9th December: International Anti-Corruption Day
The 2014 International Anti-Corruption Day's theme is Break the Corruption Chain. 5 ambassadors in the Czech Republic are applauding the Czech government in an open letter to step up the fulfillment of the anti-corruption commitments. A day for raising awareness of corruption and highlighting the role of the UN’s Convention against Corruption. Corruption is a global challenge that reduces our prosperity by 5% of global GDP every year ($2.6 trillion - World Economic Forum). Corruption also undermines the stability of societies, and governments’ ability to meet the needs of their citizens. Our governments are committed to battling corruption in all its forms at home and abroad.
We applaud the current Czech government’s commitment to combating corruption, as embodied in the Coalition agreement which established legislative priorities to limit opportunities for corruption. We also applaud the Czech government for its 2013 ratification of the UN Convention against Corruption, and look forward to timely and vigorous application of the Convention’s provisions.
25 years after the end of Communism, the Czech Republic is an established democracy with a liberal open market economy. Yet, just as in all countries, there is still room for further improvement. According to the latest Corruption Perception Index published by Transparency International the Czech Republic has seen a slight improvement in the worldwide ranking, but still remains one of the lowest performing countries in Europe.
In order to address this challenge, we urge the Czech government to step up its efforts to implement its commitments, both under the Coalition agreement and under the framework of Open Government Partnership. Civil society and the business community have a crucial role to play in this effort, and we call upon the Czech government to intensify its co-operation with these stakeholders.
Our Embassies stand ready to continue assisting the Czech Republic in its goal for greater openness and transparency.
H.E. Jan Thompson, Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
H.E. Andrew Schapiro, Ambassador of the United States of America
H.E. Siri Ellen Sletner, Ambassador of Norway
H.E. Hayong Moon, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea
H.E. Otto Jelinek, Ambassador of Canada
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