Government Accountability Project: Difference between revisions
Added links to reports |
Queerudite (talk | contribs) Reverted edits - copyvio |
||
| Line 39: | Line 39: | ||
GAP released evidence or exposed information showing that: Wolfowitz’s companion, [[Shaha Riza]], received salary raises far in excess of those allowable under Bank rules; Riza received a questionable consulting position with a U.S. defense contractor in 2003 at Wolfowitz' direction that has resulted in State and Defense Department inquiries; [[Juan José Daboub]], Bank Managing Director and Wolfowitz-hire, attempted to remove references and funding for “[[family planning]]” in Bank projects; Wolfowitz’ office was responsible for weakening a “climate change” strategy document; Bank Senior Management delayed reporting to Bank staff that a fellow staffer had been seriously wounded in a shooting in Iraq; World Bank lending to Africa during Fiscal Year of 2007 has plummeted; and Wolfowitz was trying to broaden the Bank’s portfolio in Iraq over Board opposition. |
GAP released evidence or exposed information showing that: Wolfowitz’s companion, [[Shaha Riza]], received salary raises far in excess of those allowable under Bank rules; Riza received a questionable consulting position with a U.S. defense contractor in 2003 at Wolfowitz' direction that has resulted in State and Defense Department inquiries; [[Juan José Daboub]], Bank Managing Director and Wolfowitz-hire, attempted to remove references and funding for “[[family planning]]” in Bank projects; Wolfowitz’ office was responsible for weakening a “climate change” strategy document; Bank Senior Management delayed reporting to Bank staff that a fellow staffer had been seriously wounded in a shooting in Iraq; World Bank lending to Africa during Fiscal Year of 2007 has plummeted; and Wolfowitz was trying to broaden the Bank’s portfolio in Iraq over Board opposition. |
||
== GAP Issue Areas == |
|||
=== [http://whistleblower.org/template/page.cfm?page_id=9''Corporate Accountability''] === |
|||
GAP's Corporate Accountability program aims to hold businesses accountable by defending whistleblowers, publicizing wrongdoing and advocating for reform. The passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (Corporate Accountability Act) provides comprehensive whistleblower protections for all employees of publicly-traded companies. |
|||
=== [http://whistleblower.org/template/page.cfm?page_id=10''Nuclear Oversight''] === |
|||
The Nuclear Oversight Campaign fosters citizen activism and governmental accountability in civilian and military nuclear facility operations and clean up, protects and advocates for whistleblowers, responds to new environmental threats, and promotes and helps achieve nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation in a manner that protects the environment, safety, and health. |
|||
=== [http://whistleblower.org/template/page.cfm?page_id=124''Food Safety''] === |
|||
GAP’s Food Safety Program strives to end the threat to public health caused by unsafe food, unsustainable food production methods and inadequate inspection systems. |
|||
=== [http://whistleblower.org/template/page.cfm?page_id=126''Drug Safety''] === |
|||
The Drug Safety Program works to ensure prescription drug safety by assisting whistleblowers who expose the lack of true oversight by the Food and Drug Administration. |
|||
=== [http://whistleblower.org/program/international.cfm''International Reform''] === |
|||
GAP's primary international focus is the reform of five Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs). These public lending organizations operate in a culture of secrecy despite their rhetorical commitment to transparency and anti-corruption. With a generous grant from the Ford Foundation, GAP is working to match the bank's practices to their rhetoric. |
|||
=== [http://whistleblower.org/template/page.cfm?page_id=216''Homeland Security''] === |
|||
GAP’s Homeland Security program guides client and policy work related to counter-terrorism, disaster relief, telecom privacy, border security, and transportation and nuclear security. The program has been active in both its representation of individual clients as well as its support for whistleblower reform legislation. |
|||
=== [http://whistleblower.org/template/page.cfm?page_id=15''Legislation''] === |
|||
