The Head of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (the NACP), Viktor Pavlushchyk, and his team held a working meeting with the Head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Ukraine, Harsheth Virk. They shared priorities in their work and a vision of further cooperation.
The new Head of the NACP thanked for the support that UNODC provides to Ukraine in its struggle for the common values of the civilized world. "The independence of the NACP and other anti-corruption agencies is the only way to overcome corruption, which is an indispensable prerequisite for Ukraine's further sustainable development. We are grateful for your understanding, support, and assistance in building integrity in Ukraine. Our team remains unwavering in the effective performance of its duties and the advancement of all important projects," said Viktor Pavlushchyk.
Among the priorities for the NACP's further work, he sees improvement in the declaration process, as it means transparency and building trust for society, and saving resources spent on data verification for the state. Another important task is strategic planning and risk assessment, namely the implementation of the State Anti-Corruption Strategy and Program (SACP) and strategic analysis of corruption risks in the most important areas. "Our main goal is to create the conditions and environment for introducing zero tolerance to corruption in society," said Pavlushchyk. He emphasized that the implementation of all tasks is possible only if the NACP team works in a coordinated and effective manner: "The team is the greatest value of any institution. People make organizations successful, build culture, create values and meanings, and leave a mark on history."
The NACP Head expressed his sincere gratitude to the UNODC for supporting many of the NACP’s initiatives. In particular, it is about the mechanism of reviewing the implementation of the UN Convention against Corruption, as well as the agency's involvement in the UNODC Global Action for Business Integrity (GABI) program to build integrity in the private sector.
The NACP’s Head also spoke about the progress in the development of the institution of corruption whistleblowing in Ukraine, in particular, the results of the Whistleblower Reporting Portal launched six months ago. The NACP has successfully connected 207 organizations to the Unified Whistleblower Reporting Portal. Employees of such institutions as the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Accounting Chamber, the National Bank, and others now have the opportunity to report potential cases of corruption through the Portal. The NACP team is interested in modernizing the work of the Portal and sharing experience with other countries on working with whistleblowers and is grateful to UNODC for its willingness to provide expert assistance to the NACP to develop the institution of whistleblowing in Ukraine.
Harsheth Virk congratulated the newly elected Head of the NACP and assured of the UNODC's continued support. "The work of the Whistleblower Portal is extremely important, and the readiness to share experience in this area is an effective and correct decision. The UNODC plans to organize a series of workshops to expand anti-corruption practices, and we are interested in the participation of the NACP team," said Harsheth Virk.
She drew attention to the importance of building integrity in education and made proposals for the NACP to participate in online events for certain, in particular, vulnerable groups of the population on the experience of corrupt practices and options for combating them.
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The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that deals with drugs, crime, corruption, and terrorism. Under the UNODC umbrella is the Conference of the States Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption (COSP). The COSP acts as the main body that promotes the implementation of the UN Convention against Corruption by providing support to the member states. In addition, COSP develops anti-corruption policies and implements them through the UNODC.
COSP sessions are convened every two years and adopt decisions and resolutions aimed at fulfilling its mandate. During the 10th session of the Conference of the States Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption (COSP), which took place from 11-15.12.2023 in Atlanta (USA), the US delegation assumed the COSP chairmanship for 2024-2026.
