Project Summary:

The project will contribute to achieving a sustainable integrity and anti-corruption system in the Republic of Moldova through the strengthened capacities of the public and private sector entities and the civil society for the efficient application and monitoring of national integrity instruments and standards. The project will enhance capacities of the public and private sector actors, as well as of the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) for the implementation of effective corruption prevention instruments and tools and will strengthen the anticorruption demand side through an increased public awareness on anticorruption and on the means to curb corruption. It will contribute to the progressive implementation of the Sustainable Development Goal 16 that calls for a substantial reduction of corruption and bribery in all their forms and for developing effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels.

Objectives:

• Reduced level of corruption by ensuring of at least 70% qualitative implementation of the National Integrity and Anticorruption Strategy (NIAS);
• Strengthened institutional integrity systems through the establishment of the Integrity Award system in public sector;
• Capacities of NIAS focal points in 9 sectors, from all 32 districts (rayons) and in at least 70% of 900 local governments strengthened to effectively coordinate the implementation of sector and local Integrity Plans;
• A standardized anticorruption compliance mechanism in the private sector established with the support of the Integrity Award for private sector methodology;
• Civil society, and young men and women in particular enabled to effectively engage in corruption prevention and advocacy for “zero-tolerance” to corruption and also in strengthening the national integrity system through the NIAS monitoring and shadow reporting;
• Citizens increasingly use effective tools for reporting corruption demonstrating a stronger civic engagement;
• Ombudsperson’s Office has sufficient capacity to effectively protect the whistle-blowers.

Expected results:

• Efficient and participatory monitoring and evaluation of NIAS implementation ensured;
• Strengthened capacities of the anticorruption authority to enforce and improve integrity instruments;
• Strong institutional integrity mechanisms at the sector and local levels established;
• Integrity standards in the private sector endorsed by key stakeholders;
• Enhanced civic engagement for an effective and objective monitoring of the integrity system.

Accomplishments:

• Two editions of the gender sensitive NIAS Impact Monitoring Survey offered comparative data on the NIAS outcome indicators to inform the assessment of progress in the Strategy implementation;
• Capacities of 129 NIAS focal points from 79 public institutions and 30 districts in evidence-based monitoring, evaluation and reporting on the NIAS strengthened;
• 242 representatives of 40 control and permits issuing institutions were trained in implementing the Anti-bribery Management System ISO 37001:2017;
• Methodological Guide on the corruption risk management in public institutions developed;
• Capacities of 27 NGOs to monitor the implementation of the Anticorruption Action Plans strengthened and shadow reports on 7sectors and 23 districts produced;
• Two Studies ”Anti-corruption expertise : efficiency, costs, impact” in 2016-2018 and 2019-2020 developed;
• Assessment of the implementation of Integrity Plans by state/municipal enterprises conducted;
• Impact assessments of Sector Anti-corruption Action Plan in the Fiscal Sector and in the Environment Protection Sector conducted;
• A novel Award for promoting integrity standards in private sector set up, 15 companies awarded in two years of the Contest edition;
• An online module for reporting on the National Integrity and Anticorruption Strategy implementation piloted in 55% of reporting institutions;
• A novel reLAWed application allowing citizens, private sector and CSOs to report the legal norms that could generate corruption launched; The Open Money application establishing links between institutions, companies and persons within the public procurement process using open data upgraded and allows automated integration of public data from available governmental online platforms;
• Whistleblowers' protection strengthened by an on-line tool for the submission of the requests for protection by the whistleblowers to the Ombudsperson, an e-learning course on whistleblowing and the protection of whistleblowers and dedicated awareness campaigns;
• The Study “Effective sanctions for corruption offences. Specialized anti-corruption courts/panels. International experiences and proposal for Moldova” developed;
• The Study “The impact of corruption on the fulfilment of human rights in Moldova: An analytical study with policy recommendations” developed”;
• An e-learning course “Anticorruption and Integrity Policies and Standards” for civil servants developed and piloted;
• An innovative on-line educational anticorruption game for youngsters “4integrity” developed and launched;
• Public awareness campaigns on anticorruption and integrity in public and private sectors with the participation of the National Anticorruption Centre's officers, young anticorruption volunteers and public personalities reached out at 1,000,000 men and women, boys and girls throughout the country.