14/03/2024 - The OECD has published reports for four countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova and Ukraine – participating in the Istanbul Anti-Corruption Action Plan (IAP) peer review programme. They evaluate efforts to advance anti-corruption reforms in each country and identify areas to strengthen the fight against corruption.

The reports were developed within the framework of the 5th round of monitoring of the IAP with the support of the EU for Integrity Programme. The IAP is implemented by the OECD Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, a regional outreach programme of the OECD Working Group on Bribery. The 5th round of monitoring uses a novel indicator-based assessment framework derived from international standards and regional best practices.

The reports note progress in developing sound anti-corruption policy documents and establishing specialised law-enforcement institutions in the assessed countries. They highlight some promising steps toward enhancing the independence of the judiciary and provide good examples of asset and interest disclosure of public officials. Considerable challenges remain, however, in areas such as business integrity, independence of public prosecution services, and effective enforcement of corruption offences.

Alarming signals of shrinking civic space and growing pressures on individual civil society organisations have emerged in the region in recent years. A strong civil society is of central importance to the region’s anti-corruption reform efforts. The OECD thus calls on members of the Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia to lift unjustified restrictions on civic space, protect civil society organisations from threats and persecution and ensure their participation in joint anti-corruption endeavours.

The 5th round of monitoring of the IAP allows countries to benchmark their progress against peers in the region and helps promote anti-corruption reforms that support European integration. Georgia, once a regional leader in anti-corruption reforms, withdrew its participation from the 5th round of monitoring. The OECD calls upon Georgia to reconsider this decision and re-join the peer review programme to pursue its fight against corruption.

For further information, journalists are invited to contact Arianna.Ingle@oecd.org Communications Officer (Arianna Ingle) or visit www.oecd.org/corruption/acn/.

 

 

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