IPAK conference: EU helps BiH advance in fight against corruption
To assist BiH fight against corruption and support implementation of anticorruption strategies at all levels, the European Union is funding IPAK project ”Institucionalna podrška antikorupciji” worth 750.000 euro. Fight against corruption is one of the most challenging issues that needs to be improved to help BiH advance towards the EU integration. Such a complex topic requires tight cooperation and joint actions of all stakeholders at all levels.
Aiming at raising awareness about this topic, the EU funded project organised on 3 April a workshop “Cooperation, coordination and synergy of activities in prevention and fight against corruption in BiH” which gathered representatives of relevant nongovernmental organizations active in the prevention and fight against corruption, anticorruption bodies from all levels in BiH, as well as relevant donors that support anticorruption activities.
Civil society organizations play an important role in the fight against corruption, because they serve as a constructive critique, but also as good partners to institutions and donors, their recommendations can help draft various laws, strategies and other documents, said Nicolas BIZEL, Head of Operations Department Justice, Home Affairs and Public Administration Reform in the EU Delegation to BiH. He underlined that in this context, the EU is ready to support BiH in the fight against corruption, to help financially and in other ways, and that is why the EU started this year with the support of three projects in that area and that the EU's efforts to help institutions and civil society organizations do your job. We need to help BiH in its efforts to create a certain reputation in that area in order to ultimately achieve results in the fight against corruption and could join the European family - said Bizel.
The workshop resulted in numerous recommendation and concrete proposals for better synergy among NGOs implementing anticorruption projects and for enhanced cooperation and coordination between NGOs and anticorruption bodies at all levels.
IPAK project team leader Zoran Jačev stressed that corrupt people and structures are very well organized and have excellent cooperation when their interests are concerned, and the fight against corruption cannot be effective if it is not organized as well and if there is no the good cooperation of all those who fight corruption.
This was the first workshop organised within the IPAK project, which in the forthcoming period will work on the improved implementation and monitoring of implementation of anti-corruption strategies and action plans at all levels in BiH, support to preparation of BiH AC Strategy and Action plan for period 2020-2024 and improvement of capacities and ways of communication of anticorruption bodies with the citizens and media.
