Head of the UNIC Secretariat speaks at the OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum in Prague

On September 13, 2024, at the invitation of the OSCE, Antonina Prudko, Head of the UNIC Secretariat, joined as a speaker in the discussion "Improving the business climate and attracting investments through proper management and digitalization," which took place on the sidelines of the 31st OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum in Prague.
The network performed at this prestigious platform as one of the best examples of a collective action initiative in the field of business integrity. Antonina Prudko emphasized the importance of UNIC's activities not only at the national level, but also in the international context. She noted that business collective action initiatives, in addition to educational and educational functions, have a good potential for the formation of business integrity policies at all levels. They can serve as a bridge between the needs of real business and the vision of policymakers and will contribute to the creation of effective mechanisms to fight corruption, ensure transparency, and develop ethical standards in business.
Using the example of UNIC's work, the expert singled out the following main advantages of collective action initiatives, which are important to support and spread:
The collective action initiative forms a valuable community of practitioners and experts who act as true ambassadors of the culture of business integrity among the private sector.
Having a wide database of practitioners, it is possible to create and conduct unique educational and educational events that are as close as possible to local content. For example, UNIC organizes about 30 events annually, attracting more than 10,000 participants. Antonina noted the importance of educational initiatives, such as the UNIC Academy of Business Integrity, which teaches companies about the standards of corporate ethics.
Collective action initiatives in the private sector have the opportunity to build an effective dialogue with authorities and become proactive participants in the development of national policy in the field of business integrity. As an example, Antonina mentioned UNIC's cooperation with NAKC in the development of the State Anti-corruption Strategy and its action plan. Another example is UNIC's participation in the RISE Ukraine NGO coalition, which is involved in the development of mechanisms for the transparent reconstruction and reconstruction of Ukraine. In particular, joint advocacy of the issue of open data in conditions of war.
The UNIC network knows and studies the needs of Ukrainian business, so it can quickly and flexibly respond to requests. As an example, the expert cited the UNIC program for supporting small and medium-sized businesses, which appeared in response to the needs of SMEs in wartime conditions. UNIC offers practical steps that help Ukrainian companies prepare to enter international markets, attract investments, and grants from international organizations. Such programs can be easily adapted to the needs of different sectors and regions and scaled in different formats.
UNIC is grateful for the opportunity to join the discussion and present its experience during the 31st OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum. The participants of the forum, including representatives of the governments of the OSCE countries, business, and experts on good governance, noted that the experience of UNIC can be scaled and applied in other regions.
 "Support for collective action initiatives in the private sector is provided for in the new OECD recommendations from 2021. We at UNIC have seen first-hand the benefits of effective cooperation between the state, business, and civil society. The combined efforts of all stakeholders and partnerships based on trust help to implement international standards, best practices adapted to the local context and practical for companies to apply. The government, supporting such initiatives, has additional effective means to restore and build an economy based on the principles of ethics, accountability, responsibility, and equality of conditions for all market participants, regardless of their scale or sector of activity," concluded Antonina Prudko.
The network sincerely thanks the organizers for the invitation and extremely important recognition and support from partners in the joint struggle for honest and transparent business!