12.04.2021

NATO’s Building Integrity programme (and policy) aim at strengthening integrity, transparency and accountability and reducing the risk of corruption in the defence and related security sector. As stated in the BI Policy, endorsed by NATO Heads of State and Government at the 2016 Warsaw summit, the rationale is that: “(…) corruption and poor governance are security challenges that undermine democracy, the rule of law and economic development, erode public trust in defence institutions and have a negative impact on operational effectiveness”. The program runs from 2019-2023 with a budget of EUR 3 million.

Countries covered: All NATO Partners and Allies in the Neighbourhood and enlargement countries.

The general objective is to contribute to improving national and regional resilience to security risks posed by corruption and poor governance.

Specific objectives: promote good practices in the defence and related security sector , in particular as regards management of assets, equipment, financial and personnel resources in countries; share lessons learned between countries and within the region; and strengthen BI Community of Practice, linking national authorities with representatives of the private sector and civil society committed to strengthening transparency, accountability and integrity in the defence and related security sector. 

Actions include: NATO International Staff (IS) delivers tailor-made support: it includes strategic level advice to strengthen institutional arrangements and business practices and capacity building activities to support the professional development of individuals. This support is available on request to all NATO allies and partners (from the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, the Mediterranean Dialogue, Istanbul Cooperation Initiative and partners across the globe). Participation in BI activities is purely on a voluntary basis. NATO relies on an extensive network of internal and external subject matter experts from the public and private sector. As of September 2018, 52 nations have endorsed or are associated to the NATO BI Policy. In 2018, 2500 civilian and military representatives took part in BI capacity building activities; 20 nations are making use of the NATO BI Self-Assessment and Peer Review Process.