On the International Anti-Corruption Day, Pro-Integrity: Promoting Integrity in the Public Sector organized a discussion “International Anti-Corruption Day: From Euromaidan to European Integration”. This is the largest anti-corruption initiative since Ukraine's independence, aimed at increasing transparency and accountability in the Ukrainian public sector. Pro-Integrity is funded by USAID and UK International Development.
The discussion on strategic corruption risks in the recovery and the role of communities in this process featured speeches by the Head of the NACP, Semen Kryvonos, Head of the State Agency for Reconstruction and Infrastructure Development, Serhiy Sukhomlyn, Deputy Minister of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, Serhiy Derkach, Martyna Boguslavets, Head of the Anti-Corruption Center “Mezha”, and Oleksandra Azarkhina, Head of the NGO “We build Ukraine” as representatives of the public sector.
The panelists were on the same page, declaring their commitment to the principles of transparency, the need to use the DREAM and Prozorro systems, and the need to have a clear, consistent, and accountable system for setting public investment priorities.
“Digitalization alone is not a cure for all diseases, and without systemic transformation of procedures, digitalization can easily become a bright showcase without changing the essence, or even a tool for corruption. Therefore, it is important to complete what has been started with the mandatory inclusion of infrastructure restoration and development objects in the DREAM system, as envisaged by the draft law “On the Basic Principles of Recovery,” and to continue working on the development of the system as a tool that will really help both communities and the state manage infrastructure projects, both at the planning and implementation stages,” said Oleksandra Azarkhina.
At the same time, Oleksandra emphasized that decentralization does not end with local governments, and in the absence of elections, we must develop local democracy, tools to increase the accountability of local authorities, and most importantly, the involvement of people, community residents in the planning and allocation of funds. In this context, it is very important for the President to sign the draft law No. 7283 on democracy at the local government level, which was adopted by the Verkhovna Rada in May this year.
