The NACP team has achieved most of the performance criteria for all evaluation objects, according to the report of the Evaluation Commission

26.07.2023

The Commission for Independent Evaluation has stated that, based on a comprehensive analysis, the National Agency on Corruption Prevention has achieved the vast majority of performance criteria during 2020–2021. Based on the results of the Assessment Report, the Commission, made up of international experts in the field of preventing and combating corruption, recognized that the performance of the National Agency in 2020-2021 was effective, in particular stating that the NACP achieved the vast majority of the criteria for evaluation. In general, the Independent Commission assessed the NACP's work according to nine criteria, including:

independence of the National Agency;
formation, coordination, and monitoring of the state anti-corruption policy;
corruption risk assessment and anti-corruption programs;
prevention and settlement of conflicts of interest;
verification of asset declarations and lifestyle monitoring;
control of political party financing, etc.

Among other things, the Report notes the NACP's proactive involvement in the processes of managing corruption risks in state institutions and preparing anti-corruption programs for them. The NACP also investigated the most vulnerable areas to corruption and assessed corruption risks in many draft laws, involving all stakeholders in consultations. The Evaluation Commission also found that the NACP effectively fulfilled its obligations in the area of compliance with the requirements of the legislation on prevention and settlement of conflicts of interest and streamlined the procedures for verification of declarations, simplifying the process of their submission. It also improved access to and use of public data in the verification of declarations. The Evaluation Commission recognized the progress made by the NACP in controlling the financing of political parties by objectively verifying, within its competence, the compliance of their activities with the requirements of the law. The report noted the significant progress made by the NACP in implementing the provisions of the Law on Prevention of Corruption, which establish the rights of whistleblowers, confidentiality requirements, and the procedure for reporting corruption offenses. The NACP also closely monitored the development and implementation of whistleblower legislation and developed recommendations for its improvement. In general, the Commission recognized the interaction of the National Agency with the legislative branch of power as fruitful: in all cases when legislative changes concerned the NACP's competence or powers, it actively participated in consultations on the regulation of certain aspects of its functions. At the same time, in terms of the criteria, the desired progress was not achieved during the evaluation period due to a number of objective factors and the influence of external actors. In particular, the Commission's report states that despite the fact that the NACP developed and submitted a draft Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2021-2025 in a timely manner, the Ukrainian Parliament adopted it only after the end of the evaluation period for this report (which is June 2022). The Commission notes that the NACP has ensured an inclusive and participatory process in developing the draft strategy and action plan, which is a significant achievement. Along with its conclusions, the Commission provided a number of recommendations and suggestions to further improve the NACP's performance. In the near future, the National Agency will analyze the Commission's report in detail and develop an Action Plan to implement the recommendations that will improve the efficiency of its performance. Commenting on the results of the Assessment Report, NACP Head Oleksandr Novikov noted that the agency he heads has managed to achieve most of the performance criteria for which the Commission conducted the assesment.

"The assessment is an important step in ensuring the transparency and efficiency of the National Agency's work and will contribute to its further development. We are grateful for the rather high appreciation of our work achieved in difficult conditions, as well as for those recommendations that will help us strengthen our role in preventing and fighting our biggest internal enemy - corruption. The NACP looks forward to further fruitful cooperation in strengthening the NACP's capacity, independence and effectiveness and will approve the plan for implementing the Commission's recommendations aimed at building a good government and a just society in Ukraine as soon as possible," said Mr. Novikov.

It is worth noting that the National Agency became the first government agency in Ukraine to undergo an independent assessment by international experts. The NACP is grateful to the members of the Commission for their professional and comprehensive approach to the study of activities in all areas of evaluation. Reference: The Commission consisted of three international experts appointed by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, based on the proposals of international anti-corruption technical assistance projects: Joseph Gangloff (USA), Diana Kurpniece (Latvia) and Laura Stefan (Romania). This assessment is envisaged by the Law of Ukraine On Prevention of Corruption. The Commission for the Independent Evaluation of the performance of the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption started its work on January 24, 2022, after two years of the NACP Head's tenure. More details on the Commission's assessment and recommendations can be found in the National Agency Performance Evaluation Report.