Presentation on the occasion of the International Anticorruption Day

Recognising the proportions of the corruption problem and its devastating impact, which is especially felt by the most underprivileged, great number of governments, international and nongovernmental organisations have in recent times stepped up their efforts and given a huge contribution by working closely together on establishing generally accepted standards and creating global response to one of the most serious global problems today – corruption. This year’s celebration of the International Anticorruption Day – 9 December – will be the fourth so far, which comes as a result of all these efforts and is a symbol of hope harboured by citizens from all over the world that an active approach to anticorruption combat will ultimately lead to poverty reduction, advancement of human rights, and better quality of life.

Since the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) was adopted on 9 December 2003 in Merida, Mexico, when 9 December was established as the International Anticorruption Day, 103 countries have ratified UNCAC, thus rendering it the first global response to the problem of corruption. While corruption remains one of the major obstacles to economic and social development, the fact that so many countries recognised the importance of joint combat aimed at curbing corruption gives hope that joint efforts by state institutions, civil society and citizens can be successful.

An integral part of Transparency International active efforts to promote UNCAC ratification and implementation is the marking of the International Anticorruption Day. The marking of such a significant day is also an occasion and good basis for organisation of open discussion regarding the state of corruption in the country and bringing together all relevant stakeholders from state institutions, civil society, private sector, academic community and the media, which would also serve as a convincing demonstration on the part of all stakeholders that they are willing to intensify systemic anticorruption activities in BiH, which would be complementary with other reform processes in the country.

This occasion will be used for presentation of findings and recommendations arising from detailed analyses of legislative framework and functionality of institutions in BiH, which were realised during this year by TI BiH and supported by OSF, based on surveys, studies and best practices from developed countries and in accordance with the international documents adopted by BiH, as well as the strategy for combating corruption and organised crime, which was adopted by the Council of Ministers. The aim of these activities was to identify gaps in and necessary corrections of the legislative framework, as well as improvements to the organisation, functionality and mutual cooperation between institutions when anticorruption combat is concerned. Working closely with state institutions, international organisations, expert community and civil society organisations, we wanted the quality of the proposed solutions to contribute to actual progress, while, on the other hand, inclusion of a wider range of stakeholders in the process should elicit broader support and facilitate implementation of anticorruption measures. As part of the event, there will also be a presentation of the draft Law on Anticorruption Body, which was developed by ABA – ROLI together with national experts. BiH has the obligation to adopt this Law under UNCAC.