Ukraine has achieved significant progress in the development and implementation of anti-corruption policy. Based on the results of a comprehensive assessment of Ukraine within the framework of the fifth round of monitoring of the Istanbul Anti-Corruption Action Plan, experts of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) noted Ukraine’s efforts in this field at 91.9 points out of 100 possible. This is one of the highest results among all participants, which at the same time demonstrates significant growth compared to the previous assessment (in 2023) — 53 points.
It should be recalled that the subject of the assessment was the system of prevention and counteraction to corruption in Ukraine in nine key areas: “Anti-corruption policy,” “Conflict of interest and asset declaration,” “Whistleblower protection,” “Integrity in business,” “Transparency of public procurement,” “Independence of the judiciary,” “Independence of the prosecution,” “Specialized anti-corruption bodies,” “Liability for corruption offenses.”
The peculiarity of the fifth round was the application of performance indicators defined in the Monitoring Methodology. For the assessment of the achievement of the indicators, compliance criteria are used, which are based on international standards and best practices, as well as include recommendations provided by the OECD within the framework of the previous round of monitoring. Such a system of assessment ensures objectivity, consistency, and transparency of conclusions.
Among the key achievements of Ukraine in the field of anti-corruption policy, noted by the monitoring group:
- development and effective implementation of the Anti-Corruption Strategy and the State Anti-Corruption Program based on in-depth analysis;
- implementation of a modern system of coordination, monitoring, and evaluation of anti-corruption policy with broad public involvement;
- launch of a new information system for monitoring the implementation of state anti-corruption policy, which ensures inter-institutional interaction and real-time reflection of progress in policy implementation.
In general, Ukraine demonstrated compliance with most of the key criteria of the section, among which:
- Evidence-based policy – strategic documents are developed on the basis of comprehensive analysis: the results of the implementation of previous political documents and the analysis of the corruption situation in the country, national and sectoral risk assessments, reports of state bodies, research and reports of non-governmental organizations, international partners, sociological surveys, administrative or judicial statistics are taken into account.
- Regularity of updating – planning documents in the field of anti-corruption policy are adopted at least once every three years. Thus, in March 2023, the State Anti-Corruption Program for 2023–2025 was approved, and already in October 2024, the government adopted Resolution No. 1194, which introduced comprehensive changes to this document.
- Clarity of content – the Anti-Corruption Strategy and the SACP contain goals, objectives, measures with specified deadlines and responsible bodies, result and impact indicators, as well as sources of funding. The only drawback remains the absence in the State Anti-Corruption Program of financial estimates of the implementation of measures for at least one year.
- Publicity – all drafts and final versions of strategic documents are available online. This applies to both the current Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2021–2025 and the State Anti-Corruption Program for 2023–2025.
- Inclusiveness – the process of developing political documents was accompanied by public consultations. The National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) conducted a series of discussions and published their results on the official website, which ensured transparency and consideration of the positions of stakeholders.
- The number of SACP measures not implemented due to lack of funds does not exceed 10% of the total number of measures planned for the reporting period.
- Systematic monitoring – NACP carries out quarterly monitoring of the implementation of the SACP, publishing the results in the ISM SACP. For the coordination of Program measures, special working groups and regular meetings with the involvement of various institutions are provided. At the same time, the OECD monitoring group recommended that Ukraine additionally publish data on actual financial expenditures for the implementation of SACP measures, which will increase the efficiency of budget use.
- Effectiveness assessment – in January–March 2025, the National Agency conducted the annual assessment of the implementation of current documents and published its results in open access through the information system.
- Involvement of non-governmental stakeholders in monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of anti-corruption policy – ISM SACP has tools that allow the public to provide their feedback, comments, and reviews regarding the implementation status of each SACP measure.
Thus, Ukraine has built a systematic and modern approach to anti-corruption policy, which complies with international standards and contributes to increasing the trust of society and partners. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure the stability and sustainability of this policy, as well as adequate resource provision for its implementation in the long-term perspective. Among the challenges facing Ukraine in the field of anti-corruption policy is ensuring a high level of implementation of the measures of the State Anti-Corruption Program for 2023–2025.
Another important challenge is the development and adoption of the Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2026–2030, which will take into account previous experience and ensure the continuity of anti-corruption policy. It should be recalled that the National Agency has begun holding a series of public discussions of the draft Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2026–2030, which will take place during October–early November 2025.
The full text of the report based on the results of the fifth round of monitoring of the Istanbul Anti-Corruption Action Plan is available at the link.
Reference
OECD ACN — a regional work program within the framework of the OECD Working Group on Bribery, established in 1998. Its mission is to support member countries in preventing and combating corruption through country reviews, practitioner networks, as well as individual technical assistance.
The Istanbul Anti-Corruption Action Plan is a regional expert assessment program launched in 2003 within the framework of the OECD ACN, which supports reforms through the analysis and monitoring of the implementation of recommendations that promote the best international standards.
The Istanbul Anti-Corruption Action Plan provides for reviews of ten countries of the OECD Anti-Corruption Network: Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan. Ukraine joined the Program in 2003 and has undergone five rounds of monitoring. All previous reports are available on the ACN website.
In March 2024, the OECD published the Report on Anti-Corruption Reforms in Ukraine based on the results of the fifth round of monitoring of the Istanbul Anti-Corruption Action Plan (during 2023 Ukraine underwent a shortened review in 5 out of 9 areas: “Anti-corruption policy,” “Asset declaration,” “Independence of the judiciary,” “Specialized anti-corruption bodies,” “Liability for corruption offenses.” The report confirmed that Ukraine demonstrated significant progress in various areas of the fight against corruption and the development of integrity.
