armed groups. Corrupt public officials serve themselves instead of the general population. Many citizens lack access to basic services. Combined, this fuels further factional strife and ongoing instability. Until leaders stop this corrupt cycle, these countries will be unable to move forward.

Corruption and conflict waste available budgets

Across the region, lack of transparency in state security budgets allows funds to be spent without public input, and even for them to be redirected by corrupt actors. In a region with so much conflict, such budgets are significant – offering substantial gains for corrupt actors. On Transparency International’s Government Defence Anti-Corruption Index, no country in the region ranked better than “high" risk, with most ranking as “very high”. Even in countries not actively engaged in conflict, considerable defence budgets are aimed at others in the region – such as the Gulf countries’ spending in Yemen.

At the bottom of the region (and the world), Yemen and Syria demonstrate the tragic impact of protracted conflict. In already weak systems suffering conflict, corruption robs the state of resources, further impairing governments’ ability to fulfil their mandate of protecting the public and rule of law. This in turn heightens grievances and draws out internal conflicts. Corruption was one of the main criticisms of the governments when the civil wars began. Now these states have collapsed, and the countries are facing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, with the population in dire need of food. The current regimes retain their grip on power, but the governments have done little to direct resources to support the people. Fighting has collapsed the infrastructure, leaving much of the population without access to clean water, health care and food. 

Constraining the civic space and blocking the functioning of oversight bodies undermine the integrity of government and trust in government agencies

After stagnating for five years, Jordan (47) is showing worrying signs with a drop of two points on this year’s CPI amidst the government’s increased restrictions on civic space and the public’s growing mistrust of the government. Using the state of emergency declared in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the state has taken more action against civil society and journalists who criticise its actions. Such tight restrictions, hinderance of public oversight and violations of the investigative process have caused Civicus to downgrade the country from “obstructed” to “repressed”.

Monopoly of power and lack of transparency and participation negatively impact Gulf States’ ranking on the CPI

Many of the countries comprising the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a political and economic union including the UAE (67), Qatar (58), Saudi Arabia (51), Bahrain (44), Oman (44) and Kuwait (42) are also declining on this year’s CPI. The Gulf states have maintained further repressions of civic space. Without channels for civic participation and easy access to information, the public is left out of decision-making and without avenues to drive social change.

The UAE remains the highest scorer in the region, but has begun to show worrying signs of decline. While its government has taken steps to increase efficiency in public administration, there is still little transparency, and mechanisms to protect against corruption and other abuses are lacking. Citizens are afraid to criticise the government due to harsh restrictions, and media often self-censors to avoid crackdowns. This makes it difficult for citizens to get information on the ruling family's activities, as well as government processes.

Qatar, another top-scorer in the region, has seen an even steeper drop, falling from 64 to 58 at its lowest point ever. Corruption risks in Qatar go far beyond the FIFA World Cup event in 2022, as public access to relevant information on state procurement and government budgeting is highly restricted. While petty corruption offences are regularly punished, independent mechanisms to detect and prevent systemic corruption are severely lacking. Anti-corruption legislation may also be abused to target critics and whistleblowers.

Lebanon

Lebanon (24) has been caught in a spiral of economic, political, and social disasters since its financial sector imploded as a result of overspending and corruption. The state has been unable to pay civil servants and soldiers, or to provide basic services like healthcare, water, food and electricity. This is particularly alarming as four in five citizens have been dragged into poverty during the crisis, while inflation further skyrocketed in 2022. The country’s banks, complicit in funnelling the wealth of powerful Lebanese abroad, have been drawing the anger of protesters unable to access their savings. To make things worse, the country has been without a functioning government since the end of October as a new president has not been elected, further delaying crucial reforms to improve economic and monetary governance.

Deteriorating integrity of government in Lebanon will entrench political corruption. Rampant corruption will only deepen the distrust in politics and the social tensions tearing apart the country. Existing conflicts will worsen without decisive political reforms to reign in corruption and alleviate the impact of the crises.

Tunisia’s integrity of government is on the decline

Tunisia (40) dropped by four points since last year as the country continues down a path toward authoritarianism. President Kais Saied, striving to concentrate power in the hands of the executive, fired dozens of judges under the pretext of an anti-corruption purge and put the judicial system under his authority – ignoring Administrative Court decisions attempting to reverse his actions. The National Anti-Corruption Authority, shut down in 2021, has still not resumed work, leaving whistleblowers with nowhere to turn. The government has also attacked and intimidated civil society organisations and journalists publicly, contributing to social distrust and tensions. The president further consolidated power, dismissing the prime minister and freezing the parliament. Of note, just 11.2 per cent of voters turned out in the parliamentary elections which were held in December. The new parliament will be extremely weak and unable to tackle critical issues to support democracy and anti-corruption efforts.

Dire need for political reform and promotion of political integrity

To stop the cycle of violence and corruption, leaders across the Middle East and North Africa must reverse the trend of authoritarianism and open space for all people to participate in decision-making. State institutions must exist to combat corruption and provide support for those most in need, rather than siphoning off public resources to consolidate power for the elite few. After years of stagnation, this year’s CPI decrease must be a wake-up call to take on urgent reforms and protect fundamental rights and freedoms across the region.

Palestine will not be better off if it were included on the CPI

The Coalition for Accountability and Integrity (AMAN) (TI’s chapter in Palestine) is of the view that Palestine would not be in a better position than countries in the region if it were listed on the CPI. For some 15 years, Palestine has not been included on the CPI because it lacks at least three data sources drawn from 13 different corruption surveys and assessments required by the Index. In Palestine, significant challenges are triggered by the lack of transparency and integrity of government in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. While the Palestinian Legislative Council is out of session, the executive has seized control of the law-making process. It is not subject to real control exercised by an elected parliament. In addition to lacking control over budget performance, budget management is severely undermined in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In the absence of parliamentary oversight, some political decisions do not necessarily serve the common good, but personal interests. Civil society organisations are not engaged in public administration and public financial management processes. While the justice system is inadequately independent, the executive is flawed by poor transparency.