The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched a three-year joint project on “Preventing corruption through effective, accountable and transparent governance institutions in Uzbekistan.”
The project is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Justice, the General-Prosecutor’s office and UNDP Uzbekistan. The project will draw on global expertise and good practice in the sphere of anti-corruption through UNDP’s Anti-Corruption for Peaceful and Inclusive Societies global project, based in the Global Centre for Public Service Excellence in Singapore, and will also benefit from regional technical experience from UNDP’s Istanbul Regional Hub, which has accumulated over two decades of relevant knowledge from anti-corruption and governance support in transition countries in Europe and Central Asia.
In line with Uzbekistan’s Action Strategy 2017-2021 and the country’s commitments under the global Sustainable Development Goals, this Project will contribute to the effective implementation of the Law of Uzbekistan on Anti-Corruption, as well as national commitments under the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) and the OECD/ACN Istanbul Plan of Actions with regard to prevention of corruption in the public sector.
“This project symbolizes the deep commitment of the Government to preventing and combating corruption, in all its forms, across all branches of government. This is vital for the country to achieve its development ambitions” said Mr. Ruslanbek Davletov, Minister of Justice, at the project’s launch meeting in Tashkent on 19 April 2018. “We are pleased that the project will benefit from the global, regional and country-level capacities and experience of our long-standing partner, UNDP. This will ensure Uzbekistan taps into the very best of global expertise and experience as we drive forward the anti-corruption agenda.”
Ms. Helena Fraser, UNDP Resident Representative, noted that “the sustainability and effectiveness of the wide-ranging reforms currently underway in Uzbekistan depend on accountable, transparent and inclusive governance, as well as effective rule of law. These cannot be achieved without sustained measures to address and prevent corruption. The UN family in Uzbekistan is committed to work in close partnership with the Ministry of Justice and the General-Prosecutor’s Office to support the implementation of the national plan of action on anti-corruption, thereby supporting the country’s commitments under the Sustainable Development Agenda as well as the reform process.”
Mr. Patrick Keuleers, Director for Governance and Peacebuilding at UNDP Headquarters in New York, travelled to Tashkent for the project launch. Mr. Keuleers noted that the project also envisages supporting efforts to strengthen cooperation between government agencies and civil society organizations and the media. “Corruption can be a major bottleneck to sustainable development: it can inhibit public and private investments, drive up costs, and distort resource allocations. Preventing and combating corruption needs to engage everyone – parliament, private sector, judiciary, civil society as well as government. We are pleased to be working with the Government of Uzbekistan to take forward their ambitious anti-corruption agenda” said Mr. Keuleers.
