The General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Uzbekistan calls to join actions against corruption

18 December, 2017 - The General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Uzbekistan in cooperation with the UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia and the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan held the Open Doors event marking the International Anti-Corruption Day. Representatives of the UNDP, UNODC, GIZ, the World Bank Group, as well as active actors of the civil society in Uzbekistan such as the Youth Union of Uzbekistan and "Makhalla" foundation and other NGOs were invited to the Open Doors Day that took place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Moreover, the representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Supreme Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan, as well as Tashkent State University of Law and other academic institutions took active part in the event and shared their vision of anti-corruption actions. These and other ministries, agencies, and organizations, along with the National human rights center of the Republic of Uzbekistan, displayed their information and visual materials suggesting effective methods of combatting corruption.

The Open Doors day consisted of the three sections. First, the representatives of the abovementioned organizations and agencies gathered together for the "Anti-corruption reforms in the Republic of Uzbekistan: achievements and priority objectives" conference to discuss current global and national trends and threats to the anti-corruption reforms. The second part of the day was occupied by the Media Forum of the International Press Club with a session dedicated to anti-corruption policies in Uzbekistan and the world, and aired live on the satellite television.

Finally, the event was wrapped up with the awards ceremony of the "Youth of Uzbekistan are against corruption" contest. The contest was organized in close cooperation with the Ministry of Public Education, the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialized Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and the Youth Union. The awards were handed to the school and college/lyceum students for best creative works to combat corruption in the "Best Poster" and "Best Essay" categories, as well as to the representatives of the ministries, agencies and other organizations for the "The best informational material of public authority" nomination. The winners were awarded memorable gifts and prizes.

 "The Republic of Uzbekistan considers the anti-corruption actions a priority in the state policy. The President of Uzbekistan, H.E. Mr. Shavkat Mirziyoyev, initiated the adoption of the law "On Countering Corruption" in January this year. The adoption of the law ensured the creation of fundamental basis for the comprehensive implementation of the UN Convention against Corruption and other international instruments ratified by the Republic of Uzbekistan," - said Erkin Yuldashev, Deputy General Prosecutor of the Republic of Uzbekistan in his welcoming remarks.

 "Corruption is one of the main obstacles to good governance and rule of law. Corruption undermines economic development and prosperity" underlined Ambassador John MacGregor, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan.

Ms. Ashita Mittal, the UNODC Regional representative for Central Asia noted in her speech that UNODC stands ready to assist Uzbekistan in addressing the technical challenges identified as the result of the review process, as well as challenges related to the prevention of corruption and asset recovery. "Equally important are support to civil society development, as well as strengthening of national human rights institutions and other independent oversight mechanisms, which play a crucial role in building public demand for rule of law and measures to address corruption." - she concluded.

The Open Doors Day was the final event in a series of national conferences, roundtables, seminars for the state bodies and civil society institutions dedicated to the International Anti-Corruption Day.