On June 20, 2022, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved the Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2021-2025.
According to the law, the Anti-Corruption Strategy is implemented through the implementation of the relevant state anti-corruption program, which is developed by the National Agency on Corruption Prevention and approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
In each of the priority areas, the Anti-Corruption Strategy identifies key issues and formulates strategic results to be achieved to address them. These results are formulated in such a way that they provide a clear understanding of the set of measures required for their realization.
For each of the expected strategic results, the state anti-corruption program defines measures, performance indicators for each measure, the executors of the measure, the timing of the measure, and the sources and amounts of financial resources required for their implementation.
The State Anti-Corruption Program for 2023-2025 is a national strategic document developed to implement the Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2021-2025 and approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 220 dated March 4, 2023.
The key objectives of the SACP for 2023-2025 are as follows:
- ensuring coherence and consistency of anti-corruption activities of all state and local government agencies;
- achieving significant progress in preventing and combating corruption;
- ensuring a proper process of post-war reconstruction of Ukraine.
The main principles of the anti-corruption policy in 2021-2025, which were the basis for the development of the SACP for 2023-2025:
- optimization of the functions of the state and local self-government, which primarily involves: eliminating duplication of powers by different bodies;
- temporary suspension of the realization of ineffective powers accompanied by a high level of corruption until proper procedures are introduced to minimize the relevant corruption risks;
- eliminating cases of exercising powers by the same body, the combination of which creates additional corruption risks;
- digital transformation of the realization of powers by public authorities and local self-government bodies;
- transparency of activities and data disclosure as a basis for minimizing corruption risks in their activities;
- creation of more convenient and legal ways to meet the needs of individuals and legal entities as opposed to existing corrupt practices;
- ensuring inevitability of legal liability for corruption and corruption-related offenses, which creates an additional preventive effect;
- formation of public intolerance to corruption, establishment of a culture of integrity and respect for the rule of law.
It is worth noting that with the entry into force of the Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2021-2025 and the State Anti-Corruption Program for 2023-2025, Ukraine has seen a significant change in the conceptual approach to the formation of state anti-corruption policy.
The previous Anti-Corruption Strategy and the State Program for its implementation (2014-2020) focused on priorities related to the creation of a system of modern anti-corruption instruments (legal institutions) and the development of a system of anti-corruption bodies that were supposed to ensure the effective implementation of these instruments.
At the same time, corruption in certain sectors/areas of public life was minimized through sectoral reforms, which were carried out by implementing the provisions of other state program documents (Government Action Programs, annual Government Priority Action Plans, etc.)
The concept of the Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2021-2025 and the State Anti-Corruption Program for 2023-2025 is based on a combination of both of these approaches, as Sections 2 and 4 of these documents identify areas for further improvement of the overall system of preventing and combating corruption, and Section 3 identifies the most priority areas in terms of combating corruption.
A balanced combination of these approaches will not only reduce the level of corruption, increase public trust in the authorities, but also significantly increase the pace of Ukraine's socio-economic growth.
These priority areas for preventing and combating corruption for 2021-2025 were identified based on the results of sociological research on the state, dynamics and prevalence of corruption in Ukraine, as well as on the results of an analysis of the effectiveness of anti-corruption policy implementation.
The timely and proper implementation of the measures envisaged by the SAСP will ensure the achievement of the expected strategic results and the solution of the key problems identified in the Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2021-2025, and thus the achievement of the goals for preventing and combating corruption in 2023-2025.