On November 3, the “III Tashkent Anti-Corruption Forum” was held in the capital.

The forum was organized by the Anti-Corruption Agency in cooperation with the National Anti-Corruption Council, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, UNDP, the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), and the international non-governmental organization “Regional Dialogue.”

The event was attended by the heads of anti-corruption agencies from South Korea, Qatar, Malaysia, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Hong Kong, and Central Asian countries, leading experts from the World Bank, UNDP, Regional Dialogue, the German Society for International Cooperation, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps and international organizations, ministries and agencies, civil society institutions, and the media.

The main goal of the forum is to discuss and summarize the measures implemented in the fight against corruption and the results achieved with local and foreign partners and the general public, to exchange experiences, expand the scope of international cooperation in this direction, as well as discuss future plans and new perspectives.

The forum began with a plenary session. Presentations were made on the essence and significance of anti-corruption measures, drawing on international and foreign practices. Participants were also presented with the results of reforms being implemented in the fight against corruption in Uzbekistan.

As part of the forum, a ceremony was held to launch the Regional Anti-Corruption Platform. This platform was initiated by Central Asian countries to achieve more effective implementation of the provisions of the UN Convention against Corruption and to strengthen and develop mutual cooperation among the countries of the region.

The platform’s activities will cover areas such as effective preventive anti-corruption measures, prevention, and combating corruption in the private sector, asset recovery, and international cooperation.

The meeting continued with dialogues within the sessions. In particular, at the first session on the topic “Using information as an effective way to prevent corruption,” leaders of anti-corruption agencies from Estonia, Finland, UNDP, and other responsible persons provided information on such areas as public awareness of anti-corruption reforms, raising legal awareness and culture of the population, creating effective mechanisms to ensure the transparency of state bodies and organizations, the use of open data, and support for public oversight.

Participants from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan exchanged ideas and experiences at the session “Coordination of the activities of state bodies by anti-corruption agencies,” based on the work of anti-corruption agencies in their countries. Additionally, discussions were held with the participation of experts from the World Bank and the German Society for International Cooperation.

Representatives from Malaysia, Qatar, Hong Kong, and the Council of Europe discussed the role of education in combating corruption within the session titled “Anti-Corruption Education and Training as Mechanisms for Preventing Corruption.” Participants discussed the work being done in Uzbekistan in the field of anti-corruption education, as well as plans for the future in this direction.

Special attention was paid to the specific aspects of international cooperation in the fight against corruption, its prospects, improving the legal and institutional frameworks, and supporting the implementation of anti-corruption reforms in Uzbekistan.

Interactive sessions were held within the forum on various topics, including anti-corruption expertise of legal acts and their drafts, and forms of public control by non-governmental organizations in the fight against corruption.

As a result of the dialogues, proposals were prepared to further improve the existing anti-corruption policies and their prevention, assess the effectiveness and quality of measures in this direction, and develop international cooperation.

At the forum, the Anti-Corruption Agency awarded a number of organizations and citizens actively involved in the fight against corruption.