WASHINGTON, D.C. | November 22, 2021 — Today, National Whistleblower Center (NWC) is submitting a comment to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) regarding their 2022-2030 Draft Climate Strategy. In the comment, NWC emphasizes how climate whistleblowers and enhanced protections are critical to the climate strategy’s implementation.
NWC gives several specific recommendations for USAID to incorporate whistleblower protections and ensure the success of their climate initiatives.
With a planned expenditure of $150 billion, the draft climate strategy is a plum target for fraud, and NWC highlights past successes of strong whistleblower programs in protecting large public spending. The comment highlights the False Claims Act and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act as two pre-existing laws that can help protect the programs listed in the Draft Climate Strategy from fraud and abuse.
NWC also recommends that USAID work to establish an International Whistleblower Office (IWO). The IWO would handle all international corruption claims, refer the claims to the relevant agencies, and provide resources and education about blowing the whistle. Contemporarily, global whistleblowers receive consistent praise and insufficient support. Establishing an IWO would greatly improve global whistleblower support, and USAID is the logical home for such an office.
NWC urges adoption of these recommendations because strong international whistleblower regimes are essential to ensuring that climate adaptation and mitigation programs are fully realized.
For more information, contact National Whistleblower Center at info@whistleblowers.org.
