Viktor Chumak, MP, deputy chairman of the Verkhovna Rada's Committee on Preventing and Combatting Corruption, one of the authors of the anti-corruption laws, as well as Sofiya Kovach and Ivan Presniakov, experts of UNDP's Enhanced Public Sector Transparency and Integrity Project, were the lecturers.

 

During the event, students of the Open University of Reforms learned about the following:

• how new anti-corruption agencies have been established in Ukraine;
• which laws regulate activity of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, the National Agency for Prevention of Corruption, and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecution;
• key instruments for preventing corruption and regulating conflict of interests;
• the electronic asset declaration system soon to be used by the public officials of categories 1-3 in line with the new laws.

 

"These are brand new agencies in Ukraine. With new philosophy and new senses, we hope that it will all come into action," said Viktor Chumak.

 

The students had a chance to see how it feels like to be a public official: together with the experts Sofiya Kovach and Ivan Presniakov, they discussed in detail the mechanism of electronic declaration, tried to fill out a new declaration form, and debated the factors preventing public officials from committing acts of corruption.

 

"New electronic declarations, new penalties for false statements in them, as well as other tools for prevention of corruption create a completely new system of incentives for new officials. They create a system, which, finally, will reward ethical behaviour and punish unethical behaviour," said Ivan Presniakov.