Transparency International PNG Inc recently released the results of the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) with PNG scoring 31 out of 100. The Corruption Perception Index is a report that scores countries and territories around the world that record perceptions of public sector corruption. The scores reflect the surveyed views of economic experts and businesspeople, not the general public. Countries are scored on a scale of 0 to 100. A hundred (100) being very clean and zero being highly corrupt. TIPNG Chair, Mr. Peter Aitsi said, “the country’s CPI score paints a stark picture that despite pledges and sporadic efforts, Papua New Guinea is not making significant impact in the fight against corruption.” “This lack of progress has dire consequences, most notably the recent Financial Action Taskforce (FATF) grey-listing, which has serious flow on impacts to our international banking arrangements and country credit rating.” “The results of the CPI and FATF assessments are a clear indicator that Papua New Guinea is failing to act on corruption.” “Millions are still being stolen through various means which robs the public and prevents them from accessing essential services such as quality education and health, it reduces economic and income opportunities and undermines trust in the government.” “It is right to say, we’ve all had enough, it is time for real and serious action,” added Mr. Aitsi. TIPNG is calling for ACTION and for the PNG Government to demonstrate its firm and unwavering commitment by: • Giving full authority and mandate to National Anti-Corruption Agencies. • Strengthening and fully resourcing integrity institutions. • Taking action to implement the FAFT recommendations. • Ensuring greater transparency and accountability in all government operations through enabling Freedom of Information Law and robust oversight mechanisms which are fundamental pillars of good governance. • Foster a culture of integrity within the public sector through strengthening codes of conduct, ethics training, and promoting a merit-based system for appointments and promotions, ensuring that competence and integrity are valued above all else. • Engage meaningfully with civil society, the private sector, and international partners in the fight against corruption. Collaboration is essential to harnessing expertise, resources, and innovative solutions. “We urge the Government to heed this call to action, to move from perception to progress.” “The time to act is now.”