The UNODC Regional Program Office for South-Eastern Europe (RPOSEE), based in Sofia, and the Regional Anti-corruption Initiative (RAI) Secretariat co-organized a Regional Conference on ‘Strengthening Regional Cooperation in South-Eastern Europe in the Implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption‘ on December 09-10, 2009, in Sofia, Bulgaria. The event had been endorsed by the Bulgarian government and was organized under the patronage of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of the Republic of Bulgaria Mr. Tsvetan Tsvetanov.

The opening of the Regional Conference was on the 9th of December with the special purpose to mark the International Anti-Corruption Day. This day had been introduced by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2003 with the aim to raise the public awareness to the problem of corruption as a complex social, political and economic phenomenon affecting all countries undermining democratic institutions, retarding economic development and contributing to government instability. In these lines, the Conference’s main goal was to exchange good practices on anti-corruption legislative, strategic and institutional structures and to give the floor to participants to discuss the way for their improvement.

The outcome of the conference was to outline interventions needed at regional level, and more specifically – to identify the way to address regional needs through specific and concrete technical assistance activities.

Please, have a look at the attached agenda and list of participants of the event, as well as the presentations delivered at the Conference.

The Work of the Secretariat / Results of the Third Session of the Conference of States Parties to the UNCAC – Mr. Erik Larson

Anti-Corruption Bodies – UNCAC Normative Framework and Interaction with the COSP – Mr. Hatem Aly

Fighting Corruption and the Need for Regional & International Cooperation in Bosnia and Herzegovina – Mr. Drew G. Engel

The Preventive Model of Anti-Corruption Agency – Experience of Montenegro – Mr. Dalibor Saban and Ms. Mirela Bakalbasic

BORKOR – National Project for the Prevention and Combating of Corruption in Bulgaria – Mr. Rolf Schlotterer

Assessment of the Legal Frameworks on Criminalization of Corruption Offenses of SEE Countries – Ms. Londa Esadze

Evidence-based Approaches to Assessing Corruption and UNODC Project in Western Balkans – Mr. Enrico Bisogno

Regional and State Level Cooperation Between UNDP and UNODC in South Eastern Europe Anti-Corruption Efforts – Mr. Francesco Checchi

Good Anti-Corruption Practices – Current and Future Challenges in South Eastern Europe Countries – Mr. Edmond Dunga

The Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative – Framework for Regional Cooperation and Sharing Best Practices in Fighting Corruption in SEE – Mr. Stanislav Aleksandrov

International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA) – Mr. Erik Larson

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