POGO Inspired by Colleagues Abroad

Last week I had the extraordinary opportunity to attend a roundtable organized by Transparency International with anti-corruption activists from around the world who are working on whistleblower protections for people in their countries. My new friend Giorgio from Italy has since described the time to me as "magical," and I agree. Of course being in Prague was in itself magnificent, but spending three intensive days with these people was intoxicating. It's great for me to be reminded that despite our anti-corruption battles here in the U.S. (or rather because of them), we still serve as an example for our colleagues around the world--including in Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Romania, Bulgaria, Switzerland, France, Ireland, and Italy. I realize what lonely work it is for them to be working to strengthen their democracies in countries that have neither a long history of citizen participation nor of good government philanthropy. I deeply appreciate how warmly I was received by these smart, dedicated people, and hope POGO will be useful to them in their huge tasks ahead.

Here's a serious shot of us in Prague:

And here we are working hard later that evening:

-- Danielle Brian

Comments

[Posted on: Jul 22, 2009 at 11:59 AM]

Dear Concerned:

You are right to keep an eye out for corruption in every quarter, but you need not worry on this occasion. TI paid for the expenses for the meeting, but we as individuals paid for our own expenses when we went out in the evening after the long days of meetings. I would encourage you to support TI-Latvia. I was very impressed with them.

Danielle

[Posted on: Jul 21, 2009 at 11:44 AM]

I am trying to have an open mind concerning this get together in Prague.
IT's partner DELNA in Latvia operates on donations and pays its members a salary.
Was this an official meeting sponsored by IT or just a meeting by POGO in a social setting?
Nice pictures but a list of participants was not included or I could not find one.
Who paid for each individuals trip expenses?
Even organizations that operate under the umbrella of legitimacy are not always on the up and up.

Your response would be appreciated.