The OECD will support the Government of Ukraine in implementing the OECD Guidelines and other standards

Together with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Ukrainian Network of Integrity and Compliance (UNIC) held a strategic meeting for the relevant Deputy Ministers and other high-level public officials of key Ministries and state institutions, with state-owned energy enterprises in their portfolios. The discussion focused on corruption risks in the management of state-owned enterprises and challenges to introducing corporate integrity.

Today, the Ukrainian Government needs support in the effective implementation of the standards and commitments made in accordance with the action plan for the implementation of the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Government of Ukraine and the OECD. The OECD Guidelines on Anti-Corruption and Integrity in State-Owned Enterprises (ACI Guidelines) are intended to help States as owners to ensure an adequate level of integrity and anti-corruption in state-owned enterprises.

The OECD was represented by Hans Christiansen, the Head of the Secretariat of the OECD Working Party on State Property and Privatization, Olga Savran, OECD Anti-Corruption Network Manager for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Tetiana Khavanska, Anti-Corruption Analyst, Project Manager of Ukraine Anti-Corruption Projects.

On behalf of the Government of Ukraine, Denis Kudin, First Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine, Dmytro Sennychenko, Chairman of the State Property Fund of Ukraine, Ivan Presnyakov, Deputy Chairman of the National Agency for Prevention of Corruption, Serhiy Dekhtyarenko, Deputy State Secretary of the Cabinet of Ministers, Oleksandr Krasnolutskiy, Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, Olga Babiy, member of The National Commission for State Regulation of Energy and Public Utilities.

Olga Savran, Manager, OECD Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia

«In cooperation with Ukraine, we have been working and monitoring for many years within the OECD Istanbul Anti-Corruption Action Plan (IAP) the issues of anti-corruption and integrity that relate to management of the SOEs. The new 5th Round of the IAP monitoring continues to look into the role that the state plays in this regard and we will annually conduct relevant in-depth analysis, publish a progress or regress report. One of the IAP report’s conclusions of this year is that the state as the owner is far from having done everything necessary to prevent corruption. In 2021, the OECD also published an Implementation Guide for State-Owned Enterprises, a guiding document for all OECD countries and Ukraine. One of the important challenges is the "tone from the top" and the state’s responsibility to set priorities for anti-corruption, including in the energy sector».

Antonina Prudko, Head of Secretariat

«UNIC, as a collective action initiative that has the necessary expertise in integrity and responsible business and understands the mechanisms of application of tools, in particular, the OECD can be an effective platform for communication of key stakeholders and help clarify OECD standards, create simple algorithms for their implementation in enterprises, provide education in this area and help develop appropriate policies. All that is needed is the political will of the government and the management of the SOE, as well as the “tone and action from the top” that would constantly demonstrate the SOE's commitment to responsible business and a culture of integrity».

Denys Kudin, First Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine

«The Ministry of Economy is the key government commissioner for the direct implementation of OECD standards, not only in anti-corruption procedures but also in corporate governance. The role of the Ministry of Economy is to be a driver in the implementation of corporate governance reform at the level of public sector enterprises in all sectors and energy in particular, in the timely and quality formation of supervisory boards, which in turn will be able to appoint such personnel, the idea of corporate reform and OECD anti-corruption policies. In our opinion, to prevent abuse, it is necessary to create systems that do not allow such abuse. The Ministry of Economy is ready to actively implement the OECD Recommendations».

Following the meeting, the next step in assisting the Government of Ukraine in implementing the OECD anti-corruption standards discussed at the meting, especially in the energy sector, the OECD will initiate the signing of the statement by all stakeholders from the Government of Ukraine and the OECD, developing a step-by-step action plan to support the Government in implementing the OECD Guidelines and Best Practices. UNIC representatives expressed their readiness to become a platform for building an effective dialogue between the business and the Government and suggested the already available tools to strengthen integrity practices in state-owned enterprises.

We are grateful to the representatives of the Government of Ukraine for their openness and readiness to play the role of an active leader in countering corruption and ensuring integrity.