Corruption and lack of transparency deter domestic and foreign investment and often result in public money being mismanaged. Conversely, a sound and transparent business environment as well as good public and corporate governance are essential preconditions for sustainable economic growth, enabling states to reduce poverty and inequality, and increase social integration and economic opportunities. Stable economies also make an important contribution to international security. The OSCE’s mandate to combat corruption dates back to the Ninth Meeting of the OSCE Economic Forum, which was organized in Prague in May 2001 under the Romanian OSCE Chairmanship and was entitled “Transparency and Good Governance in Economic Matters”. The Forum focused on improving the legislative process, reform of public administration, fighting corruption, environmental governance, regional co-operation and improving inter-institutional co-operation. Promoting good governance is also one of the key aims of the OSCE Strategy Document for the Economic and Environmental Dimension, which was adopted at the Maastricht Ministerial Council in 2003.
Furthermore, the OSCE, and in particular the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA), was explicitly tasked by the OSCE Ministerial Council in Sofia in 2004 to provide support in mobilising technical assistance from relevant competent international organisations to help countries ratify and implement the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), which was adopted in 2003 and came into force in 2005.
To implement these mandates, numerous activities to promote good governance have been undertaken by the OCEEA in close co-ordination with OSCE field operations and in co-operation with partner organizations, in particular the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Council of Europe and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as Transparency International.
Activities implemented over the last few years include active participation in the OECD’s Anti-Corruption Network for Transition Economies, in particular in the Istanbul Action Plan, as well as close co-operation with the Council of Europe Group of States against Corruption (GRECO).
In May 2004, the Office of the Coordinator published a Handbook on Best International Practices in Combating Corruption. The Handbook is a reference guide for legislators, government officials, NGOs, business circles and civil society when considering the drafting of anti-corruption legislation, national action plans or strategies. The Handbook has been widely distributed and is available in Albanian, Armenian, Azeri, English, Russian, Serbian, Tajik and Uzbek. A follow-up to the Handbook, the Practical Implementation Guide of the UN Convention against Corruption, is being prepared with UNODC.
Good governance is also an important theme in the OSCE’s environmental portfolio. In co-operation with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the OSCE has been advocating the ratification and implementation of the Åarhus Convention on the Access to Information on Environmental Issues by participating States since 1999. To do this, we have organised awareness raising campaigns, as well as national and regional seminars to help establish, register and operate environmental NGOs. The Åarhus Convention therefore constitutes an important link between human rights and environmental protection.
The OSCE has so far helped open public environmental information centres in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, primarily in hotspots defined by assessments undertaken by the OSCE-UNDP-UNEP Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC).
Combating corruption also ties into other OSCE activities, above all those aimed at combating organised crime, money laundering, terrorist financing and trafficking in human beings, but also those that promote good governance in such important sectors as transport, customs or border security.
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