Veterans, like no other, know the value of fighting for their country and its values. After returning to civilian life, their voices can play an important role in promoting reforms and reducing corruption.
In this context, representatives of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP), together with the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI), NABU, SAPO, HACC and specialized civil society organizations, took part in a public discussion “Choosing the Future: Engaging Veterans in Anti-Corruption Activities”.
The participants discussed the potential of fighting corruption and employment opportunities in anti-corruption agencies and NGOs.
NAPC Head Viktor Pavlushchyk emphasized that Ukraine is one of the first countries in the world to have a large-scale experience of employment and adaptation of female and male veterans. According to the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, after the war, veteran policy in Ukraine will cover about 6 million people.
He spoke about the implementation of an internship project for female and male veterans initiated by the Agency. The main goal of the project is to involve the experience, skills, patriotism, and motivation of Ukrainian defenders in anti-corruption work. The project is aimed at supporting anti-corruption activities among veterans, adapting the NACP corporate culture to integrate people with combat experience into civilian life, and developing an employment policy and recommendations for changes in the NACP's processes and rules as an employer to effectively attract more veterans to vacant positions.
"NACP needs to go through its own unique path and gain valuable experience in order to attract veterans to fulfill the Agency's mandate. There is a significant audience among veterans that the National Agency may be interested in as an employer. Among those who defend our country are lawyers, investigators, prosecutors, economists, auditors, and IT specialists. The main idea of our veteran project is to find people who, perhaps without experience in the anti-corruption field, have the necessary skills, have other strengths, and are ready to take responsibility for changes in the country,” said Pavlushchyk.
Vyacheslav Bondarenko, a veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Deputy Head of the Department and Head of the NACP's Lifestyle Monitoring Department, spoke about his service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and his personal decision to serve the public in the fight against corruption.
"The military is used to working in conditions of high responsibility, strict discipline and making decisions in difficult circumstances. These qualities help in anti-corruption activities to analyze situations objectively, implement a systematic approach and respond effectively to challenges. My combat experience has taught me to value transparency, cohesion and responsibility - values that I apply daily in my work at the NACP. Thanks to this, we managed to improve the procedures for monitoring the lifestyles of the declarants, making this process more efficient and effective. Honesty, responsibility and teamwork are universal values that remain unchanged both in military service and in anti-corruption activities. These principles are the basis of my approach to work and serve as a guide in all professional decisions,” said NACP representative.
He also emphasized that veterans are a powerful resource for building Ukrainian society. Their experience of fighting for Ukraine's independence can be effectively adapted to fight corruption and increase the transparency of state institutions.
The veterans' project at the NACP is ongoing, and we will share its results very soon.
