Focus
Areas
Anti-Corruption/Good
Governance
The
success of the democratization and the establishment of a functioning
region of Southeast Europe
will depend on the existence of functioning institutions of pluralistic
democracy and market economy in all the countries concerned. The effectiveness
of local reform efforts and international technical and financial assistance
requires the quality of public service and must be based on the best practices
of good governance. SELDI’s activities in promoting these practices focus
in two main areas:
-
Facilitating public-private partnerships in anti-corruption; and
-
Capacity building for the NGO sector as a factor for civic participation and accountability.
Regional
anti-corruption efforts
As
corruption is the negation of the Rule of Law and an impediment to efficient
law enforcement and effective functioning of public institutions, non-governmental
institutions need to find a common platform with the institutions of the
state to work to prevent it. Reducing corruption requires not only the
relevant institution-building measures but also creating the social preconditions
for establishing the Rule of Law. In this context it is of decisive importance
to foster a democratic political culture based on trust and respect of
government institutions, transparency and openness of the activities of
the administration, and an orientation towards stability and predictability.
This task has become all the more pressing in the aftermath of the conflict
in Kosovo whereby these issues have been effectively regionalized. Therefore,
in the political environment of SEE where common formal institutions are
yet to emerge, the innovative approach of Coalition
2000
consisting not in joining the stakeholders in formal organizations but
rather implementing it as an open and transparent process, is particularly
relevant. Not only do corruption pressures have certain cross-country
roots in SEE (e.g. international criminal activities, migration, etc)
but anti-corruption efforts, especially those aimed at promoting democratic
values, could be implemented more efficiently in multilateral co-operation.
On
the basis of the history of reforms in the region, it could be summarized
that reform efforts will not succeed unless both governments and NGOs
participate actively in the design and implementation of a common
reform agenda. This is especially valid in areas such as the provision
of public services and citizens’ rights. Corruption, therefore, should
be a priority area where public-private co-operation needs to be established.
In
this context, SELDI's regional anti-corruption initiatives will focus
on coalition building and corruption monitoring. These efforts seek
to strengthen the role of civil society organizations in establishing
partnerships with public institutions for the implementation of anti-corruption
measures on a regional scale. In addition, a network of organizations
will be established within SELDI to monitor the level and scope of corruption
in the region based on the Coalition
2000 monitoring methodology
on a
regional scale.
More:
Summary
of Program for 2000-2003
Anti-Corruption/Good
Governance
Strengthening
of the Judiciary
WTO
and Trade Development in the Region
Distance
Learning Center