CoST El Salvador has launched a brand new training programme to support stakeholders in delivering better value public infrastructure. Entitled “Ethics, Transparency and Corruption in Public Infrastructure Projects”, the training programme seeks to drive ethical and democratic practices in public infrastructure investment and delivery.

Organised by the National Secretariat and MSG, the first of these training events took place last month at the Technological University of El Salvador (UTEC). Having joined the CoST El Salvador MSG in May 2016, UTEC has taken an active role in engaging new audiences with the programme. Over 50 people attended the first training event, with representatives from civil society, industry and government working together to advance transparency and accountability in public infrastructure.

The training highlighted the role all stakeholders must play in improving current public infrastructure processes and demonstrated the potential value of increasing transparency. Specifically, the programme tackled several key issues:

• reasons for the development of corruption in public infrastructure investment;
• transparency in public infrastructure as a means of tackling corruption;
• role of the private sector in public infrastructure projects;
• promotion of a culture of transparency within public institutions.

In a recent interview with La Prensa Grafica, Francisco Sorto Rivas, Workshop Facilitator, said: “Universities, both at undergraduate and postgraduate level, are teaching ethics but that does not mean that we do not need an appropriate legal framework that sanctions those government officials who enrich themselves at the expense of the needs of citizens; but this framework should extend beyond government, as employers who resort to bribery in order to do business with the government should also be held accountable. Ethics must permeate the habits of all.”

To find out more about upcoming events in El Salvador, please contact asistencia.cost@gmail.com

CoST El Salvador will deliver its first Assurance Report towards the end of this year, reviewing 24 projects from 10 Procuring Entities to highlight issues and provide recommendations to increase transparency and accountability. Stay with us to find out how transparency policy and transparency practice align in El Salvador!

Check out the video below (in Spanish) to find out more about the training sessions.