What is Transparency International Greenland?

Transparency International Greenland is an organisation working to prevent corruption in Greenland, in co-operation with the international organisation Transparency International.

The organisation fights corruption by working to ensure that the decisions taken by the public administration and companies in the business world are transparent to individual organisations, companies and citizens, and by providing information on corruption and its damaging effects on Greenlandic society.

More specifically, this means that the association works to:

• Secure a strong knowledge of corruption and relevant grey areas in Greenland businesses, media, civil society and administration.
• Advocate and lobby for appropriate legal frameworks, legislation and control mechanisms to ensure transparency and accountability.

What is Corruption?

“Corruption is abuse of entrusted power for private gain”

Corruption can therefore be many things. Examples include bribery and lubrication, which are very direct forms of corruption. Or political donations, charity donations, sponsorships, conflicts of interest, gifts or entertainment, which can be in a gray zone, where in many cases there can be doubts as to whether it is corruption. Corruption can be present to varying degrees, but common to all of them is that they create inequality in society, because some citizens – either through contacts or by paying – obtain opportunities that are not open to all citizens in society.

Corruption therefore concerns you too!

Whistleblowers

Society needs whistleblowers

Inatsisartut must at the 2024 Spring Assembly give third consideration to a very important bill to protect whistleblowers. Transparency International Greenland calls on all parties in Inatsisartut to support the bill.

Our resources, both on land and at sea, are spread all over the country. Transparency International Greenland considers it extremely important that everyone makes an effort to look after these resources. Unfortunately, good supervision and control cannot stand alone.

There is a need for both employees and other persons who become aware of dishonest procedures, fraud, nepotism or other abuse of the system to be able to safely draw attention to objectionable or outright illegal conditions. A whistleblower law is needed.

A law which lays down clear guidelines for how a whistleblower scheme must be drawn up, and which gives the whistleblower the right to protection. This will form the basis for us to look after our society and our resources in the future. The need for security for whistleblowers has been talked about for years. Inatsisartut has had the topic on his agenda several times.

Are you considering becoming a whistleblower?

Today, there are a number of different whistleblower schemes, both internal and external. In the Handbook on anti-corruption and the Handbook for municipalities (see under publications) you can read about whistleblowers. These Handbooks are in Greenlandic and Danish only. Transparency recommends that you investigate which scheme exists at your workplace. Also talk to your trustee if you are in doubt.

Transparency does not have the opportunity to enter into individual cases and therefore cannot help you if you are exposed to reprisals.