OSCE and partners support regional expert seminar in Tirana on good practices in preventing corruption

TIRANA, 27 June 2014 – Fifty-five senior anti-corruption officials and leading civil society representatives from OSCE participating States in eastern and south-eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia came together for a two-day regional expert seminar on preventing corruption. The seminar ended today in Tirana.

The seminar, co-organized by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, the OSCE Presence in Albania, the OECD and other partners, served as a platform for identifying trends and challenges in implementing effective prevention measures to combat corruption, and for discussing successful practices. 

Participants discussed the effectiveness of a “full government” approach in combating corruption. They noted that the availability and transparency of government data on public expenditures, access to public services, and ensuring a lesser regulatory burden are additional effective measures in promoting a culture of integrity.  The key role of civil society in preventing corruption was also recognized, primarily in research, developing corruption perception surveys and monitoring the anti-corruption efforts of governments. 

"Prevention is a key element of the fight against corruption, and as such it should be accompanied by an array of well-defined, well-structured, tailor-made actions,” said Bledar Çuçi, Minister for Local Government Issues and National Co-ordinator on Anti-Corruption in Albania. “Prevention through education is one of the key messages in Albania s nationwide awareness-raising campaign.".

Ambassador Florian Raunig, the Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, said: "Concrete, co-ordinated measures are urgently needed to curb the phenomenon of corruption. Citizens must feel that this issue is being seriously tackled. They have the right to functioning, reliable and efficient public services, including education and health care.”

The event was organized as part of the OSCE’s support to its participating States in implementing their commitments made in the Dublin Ministerial Declaration 2012 on Promoting Good Governance and Combating Corruption, Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism.

The regional expert seminar was co-organized by the OSCE as part of the OECD Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, in co-operation with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).