Effective implementation of the State Anti-Corruption Program will ensure Ukraine’s entry into the OECD and guarantee transparency in the reconstruction process
Joining the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is one of the priorities of the Government of Ukraine. It is the effective implementation of the State Anti-Corruption Program for 2023-2025 (SACP) that can ensure Ukraine’s membership in the Organization and ensure transparency and accountability in the processes related to post-war reconstruction.
“Our goal is to become champions in the implementation of the OECD recommendations on public integrity. After all, these recommendations fully coincide with the goals of the SACP and the request of Ukrainian society for justice”, – Oleksandr Novikov said during his participation in the panel “Integrity in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine” organized by the NACP at the OECD International Anti-corruption and Integrity Forum in Paris.
Oleksandr Korniyenko, First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, noted that Ukraine is confidently moving towards its goal of full membership in the OECD. “Last year, the Prime Minister of Ukraine already submitted an application for our country to join the OECD. Already in the spring of this year, the OECD office started working in Ukraine. We feel strong support, and the process of transparent and accountable reconstruction should only strengthen the trust of our international partners”, – said the first deputy speaker of the Parliament. He added that the Verkhovna Rada fully supports the work of anti-corruption bodies of Ukraine and only thanks to fruitful work together can we ensure the transparency of post-war reconstruction.
“We believe that the key to ensuring the accountability of the reconstruction of the state is the digitization of these processes. It is for this purpose that we developed the new DREAM system (Digital Restoration Ecosystem for Accountable Management). It is designed to digitally manage the recovery of the country, where communities can contribute their projects, attract financial resources for them and manage the construction. Thanks to DREAM, every Ukrainian citizen or investor will be able to monitor reconstruction projects at all stages. The system will show project documentation, funding sources, the volume and nature of procurement of goods and services, as well as the status of construction works. This will allow to attract more international investments for the restoration of Ukraine”, – said Mustafa Nayem, Head of the State Agency for Reconstruction and Development of Infrastructure of Ukraine.
“Despite the war, Ukraine continues to engage in reforms. The public and the government have a common vision in the context of the transparency of restoration and functioning of state processes in general. We have a large number of innovative registers and other IT products. One of them is the DREAM system, which will be publicly available to all users from June 21 after its presentation in London at the Ukraine Recovery Conference,” – added Victor Nestulia, co-founder of the RISE Ukraine Coalition – Coalition for Reconstruction.
The Head of the State Audit Service of Ukraine, Alla Basalayeva, emphasized the importance of effective control and audit at the national level and the implementation of monitoring and control over the implementation of restoration projects. “Procurement is the most vulnerable link for corruption, conflict of interest and other violations of legislation. The State Audit Service is responsible for ensuring the verification of the use of funds allocated for reconstruction and the implementation of individual projects. This is extremely important, since these are the funds of our partners, and therefore, the attention of the state financial control should be even more vigilant during the implementation of reconstruction projects”, – said the head of the State Audit Service.
Investors should be sure of the protection of their rights and freedoms and rely on the rules of the game that work throughout the civilized world. One of the components of fair play for participants in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine is a systematic and effective fight against corruption. This was emphasized by the Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) Semen Kryvonos.
He added that for this NABU and SAPO need to increase their institutional capacity, including the expansion of the staff of employees directly involved in the investigative process. This is precisely what the State Anti-corruption Program until 2025, developed by the NACP, envisages.
Oleksandr Klymenko, Head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) emphasized the importance of the coordinated work of all anti-corruption institutions, because it is by working as a single mechanism that you can achieve effective results, which you can see for yourself now. He reminded that anti-corruption bodies are digitizing internal cooperation processes as well. Thus, the eCase Management System of electronic criminal proceedings is already being tested in Ukraine. “We are innovating, increasing the effectiveness of pre-trial investigation. The eCase MS system is an important element in this process”, – Oleksandr Klymenko added.
The Head of the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine (HACC) Vira Mykhaylenko assured that the HACC is a preventive tool for control and the legal, transparent and effective distribution of aid to Ukraine both during the war and after our Victory in its reconstruction, the judges of the HACC will continue to administer justice exclusively guided by the principle of supremacy rights and legal norms, regardless of the names, political affiliation or other characteristics of suspected or accused persons, with a fair determination of the person’s guilt or innocence.