GAP testifies before both branches of Congress and meets or communicates with legislators on an daily basis. GAP has been instrumental in helping to pass numerous whistleblower protection reforms since our inception. |
|||
The mission of GAP legislative staff is to ensure enactment of the protection of free speech rights for federal workers through passage of whistleblower protection act amendments. The staff proactively seeks out legislative opportunities to expand free speech rights for all public and private sector workers to disclose waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement without fear of reprisal. |
|||
=== [http://whistleblower.org/template/page.cfm?page_id=164''Environmental''] === |
|||
GAP’s Environmental Oversight Program helps whistleblowers expose corporate or government actions that jeopardize the environment. As part of this program, we reach out to government scientists and serve as a vehicle through which they can expose illegal government gag policies and release critical environmental information. We also provide legal and media advice and challenge censorship-prone agencies by advocating for the free speech rights of federal employees and contractors. |
|||
Climate Science Watch is a GAP program that reaches out to scientists, helps them fight off censorship, and brings to light the continued politicization of environmental science. Climate Science Watch is run by [[Rick Piltz]], a noted whistleblower on climate issues being censored by the White House. |
|||
==GAP Reports== |
|||
[http://whistleblower.org/doc/2009/RDWB.pdf Racial Discrimination at the World Bank]: This report investigates and finds evidence of racial discrimination against black professional grade employees at the World Bank. Specifically, the report details that of over 3,500 professional grade World Bank staff worldwide (more than 1,000 of whom are Americans), there are only four black Americans. (June 2009) |
|||
[http://www.whistleblower.org/doc/2008/ABCFinal040709.pdf The ABCs of Drug Safety: Accountability, Balance, and Citizen Empowerment]: This report examines a number of recent and historical controversies with regard to clinical trial studies and institutional review boards (IRBs) – analyzing how major players at both the corporate and FDA levels have too often failed to perform their critical duties to safeguard human health. (April 2009) |
|||
[http://whistleblower.org/doc/2008/rtgfinal.pdf Running the Gauntlet: The Campaign for Credible Corporate Whistleblower Rights]: This report surveys the dangerous landscape of corporate whistleblower laws, and recommends strategies for corporate whistleblowers to best protect themselves from future retaliation. (September 2008) |
|||
[http://www.whistleblower.org/doc/2008/Privatization%20and%20Corruption.pdf Privatization & Corruption: The World Bank and Azerbaijan]: This report exposes the World Bank’s role in the widespread corruption surrounding privatization in Azerbaijan during the late 1990’s. The report shows that James Wolfensohn, then president of the World Bank, personally assisted a rogue financier in his efforts to gain control of the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR). (August 2008) |
|||
[http://www.whistleblower.org/doc/2008/PlunderingtheYerevanWaterUtility8.1.08.pdf Plundering the Yerevan Water Utility]: This report investigates allegations of corruption in the World Bank-funded Municipal Development Project (MDP) in Yerevan, Armenia. A whistleblower with access to internal documents about the MDP produced evidence showing that the General Director of the Yerevan Water and Sewerage Company (YWSC) in the capital and the international representative of the Italian company contracted to manage and modernize the YWSC were the same person during the crucial period between 2000 and 2002. As a result of this conflict of interest, project objectives were changed without authorization, substandard materials were used, performance standards were lowered, and works to be completed were never undertaken, among other things. (August 2008) |
|||
[http://whistleblower.org/doc/GNEPMarch.pdf Risky Appropriations: Gambling US Energy Policy on the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership]: GAP and a coalition of public interest, environmental and policy groups are releasing a groundbreaking report detailing the severe shortcomings and false assertions posed in the Global Energy Nuclear Partnership (GNEP). (March 2008) |
