OSCE organized a study visit to Estonia and Finland for the Anti-Corruption Agency of the Republic of Uzbekistan

From 17 to 20 April 2023, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz) organized a study visit to Estonia and Finland for a delegation of the Anti-Corruption Agency of the Republic of Uzbekistan (ACA). The five-member Delegation was headed by the Director of the Agency, Mr. Akmal E. Burkhanov.

Since the establishment of the ACA in 2020, the PCUz has been playing an active role in strengthening anti-corruption capacities of national stakeholders. In March 2022, the PCUz and the ACA signed a Joint Action Plan, which emphasized the need to learn from the OSCE region best practices in preventive measures, such as promoting openness and transparency.

Due to Estonia’s rapid transition to good governance as well as being regarded as a benchmark in administrative simplification, transparency and e-government, and Finland’s excellent performance on anti-corruption determinants, especially judicial independence, both countries serve as concrete and successful examples to be emulated.

The study visit was therefore an opportunity for the ACA staff to learn about both best practices in monitoring the implementation of international standards of openness, and the expertise of Estonia and Finland in developing and implementing national anti-corruption strategies.

In Estonia, the ACA Delegation met with representatives of the Department of Public Procurement and State Aid of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Justice and the e-Governance Academy.

In Finland, the Delegation held meetings with representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Finance, the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority and the Office of the Chancellor of Justice of the Government of Finland. The Delegation also exchanged views with members of the Rule of Law Centre of the University of Helsinki.

The PCUz will continue to support Uzbekistan's efforts to promote the openness and transparency of governmental agencies, raise public awareness and build national capacity to address the risks that corruption poses to security, stability, democracy and effective governance, as well as to socio-economic development – as recognized in the 2020 Ministerial Council Decision on Preventing and Combating Corruption through Digitalization and Increased Transparency.