A New Research of Corruption in Ukraine: what are the origins?

The Ukrainian President and government announce that they want to conduct anticorruption reforms. This became the stimulus for the new research with the assistance of the international organization, Transparency International.

Oleksii Khmara, the President of Creative Union “TORO”, Transparency International National Contact in Ukraine in an interview with “Deutsche Welle” said the following:

“Our organization in conjunction with the Berlin Office of Transparency International started a research, which is unique for Ukraine. We decided to look at corruption with the integrated approach, not simply if it exists and how it hinders Ukrainians, but where it originated from and to what extent the state is ready for systematic anti-corruption reforms,” Khmara says. According to his words, Ukraine will be assessed using a methodology, which was developed by Transparency International and has already been approbated in many countries. The research in question is called “National Integrity System”.

Ukrainian analysts are defining if each of the thirteen key social institutions is ready for systematic anti-corruption reforms and in general, for actions against corruption. “In particular, these institutions are the Parliament, CEC, businesses, media, civic organizations, the Cabinet of ministers, anticorruption organizations, and public institutions, which provide educational or medical services,” clarified the head of Transparency International National Contact in Ukraine. As he says, the result will be a definite agenda of essential changes, which Ukraine can make in order to decrease corruption based on a qualitative analysis of the problems.

Khmara notes that Transparency International pays careful attention to its methodology: “The same standards have been implemented by different governments, for example, last year Great Britain conducted such assessment, and now Holland, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and countries in Latin America are also conducting it.” The assessment of Ukrainian integrity has been entrusted to the Ukrainians themselves: “Ukraine should assess itself in its own individual way, how capable it is to undergo reforms, because countries differ both mentally and geographically,” Khmara stresses. However, the Senior Coordinator of the assessment, Finn Heinrich from Berlin, is at all times in connection with analysts in Ukraine, controlling the process of data collection.

The assessment will last until the end of the year, on completion the national report will be presented, which will become the basis for an advocacy campaign for conducting reforms. It will be performed by a wide civic coalition in cooperation with the authorities.

Transparency International, as a global anti-corruption non-governmental organization, certifies that corruption is a serious problem for Ukraine. “If we take into consideration the history, the anti-corruption legislation was for various reasons postponed until January 1st of the next year, and if everything goes well, we will live according to it. But, frankly speaking, it will not work. After all, we do not know the root causes of corruption and how to implement this legislation in Ukraine when the situation is so unbalanced,” the expert explained. At the same time, he is certain that the work will be beneficial, since the Ukrainian government has undertaken responsibility to implement the results of the research.

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