|||
[http://www.whistleblower.org/doc/FINAL%20GAP%20OSLA%20Paper%20in%20Adobe.pdf OSLA Proposal for the United Nations]: Following consultations with the Under Secretary for Management of the UN Secretariat, GAP undertook a study of possible models and recommendations for the proposed UN Office of Staff Legal Assistance (OSLA), using national and international precedents as a guide. (November 2007) |
|||
[http://www.whistleblower.org/doc/2007/INT%20review%209.05.07.pdf Review of the Department of Institutional Integrity at the World Bank]: Reviews the World Bank's Department of Institutional Integrity (INT) and its practices from 2005-2007 and documents several immediate and long-term problems at INT. (September 2007) |
|||
==References== |
==References== |
||
| Line 102: | Line 46: | ||
*[http://www.whistleblower.org/ Government Accountability Project] |
*[http://www.whistleblower.org/ Government Accountability Project] |
||
*[http://whistleblower.typepad.com/ GAP blog] |
*[http://whistleblower.typepad.com/ GAP blog] |
||
*[http://www.whistleblowertv.org/ Whistle Where You Work, a GAP TV production] |
|||
*[http://www.facebook.com/pages/Government-Accountability-Project/107237007602''GAP on Facebook''] |
|||
*[http://www.facebook.com/pages/Whistleblower/105517812520''Whistleblower Facebook Page''] |
|||
[[Category:Whistleblower support organizations]] |
[[Category:Whistleblower support organizations]] |
||
Revision as of 00:06, 18 June 2009
The Government Accountability Project (GAP) is the United States' leading whistleblower protection organization. Through litigating of whistleblower cases, publicizing concerns and developing legal reforms, GAP’s mission is to protect the public interest by promoting government and corporate accountability. Founded in 1977, GAP is a non-profit, non-partisan advocacy organization with offices in Washington, D.C. and Seattle, Washington.
Mission Statement
GAP is a nonprofit public interest group that promotes government and corporate accountability by advancing occupational free speech, defending whistleblowers, and empowering citizen activists. They pursue this mission through their Nuclear Oversight, International Reform, Corporate Accountability, Food & Drug Safety, Environmental Oversight, and Federal Employee/National Security programs. GAP is the nation's leading whistleblower protection organization.
Prominent GAP Clients
Gary Aguirre
Gary Aguirre is a former Securities and Exchange Commission lawyer who investigated a politically sensitive insider trading case involving Pequot Capital Management. At first, his supervisors had supported his inquiry. But when he sought to subpoena the CEO of Morgan Stanley, John Mack, who had briefly served as chairman of Pequot, Aguirre’s supervisors refused to allow him to issue the subpoena, claiming that it would be difficult because of Mack’s powerful “political connections.” Aguirre was then fired, only eleven days after he had received a two-step pay raise and his supervisor had praised his work on the Pequot investigation. [1]
Aubrey Blumsohn
Dr. Blumsohn was a senior medical faculty member specializing in bone health at Sheffield University in England. In 2002, he agreed to conduct research for Procter & Gamble (P&G) to determine how the osteoporosis drug Actonel prevents bone fractures. He collected data but was prevented from analyzing his findings by P&G. In 2004, P&G allowed Blumsohn to review what the company purported to be the actual data set. In reviewing the data, Blumsohn realized that numerous graphs (illustrating Actonel’s effectiveness in preventing bone fractures) omitted 40 percent of a data set, apparently manipulating results to suit P&G’s marketing objectives. P&G officials told Blumsohn that if these additional data were included in the results, the study would have favored a competitor’s drug – Merck’s Fosamax. He was then suspended by the university for speaking out about the issue to BBC. In 2006, he succeeded in pressuring P&G to release the full data set which, as he anticipated, failed to support P&G’s claim that Actonel is as effective as industry leaders in treating osteoporosis. [2] See also Slate report, AAAS reference, and Blog for further description of this incident.
