OSCE concludes anti-corruption needs assessment mission in Mongolia

ULAANBAATAR, 10 June 2016 – A three-day national anti-corruption needs assessment mission conducted by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, upon invitation of Mongolia’s Independent Authority Against Corruption (IAAC), concluded today in Ulaanbaatar. 

In the scope of the visit some 30 officials representing the IAAC, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Department Against Economic Crimes of the National Police Authority, Transparency International Mongolia, the Mongolian Business Council, the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the World Bank residence office discussed the country’s legal, regulatory and institutional anti-corruption infrastructure and identified recommendations for improvement and potential follow-up activities.

“While corruption remains among key challenges for Mongolia, we are impressed with the quality and determination of the IAAC leadership and staff to retain its independent status, design and implement efficient policies to prevent and combat corruption in all its forms,” said Andrei Muntean, Senior Economic Officer at the OSCE Secretariat. 

Acting Director General of the IAAC, Tseesuren Nyamdorj, added: “The IAAC works systematically towards implementing Mongolia’s adopted anti-corruption legislation. We stand ready to launch our co-operation with the OSCE and implement joint activities that were agreed upon during this mission as we expect them to enhance our capacities.”

The mission concluded with a multi-stakeholder OSCE-led round table discussion focusing on improving and strengthening the mandate and independence of the IAAC, the role of the judiciary, effectiveness of law enforcement authorities and the engagements of civil society and the private sector.

Thematic exchanges revealed the need to better regulate political party financing, strengthen the capacity of relevant authorities to collect, assess and investigate assets and income disclosure of public officials, better regulate public procurement processes and strengthen anti-money laundering and stolen asset recovery efforts. 

Key messages of the recently published OSCE Handbook on Combating Corruption were also presented to the audience.

This national scoping mission is one in a series of such missions to 8 participating States conducted by the OCEEA since January 2016. These missions offer a platform to engage in open and productive dialogue with relevant authorities on issues of their concern in the area of good governance aiming the design of the OSCE-led capacity building activities.