• Wednesday, 25 December 2024

Gov’t launches anti-corruption campaign

Gov’t launches anti-corruption campaign
Skopje, 3 September 2021 (MIA) – The government launched on Friday an anti-corruption campaign entitled “Everything is public, corruption isn’t worth it”, with the goal of mobilizing citizens and the public administration to provide protection mechanisms and resistance against corruption. The campaign aims to instruct the public how to recognize and report corruption. Three promotional videos showcasing different types of corruption and protection mechanisms have been shot and a special, interactive website will also be launched. Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, who presented the campaign on Friday together with Deputy PM in charge of fight against crime and corruption, sustainable development and human resources Ljupcho Nikolovski, said that the government and citizens are on the same side in the fight against corruption. “There’s no minor or major corruption, or a different response to it. We must end all corruption. We must stand in the way of those that corrupt society and the only way to do this is together,” Zaev told the press conference. He underlined that no one is protected, calling on citizens to join together and eradicate corruption. “Citizens are expected to offer the strongest assistance. It’s up to them to report corruption,” the PM added. The campaign, he noted, aims to synchronize communication and contribute to achieving the priorities listed in the national strategy for preventing corruption and conflict of interest in the period 2021-2025. Deputy PM Nikolovski told the press conference that access to information has been increasing and now data on public procurement, etc. is just a few clicks away. “This is a fight in which every individual counts. Results depend on all of us and I expect us to reach the goal together, with institutions acting in coordination and citizens reporting corruption,” Nikolovski said. He underlined that the campaign was preceded by in-depth analysis which demonstrated the need for introducing this type of communication with citizens. “We must raise citizens’ awareness and encourage them to report corruption. The campaign is supported by experts and foreign partners,” the Deputy PM stressed. He announced that a centralized system for reporting corruption and monitoring cases, backed by USAID, will be presented in the next 15 days.