LocationsUzbekistan’s Anti-Corruption Efforts: Celebrating the progress towards more civic and local government engagement
December 13, 2024
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, December 13, 2024 - In light of the recent International Anti-corruption Day (9 December), the Anti-Corruption Agency of Uzbekistan in partnership with the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission of Korea, the European Union (EU) and UNDP hosted the event to reflect on the joint efforts in enhancing corruption reporting, strengthening local governance, and addressing the impact of corruption on women’s leadership in Uzbekistan.
An important highlight of the event was the presentation of the enhanced corruption reporting platform, eanticor.uz, modeled after the Korea’s Clean Portal. The updates to the platform include strengthened anonymity, a comprehensive legal database, and tools for reporting corruption with attached evidence, such as documents and photos. It features real-time interactive statistics with filtering options by region, sector, and time. Additionally, its intuitive interface, FAQ section, and survey functionality make it more user-friendly and efficient for addressing corruption and improving public engagement.
The event also spotlighted the launch of the "Transparent Cities" and "Municipalities of Integrity" methodology, the first of its kind in Uzbekistan. Implementation has begun in the khokimiyats of Mirzo Ulugbek District in Tashkent, Jizzakh City, and Vobkent District in the Bukhara region, where employees are now undergoing training to adopt the methodology. The approach focuses on creating high-integrity zones within local governance, demonstrating transparency, accountability, and self-regulation. It has been successfully deployed in 11 countries across Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe and applied in 30 local governments by certified anti-corruption specialists, and received recognition by the UN Public Service Award (2011).
Civil society organisations showcased their contributions to the anti-corruption agenda, including the preliminary research results from a nationwide survey conducted by NGOs and supported by low-value grants. The study assessed the impact of corruption on women entrepreneurs and found that over 70% of respondents noted a decrease in corruption in the past three years, reflecting the effectiveness of government policies. Furthermore, 69.1% of participants believed that corruption would decrease if more women held leadership positions, citing their higher adherence to ethical standards and receptiveness to public opinion. These findings emphasize the need for gender-sensitive strategies to address corruption and support the economic potential of women entrepreneurs.
The event concluded with discussions on the next steps for Uzbekistan’s anti-corruption initiatives, with stakeholders, the government and international partners, and the civil society among them, prioritizing civic engagement and integration of gender-sensitive approaches in government policies
The initiatives underscored during this event have been implemented within the broader framework of the UNDP-implemented projects in partnership with the Anti-Corruption Agency of Uzbekistan: ‘Strengthening the National Anti-Corruption Ecosystem in Uzbekistan’ funded by the European Union, and ‘Establishing an Effective Corruption Reporting Mechanism in Uzbekistan by Benchmarking Korea’s Clean Portal’ (SDG Partnership on Transparency & Accountability), implemented in partnership with the Anti-corruption and Civil Rights Commission of the Republic of Korea and UNDP Seoul Policy Center.
For more information about the project, please contact via anti-corruption.uz@undp.org