David Graham
Dr. David Graham, an FDA scientist, discovered that the pain-reliever Vioxx increased risk of cardiovascular problems. Despite threats from the FDA, Graham testified to the dangers of the drug and succeeded in convincing the FDA to require large warning labels on Vioxx packaging. [3]
Victoria Hampshire
Dr. Hampshire was an FDA scientist who uncovered the dangers of an FDA-approved heartworm medication that had killed hundreds of dogs. The drug’s producer, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, tried to counter Dr. Hampshire’s claim by attacking her character. The then-acting FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford granted Wyeth a private meeting in which the company presented him with “information” about Dr. Hampshire. Following this meeting, officials at the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine removed Dr. Hampshire from the study of Wyeth’s product without explanation. She was then subjected to an FDA criminal investigation. Dr. Hampshire sought help from GAP, and the Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee then voted to take the heartworm drug off the market. She was completely exonerated in the FDA’s internal investigation, and received an award for her work. Senator Charles Grassley soon launched an investigation into the actions of both Wyeth and the FDA. [4]
James Hansen
Dr. Hansen is the top climate scientist at NASA, who in late 2005 released data showing that 2005 was the warmest year in a century and gave a lecture calling on U.S. leadership to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases linked to global warming. He then received messages from NASA officials threatening “dire consequences” if such statements continued. Restrictions were placed on his ability to speak publicly about climate change research, including a requirement that public affairs staff review his lectures, papers, and web postings before releasing them. News media were repeatedly denied interviews with Hansen by his supervisors, and drafts of his reports are severely edited before publication. [5]
Rick Piltz
Rick Piltz worked for years as an associate with the U.S. Climate Change Science Program. In June 2005 news reports, documents that Piltz obtained showed that a White House official with no scientific training was editing climate change science program reports in an attempt to confuse and obscure the perceived human impact on global warming. That official, previously a lead lobbyist for the American Petroleum Institute, was hired by ExxonMobil mere days after leaving the White House (on the heels of the story). Piltz is currently the director of Climate Science Watch, a GAP program that holds public officials accountable for how they use climate science. [6]
Andrew Thomson
In late 2004, Andrew Thomson was fired from the United Nations for publishing a book that was highly critical of the international body for mismanagement of its peacekeeping operations. In March 2005, his termination was reversed and he was promoted after Secretary General Kofi Annan, in an unprecedented decision, permitted public whistleblowing by U.N. employees. In January of the following year, the United Nations issued a new standard of whistleblower protection in an anti-retaliation policy, on which GAP was consulted. [7]
GAP and Paul Wolfowitz
In early 2007, GAP was responsible for exposing fraud and abuse at the highest levels of the World Bank. [8] In May 2007, World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz left the international organization in the wake of wide-ranging scandals based on multiple releases of documents over the previous two months by GAP. [9]
GAP released evidence or exposed information showing that: Wolfowitz’s companion, Shaha Riza, received salary raises far in excess of those allowable under Bank rules; Riza received a questionable consulting position with a U.S. defense contractor in 2003 at Wolfowitz' direction that has resulted in State and Defense Department inquiries; Juan José Daboub, Bank Managing Director and Wolfowitz-hire, attempted to remove references and funding for “family planning” in Bank projects; Wolfowitz’ office was responsible for weakening a “climate change” strategy document; Bank Senior Management delayed reporting to Bank staff that a fellow staffer had been seriously wounded in a shooting in Iraq; World Bank lending to Africa during Fiscal Year of 2007 has plummeted; and Wolfowitz was trying to broaden the Bank’s portfolio in Iraq over Board opposition.
References
- ^ "S.E.C. Is Reported to Be Examining a Big Hedge Fund." New York Times. June 23, 2006.
- ^ "Disputes Over Industry-Funded Medical Research a Growing Problem." Associated Press. February 22, 2006.
- ^ "Drug-Safety Reviewer Says FDA Delayed Vioxx Study." New York Times. November 4, 2004.
- ^ "FDA Official Chides Agency Over Treatment. New York Times. December 6, 2005.
- ^ "Climate Expert Says NASA Tried to Silence Him." New York Times. January 29, 2006.
- ^ "Bush Aide Edited Climate Reports." New York Times. June 8, 2005.
- ^ "UN Eases Stand on Doctor Who Criticized Peacekeeping Role." New York Times. January 6, 2005.
- ^ "Where the Money Is." Washington Post. March 28, 2007.
- ^ "Wolfowitz Steps Down as World Bank President." Financial Times. May 17, 2007.