India's Anjali Bhardwaj among 12 recipients of US anticorruption champion award

Blinken said the winners of the award inspire us and so many of their counterparts pursuing these ideals around the world.

India’s Anjali Bhardwaj was among 12 anti-corruption activists from around the world named by US secretary of state Antony Blinken as the first recipients of the new International Anticorruption Champions Award.

Anjali Bhardwaj, the 48-year-old activist is also the founder of the Satark Nagrik Sangathan (SNS), a citizens' group with a mandate to promote transparency and accountability in government. (Getty)

Bhardwaj is primarily known as a Right to Information (RTI) activist and is associated with the National Campaign for Peoples’ Right to Information. Along with Annie Raja and Sipa Sinha, she leads the Delhi Rozi Roti Adhikar Abhiyan, a city-based collective that works on food rights.

In a statement announcing the recipients of the award, Blinken said that around the world corruption threatens security and stability, hinders economic growth, undermines democracy and human rights, destroys trust in public institutions, facilitates transnational crime, and siphons away public and private resources.

“The Biden administration recognises that we will only be successful in combating these issues by working in concert with committed partners, including courageous individuals who champion anticorruption efforts and countries working to fulfil their commitments to international anticorruption standards,” he said.

In line with this objective, Blinken announced the International Anticorruption Champions Award which recognises individuals “who have worked tirelessly, often in the face of adversity, to defend transparency, combat corruption, and ensure accountability in their own countries”.

Besides Bhardwaj, the other recipients of the award are Ardian Dvorani of Albania, Diana Salazar of Ecuador, Sophia Pretrick of the Federated States of Micronesia, Juan Francisco Sandoval Alfaro of Guatemala, Ibrahima Kalil Gueye of Guinea, Dhuha A Mohammed of Iraq, Bolot Temirov of the Kyrgyz Republic, Mustafa Abdullah Sanalla of Libya, Victor Sotto of the Philippines, Francis Ben Kaifala of Sierra Leone, and Ruslan Ryaboshapka of Ukraine.

“They inspire us and so many of their counterparts pursuing these ideals around the world,” Blinken said.

“As President [Joe] Biden has emphasised, our commitment to truth, transparency, and accountability is a mission that we must live at home and exemplify abroad. I commend the dedication of these 12 brave individuals to these same ideals,” he added.

Referring to the anti-corruption efforts of the US, Blinken said the country was the first to criminalise foreign bribery and, in partnership with foreign counterparts, has recovered and returned more than $1 billion in stolen public assets in the past two years.

“We use a range of tools to promote accountability for corrupt individuals, combat impunity globally, and engage in multilateral fora to fight corruption and strengthen citizen engagement,” Blinken said, adding that corruption will be defeated by implementing reforms consistent with international commitments and empowering citizens, journalists and civil society organisations to help “defeat this global threat to security and democracy”.