Regional Anti-corruption Initiative (RAI), in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), is implementing a Regional Programme titled „Southeast Europe Regional Programme on Strengthening the Capacity of Anti-corruption Authorities and Civil Society to Combat Corruption and Contribute to the UNCAC Review Process“, funded by the Austrian Development Agency. The Programme aims at building and strengthening the capacity of governments and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) from South East Europe (SEE) to prevent and fight corruption. The Programme targets Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Moldova, Montenegro, Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, which have been identified as priority countries in the SEE region.

To achieve its objective, the Programme will implement six outcomes developed in coherence between RAI and UNODC and their respective expertise. By the end of 2018, it is expected that at least three beneficiary countries will have introduced/ strengthened their corruption risk assessment (1) and corruption proofing of legislation (2), that a regional framework for cooperation on data exchange in asset disclosure and conflict of interest will have been strengthened (3) and that CSOs will have increased: their knowledge of UNCAC, their capacity to contribute to the ongoing review and to replicate the training (4), their skills and resources to work with the private sector and raise awareness (5) and expanded their networks while contributing to the review process with their government (6). Programme outputs will have an impact on the EU accession agenda for the focus countries.

After first 6 months of Programme implementation, RAI Secretariat presents country reports on Anti-corruption Assessment of Laws for Serbia and for Republic of Macedonia and Report on Corruption Risk Assessment for Republic of Macedonia, which contain analyses of the legal framework and mechanisms for introducing anti-corruption assessment of laws and corruption risk assessment, with recommendations to improve the existing methodology and related legislation. Anti-corruption assessment of laws (corruption proofing of legislation), as advanced anti-corruption tool pertaining to review of form and substance of drafted or enacted legal rules, enables governments to detect and minimize the risk of future corruption that the rules could facilitate. Corruption risk assessment aims at increasing the level of integrity by identifying the risk factors that may facilitate a corruption case, as well as by developing and implementing measures for mitigation or elimination of those factors and risks.

For more information about the Regional Programme please contact RAI Secretariat.

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSC 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.

RAI

18 July 2016