United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), throughout its programmes and projects in Kosovo, works towards ensuring a positive impact on reducing the level of corruption by strengthening monitoring and oversight mechanisms of institutions to perform in an efficient, transparent, accountable, and gender sensitive manner. In the light of these efforts, UNDP is supporting the Kosovo anti-corruption bodies to ensure greater transparency and accountability, strengthen the institutional cooperation between the three main pillars of the governance (legislature, executive, and judiciary), as well as supporting the anti-corruption bodies to participate in international level to gain experience on good practices on anti-corruption.

For this purpose, UNDP’s Anti-Corruption Programme, funded generously by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), has recently concluded a Memorandum of Understanding with Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI). This agreement will enable Kosovo anti-corruption bodies to benefit from a general framework for coordination, optimization of efforts and permanent dialogue with the RAI member states involved in the fight against corruption.

RAI, with its Secretariat based in Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), is a regional inter-governmental organization initially adopted in February 2000, as Stability Pact Anti-corruption Initiative (SPAI), solely dedicated to the fight against corruption as one of the most serious threats to the recovery and development of the South East European countries. Currently the Initiative consists of 9 member countries from the region – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, FYR of Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia.

Activities implemented on the basis of this MoU are expected to have a positive impact on the work of the Kosovo anti–corruption bodies and to establish collaboration with RAI regional counterparts. UNDP Kosovo will play the role of the facilitator between RAI Secretariat and Kosovo anti-corruption bodies, namely Kosovo Anti–Corruption Agency and Ministry of Justice. Facilitation will include assistance on data collection on quantitative indicators from Kosovo for further progress monitoring related to implementation of the SEE 2020 Strategy, and support the members of the Anti–Corruption Agency, prosecution and the judiciary, to participate in events organized at the regional level.

UNDP Kosovo             August 11, 2014