OSCE and Uzbekistan Use Digital Tools to Combat Corruption
Igli Hasani, Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities and Akmal Burkhanov, Director of the Anti-Corruption Agency of Uzbekistan, Vienna, 17 November 2021. Photo: OSCE
OSCE and Uzbekistan Use Digital Tools to Combat Corruption
This agreement will further advance collaboration between the OSCE and Uzbekistan by supporting the country’s anti-corruption efforts through increased digitalization and the use of open data.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and Uzbekistan have agreed to strengthen their cooperation in countering corruption and increasing transparency in public administration by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) and the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) of Uzbekistan.
This agreement – signed on November 17 – will further advance collaboration between the OSCE and Uzbekistan by supporting the country’s anti-corruption efforts through increased digitalization and the use of open data. The MoU aims to enhance the transparency of state institutions and assist civil servants through training and education on open data and improving relevant legislation.
The agreement was signed by the Director of the Anti-Corruption Agency of Uzbekistan, Akmal Burkhanov and the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, Igli Hasani.
Ambassador Hasani stressed that “Through our work in open data and good governance, the OSCE strives to build sustainable institutional capacity, strengthen existing and build new networks of expertise to improve the business and investment climate in our region. The OSCE remains committed to supporting Uzbekistan in implementing open data initiatives to prevent corruption and enhance transparency in public administration.”
During the ceremony, Mr. Burkhanov said “In recent years, Uzbekistan has improved structural and legal mechanisms for combating corruption in order to increase the effectiveness of corruption measures, considered one of the priority areas of state policy. It has adopted commitments to implement international principles on open government data and has expanded open data initiatives to enhance transparency and accountability in public institutions and businesses.”
These activities will build upon the work of the OSCE Project Coordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz), which has been a key partner of the Government of Uzbekistan in reforming the open data ecosystem.
The activities resulting from this agreement will be implemented within the framework of the OCEEA extra-budgetary project “Promoting good governance and a positive business climate in the OSCE region through digitalization and the use of open data” funded by the United States.
