Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI) is implementing a 3-year regional project titled “Southeast Europe – Together Against Corruption (SEE-TAC)” in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and funded by the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC)
The first phase of the project started in December 2015 and was finalized in August 2020, after which an independent final evaluation was conducted
Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC), represented by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), as the donor, recognized the importance of continuing joint efforts in prevention of corruption in the Southeast Europe region undertaken through the previous phase of the and decided to give their support to the second phase of the Programme, With the support from ADA, the RAI Secretariat and UNODC proudly announced the start of the new joint Regional Programme “Southeast Europe – Together Against Corruption” – SEE-TAC on The Kick-off Meeting held virtually od the 27th of January.
Project objective
The overall goal of the three-year SEE-TAC Programme is to strengthen resilience of the SEE societies to corruption, by enhancing the capacity of governments, civil society organizations, the private sector and the media to prevent and fight corruption and to effectively implement the UN Convention against Corruption. The Programme will focus on Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, with participation of Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia.
What is the project set out to achieve?
To achieve the project goal, the Programme is designed to deliver six results:
(1) The targeted jurisdictions will have strengthened their corruption risk assessment (CRA) and;
(2) corruption proofing of legislation (CPL) mechanisms;
(3) the regional framework for cooperation on data exchange in asset disclosure will be fully operational;
(4) the general public in the region is better informed about prevention of corruption and the work of relevant entities;
(5) CSOs and other relevant stakeholders will have increased their capacities, knowledge and engagement on United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) implementation and
(6) CSOs, SMEs and Chambers of Commerce have enhanced their knowledge and cooperation in the areas of collective action and compliance.
Target group/Beneficiaries/Partners/Location
Under the auspices of the SEE-TAC Programme, 25 public institutions, 40 business representatives and 175 civil society representatives, the UNCAC Coalition and as special partners will be working together on the implementation of a wide range of activities.
How?
The results will be achieved through the following activities: development of sector-focused Corruption Risk Assessment (CRA) and corruption proofing of legislation (CPL) guidance with checklists and tailor-made trainings exercises for the in-depth capacity development in the sectors most vulnerable to corruption; development and support for implementation of the impact assessment methodologies for the CRA and CPL mechanisms; the improved IT tools supporting the implementation of the CRA and CPL mechanisms; accession and implementation of the International Treaty on Exchange of Data for the Verification of Asset Declarations; monitoring and performance of Treaty focal points; advocacy and awareness-raising campaigns; support to local CSO initiatives; expansions of the SEE CSO e-platform; multi-stakeholder workshops on UNCAC and its review mechanism; engagement of beneficiaries from the region in relevant international events, trainings for Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and Chambers of Commerce on compliance and fostering of collective action initiatives.
Background
SEE-TAC builds upon the Regional Programme on Strengthening the Capacity of Anti-corruption Authorities and Civil Society to Combat Corruption and Contribute to the UNCAC Review Process with special attention given to follow-on activities to sustain the momentum gained in the previous phase. From December 2015 to August 2020, the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI) and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) jointly implemented this programme, funded by ADA. It delivered a broad range of activities aimed at strengthening anti-corruption capacities in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. From November 2019 to March 2020, the Regional Programme undertook a final external evaluation, which found the Programme relevant to the region and concluded that it “addresses a clear need by supporting national anti-corruption institutions and CSOs to strengthen their capacities in relation to anti-corruption measures and, for CSOs, specifically in relation to UNCAC.”
* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.