Burabai Forum of anti-corruption activists

25.06.2010

On 24-25 June 2010 an anti-corruption workshop on international tools and mechanisms of countering corruption took place in Burabai National Park with participants from more than 40 states and 14 international organizations. This meeting was initiated by RK Agency for fighting economic and corruption crimes together with UNDP, the OSCE Center in Astana and European Commission and Transparency Kazakhstan.

The Conference “Counteraction to corruption: International machinery and tools” provided a forum to exchange experience and to study Council of Europe Conventions «Criminal Law on Corruption», «Civil Law on Corruption» and the United Nations Convention against Corruption.

A special session presented the recent experience of Kazakhstan in fighting corruption. According to the Agency’s Chairman, Kairat Kozhamzharov, corruption is a many states’ concern. Kazakhstan was among first post-soviet republics to pass the Law “On fighting corruption” listing corruption crimes. The republic’s policy in this direction is consistent – it ratified UN Convention against Corruption. Moreover Kazakhstan has worked out its own model of fighting corruption, a National Action Plan on fighting corruption and is improving the so-called corruption perceptions index. The 2009 poll covered 180 states with Kazakhstan placed 120th proving efficiency of state-run anti-corruption policy.

According to Steliana Nedera, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Kazakhstan: "Within two last decades UNDP has been working with many partners in Kazakhstan to increase management effectiveness to counteract corruption in all its manisfestations. UNDP was one of the first to develop a series of anticorruption programmes within its mandate on poverty reduction and sustainable economic development". Last year during the visit of Anni Demirhan, Head of Democratic Governance Department, UNDP Bratislava Regional Center, the potential cooperation capacity for implementation of the UN Convention against corruption was identified and discussed with national parties. A working group of experts representing different organizations was formed to carry out anticorruption activity.

The Conference provided opportunity for sharing the best practices in the fighting corruption sphere and served a basis to strengthen cooperation between colleagues from different countries and organizations.