Financial Transparency Coalition

BERLIN (Transparency Int’l)—With governments committing huge sums to tackle the world’s most pressing problems, from the instability of financial markets to climate change and poverty, corruption remains an obstacle to achieving much needed progress, according to Transparency International’s 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), a measure of domestic, public sector corruption released today.

NAGOYA, JAPAN—Consumer demand for expensive rosewood furniture and musical instruments in China and elsewhere is the primary driver of an ecologically devastating trade in illegal timber, according to a report published today by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and Global Witness. The report, launched at the 10th Conference of Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), shows how this ongoing trade has been facilitated by the complicity of some of Madagascar's state authorities and weak law-enforcement by the country's transitional government.

WASHINGTON, DC—The Task Force on Financial Integrity and Economic Development is pleased to announce that Greece will become the newest member of the Task Force’s Partnership Panel. Task Force Partnership Panel members include the Governments of Norway, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, Spain, the Canadian International Development Agency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, and the Ford Foundation.

WASHINGTON, DC—The Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) became the 100th organization to sign on as an Allied Organization of the Task Force on Financial Integrity and Economic Development, the global coalition announced today. Allied Organizations lend their name and support to Task Force initiatives and are added to a distribution list-serve for Task Force news and reports.