INTERACTION

The appointment of the National Bureau Director in March 2023 contributes to Ukraine's progress in the fight against corruption on its path towards Euro-Atlantic integration. Strengthening international cooperation is one of the Bureau's main priorities.

The leadership and representatives of the National Bureau actively participated in international projects, including a study visit to the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Austria and participation in the Global Anti-Corruption & Integrity Forum. They also attended various events held in Paris at the headquarters of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Director of the National Bureau, Semen Kryvonos, took part in the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2023) held in London in June, as well as a special post-event "Building a Transparent and Accountable Ukraine: Key Steps to Recovery," organized by Transparency International Ukraine in collaboration with Transparency International UK, the German Marshall Fund, the Transatlantic Democracy Working Group, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

A series of meetings with international partners also took place in Ukraine. The discussions revolved around the fight against corruption, investment protection, digitization, and assistance in countering russian aggression. During the meeting between the leadership of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the President of the Republic of Estonia, Alar Karis, it was emphasized that from the first days of the full-scale aggression of russia, Estonia has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Ukrainian people, given its own bitter historical experiences. "We believe that Ukraine's place is within the family of European countries," stressed Mr Karis.

Furthermore, meetings were held with ambassadors of G7 countries. These meetings once again underscored the importance of the fight against corruption as a critical priority for the state, while the partner countries voiced their support for NABU in this endeavor.

Several meetings with representatives of the diplomatic community also took place. Notable discussions occurred with ambassadors from Canada, Japan, and Italy. Equally important for Ukraine's investment attractiveness were meetings with representatives of international business organizations. During discussions with members of the European Business Association, the issue of corruption's continued presence among the top three negative factors affecting the investment climate was raised. Subsequently, in a meeting with representatives of the American Chamber of Commerce, the priorities for the institutional development of the National Bureau were outlined, including the establishment of an expert institution within NABU and staff expansion.

Internal capacity at the National Bureau is also being strengthened. Over 250 NABU detectives and analysts have embarked on studying the tools of "modern" corruption, including cryptocurrency technologies. A nine-month training program called "CryptoEdge: Cryptocurrency Technologies and Methods of Investigating Crimes Using Virtual Assets" was organized to provide relevant knowledge and skills.

NABU continues its anti-corruption projects aimed at corruption prevention. Online lectures, study visits, trainings, and public discussions involved more than 5,000 law students. Two major online projects, the podcast "Poplava. Anti-Corruption in Detail" and the educational blog "Anti-Corruption Chronicles," reached around 115,000 viewers.

The detection, combating, and prevention of corrupt practices during Ukraine's recovery pose an urgent challenge. In order to address this, a cooperation agreement has been signed between the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau of Poland. This memorandum includes training, experience sharing, and collaborative efforts in preventing and fighting economic and corruption-related crimes. To enhance monitoring and investigation of potential cases of misappropriation of funds, including those provided by the US Government to Ukraine for post-war recovery, cooperation and information exchange between NABU and the US Department of State's Inspector General's Office have been established.

To this end, NABU has also signed a memorandum with the State Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine. This document involves exchanging information about detected signs of committed or planned corruption offenses for appropriate action.

Additionally, a memorandum of cooperation and information exchange has been signed with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine. It covers identifying potential corruption risks in the process of digitizing public services, implementing modern IT tools to enhance investigative efficiency, exchanging information on possible violations, and monitoring the procurement of unmanned aerial vehicles for the needs of Ukraine's security and defense forces.

The National Bureau and the Civil Oversight Council at NABU have joined forces to optimize the open competition for positions within the Bureau, taking into account current requirements and challenges. The action plan includes digitizing the document submission process, profession-oriented testing, and the assessment of foreign language proficiency levels. The teaching staff of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv will assist NABU in this regard. This collaboration forms the basis of a memorandum signed between NABU and the university. This cooperation undoubtedly helps enhance the testing process and ensures the selection of the best candidates for the National Bureau.

The detection, combating, and prevention of corrupt practices during Ukraine's recovery pose an urgent challenge. In order to address this, a cooperation agreement has been signed between the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau of Poland. This memorandum includes training, experience sharing, and collaborative efforts in preventing and fighting economic and corruption-related crimes. To enhance monitoring and investigation of potential cases of misappropriation of funds, including those provided by the US Government to Ukraine for post-war recovery, cooperation and information exchange between NABU and the US Department of State's Inspector General's Office have been established.

To this end, NABU has also signed a memorandum with the State Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine. This document involves exchanging information about detected signs of committed or planned corruption offenses for appropriate action.

Additionally, a memorandum of cooperation and information exchange has been signed with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine. It covers identifying potential corruption risks in the process of digitizing public services, implementing modern IT tools to enhance investigative efficiency, exchanging information on possible violations, and monitoring the procurement of unmanned aerial vehicles for the needs of Ukraine's security and defense forces.

The National Bureau and the Civil Oversight Council at NABU have joined forces to optimize the open competition for positions within the Bureau, taking into account current requirements and challenges. The action plan includes digitizing the document submission process, profession-oriented testing, and the assessment of foreign language proficiency levels. The teaching staff of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv will assist NABU in this regard. This collaboration forms the basis of a memorandum signed between NABU and the university. This cooperation undoubtedly helps enhance the testing process and ensures the selection of the best candidates for the National Bureau.