Strategy on Countering Corruption Unveiled

The recently unveiled United States Strategy on Countering Corruption by the Biden-Harris Administration delineates a systematic approach to address corruption through a series of well-defined measures. This initiative, detailed under five distinct pillars, seeks to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of existing government frameworks, both within and outside U.S borders.

To curb corruption and its deleterious effects, the U.S. Government will organize its efforts around five mutually reinforcing pillars of work:

1. Modernizing, coordinating, and resourcing U.S. Government efforts to fight corruption; 
2. Curbing illicit finance;
3. Holding corrupt actors accountable;
4. Preserving and strengthening the multilateral anti-corruption architecture; and,
5. Improving diplomatic engagement and leveraging foreign assistance resources to advance policy goals.

1. Revitalizing U.S. Government Efforts:
   • Developing an understanding of international corruption networks through focused intelligence gathering and analysis.
   • Integrating anti-corruption initiatives across various federal departments and agencies, coordinated centrally by entities such as the Departments of State and Treasury.
   • Augmenting law enforcement resources and facilitating information transfer between intelligence and law enforcement agencies.

2. Restricting Illicit Finance:

   • Implementing regulations to identify individuals exploiting corporate structures for illicit means.
   • Introducing regulations to monitor real estate transactions which are utilized to conceal illegal financial activities.
   • Collaborating with the Congress to introduce scrutiny measures for financial system intermediaries, thereby limiting potential evasion tactics.
   • Enhancing global anti-money laundering frameworks through cooperative engagements and capacity-building efforts.

3. Holding Corrupt Individuals Accountable:

   • Strengthening diplomatic efforts to support civil society and media entities that contribute to uncovering corruption.
   • Implementing new programs to aid in the identification and disruption of foreign bribery mechanisms.
   • Launching a rewards program for the recovery of assets linked to foreign government corruption housed within U.S. financial institutions.
   • Encouraging the adoption and enforcement of anti-corruption compliance protocols by companies globally.

4. Maintaining and Developing Multilateral Anti-Corruption Structures:

   • Collaborating with global forums like the G7 and G20 to introduce transparent and anti-corruption policies.
   • Enhancing the functionality of security institutions to address corruption in various sectors including finance and human resources.
   • Renewing U.S. participation in global transparency initiatives such as the Open Government Partnership and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.

5. Refining Diplomatic Engagement and Foreign Assistance:

   • Prioritizing anti-corruption discussions within diplomatic efforts.
   • Reviewing and adjusting the criteria for government-to-government assistance, emphasizing transparency and accountability.
   • Expanding U.S. assistance focused on anti-corruption and improving monitoring systems to assess effectiveness.
   • Incorporating flexibility in anti-corruption initiatives to respond to global developments effectively.
   • Increasing support for public sector anti-corruption efforts, including enhancing the capabilities of audit and oversight institutions.

[Strategy Document]