PRESS- RELEASE
Kyiv, 17.11.2009
Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2009 shows that corruption remains a very serious problem for Ukraine. Annual global research of Transparency International indicates that Ukraine together with the countries of Eastern, South-Eastern Europe and Central Asia is perceived by its population as a highly corrupt state. All these countries have got the score of corruption spread beneath 5 points from the 10 possible (according to the scale, where 0 means total corruption of the state, 10 – practical absence of corruption). This year position of Ukraine in the so called rank of corrupted countries of the world with the score 2.2 points and general tempo of corruption spread in the state indicate the necessity of decisive steps in order to save the country and escape from the corruption abyss.
Having followed corruption perceptions index in Ukraine during the last 12 years, Transparency International is concerned by the negative tendency of threatening increase of corruption spread in the public sector of Ukraine, which is especially true for the last 3 years. For example, if in 2006 Ukraine got the score of 2.8 points and had 99-104 position among 163 countries of the world, where research was carried out, in 2009 with the result of 2.2 points Ukraine got 146-153 position among 180 countries, covered by this year index. The same result as for corruption spread in state sector was registered in Ukraine during the revolutionary 2004, when both Ukrainian and international experts declared about the total corruption of Ukrainian public authority of all levels. At the same time it should be pointed out that traditionally high level of administrative and political corruption in Ukraine exists on the background of actual corruption approval by the population of the state. Modern Ukrainians perceive corruption as part of their culture, composite of national mentality.
It’s not difficult to predict the outcomes of such tendencies. One can name among them political instability, possibility of economic stresses and military conflicts. In such situation social tension essentially increases, which can lead to aggressive reactions in society and the country as a whole. This is confirmed not only by the run of 2004 election campaign, but also by crisis situations in the states, which have low score according to Corruption Perceptions Index. These are namely, Somali with 1.1 points, Afghanistan with 1.3 points and Sudan and Iraq with the equally low 1.5 points. Results of many independent researches, including the data of Transparency International indicate that countries, which are perceived as more corrupted, are the same countries, which suffer the most from long-term conflicts aimed at destroying state infrastructure.
Ukrainian society already feels painful symptoms of corruption manifestations. These are enormous scales of plundering public funds, increase of unemployment level, actual inability of the state to fight dangerous diseases, which eventually leads to the gradual dying out of the Ukrainian nation. Public sector, the main aim of which is to provide survival and stability, as a result of being corrupted itself, loses the capacity to perform major functions. According to the President of Creative Union “TORO”, Contact group of Transparency International in Ukraine: “Numerous breaks of human rights in Ukraine, resonant crimes of the officials of all levels, general impunity and irresponsibility of the Ukrainian authorities is the result of the high corrupt level of Ukraine of 2009. Today, we should remember that the lowering of the score of Corruption Perceptions Index just for one point (according to 10-points scale) leads to the flight of capital from the state, which equals to 0,5% of GDP of the country, as well as to general reduction of citizens’ incomes at least in 4%. These figures mean for Ukraine the annual loss of at least 20 billion hryvnas”.
If such falling tempo of international ratings of Ukraine remains the same, the country won’t be able to avoid total poverty of the population and the new wave of large-scale crisis phenomena. This situation puts Ukraine in front of the choice – either to get ready for the new revolution, or without any delays to implement revolutionary anti-corruption measures.
Having estimated tempos of corruption spread in Ukraine and its possible results, Creative Union “TORO” suggests the Ukrainian authorities to undertake 5 immediate steps, which are able to take the country from the corruption abyss. Namely:
- Provide for the independence of Ukrainian judicial system
- Reinforce the ability of public institutions to real corruption counteraction through adoption and executing National anti-corruption strategy.
- To take into consideration at the stage of development of anti-corruption initiatives existing positive and negative experience of other countries of the world, including Post-Soviet countries.
- Involve civil society organizations to forming intolerable attitude to corruption among the Ukrainians.
- Introduce effective mechanism of civic expertise of the public authorities’ activity and other forms of independent civic control.
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Download more: CPI 2009 Ukr (en)
Contact for media:
Volodymyr Bocharov-Tuz
PR-service, Creative Union “TORO”
Cel.phone 0 97 282 65 21, work tel. 0522 27 23 29,
fax: 0522 27 23 29, media@toro.org.ua
www.toro.org.ua
Creative Union “TORO” is a contact group in Ukraine of Transparency International – global anti-corruption Non-governmental organization, which has more than 90 national chapters and works in more than 100 countries of the world. The mission of Creative Union “TORO” is to introduce in Ukraine democratic procedures of citizens’ participation in forming and realization of state policy. You can learn more about the activity of organization at the web-page www.toro.org.ua/about/.
