On 27 January, the UNDP Seoul Policy Centre (USPC) and UNDP Tajikistan convened an inception meeting to kick off Tajikistan’s initiative for strengthened transparency and accountability, under USPC’s flagship SDG Partnership programme on Transparency and Accountability.

In August 2025, USPC launched the new SDG Partnership on Whistleblower Protection, in collaboration with the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) of the Republic of Korea (ROK), and Tajikistan was selected as a partner country. The webinar brought together the key partners—including ACRC and Agency for State Financial Control and Combating Corruption of the Republic of Tajikistan—who will collaborate to localize the ROK’s anti-corruption tools within the Tajik context. Through this partnership, USPC will work together with partners to strategically address anti-corruption and governance challenges in Tajikistan, supported by strong demands and national commitment.

Strategic perspectives and significance of this partnership

The opening session of the meeting offered an opportunity to reaffirm the shared vision and goals of the initiative among all participating institutions. Min Ah Hwang, Director of the International Relations Division at the ACRC, underscored that corruption is a structural barrier to sustainable development, highlighting the critical role of whistleblowers and ACRC’s longstanding efforts to strengthen its whistleblower protection mechanism. Akmalzoda Nodir Nosir, Head of the Anti-Corruption Directorate of Tajikistan, also reaffirmed that combating corruption is a core priority of government policy and underscored the importance of international cooperation for sustainable anti-corruption outcomes.

Anne Juepner, Director of USPC, reiterated the importance of whistleblower protection: “When citizens are empowered to raise their voices against corruption and public interest violations, societies can move toward a future grounded in trust, accountability, and integrity.” She further noted that the partnership was initiated by the Anti-Corruption Agency of Tajikistan, drawing on lessons from USPC’s collaboration with Uzbekistan, and is expected to serve as a model for countries pursuing similar reforms, reflecting the transnational nature of the SDG Partnerships.

Project framework and next steps

The meeting continued with a presentation by UNDP Tajikistan, which outlined the project’s key components, strategic importance, and expected results. The key components of the project are: i) strengthening whistleblower protection ecosystem through a secure, confidential reporting platform inspired by ACRC’s Clean Portal; and ii) establishing an assessment framework for integrity efforts in public institutions, inspired by ACRC’s Integrity Efforts Assessment (IEA), ensuring sustainability of the integrity ecosystem through enhanced institutional capacities against corruption.

Following the presentation, participants discussed anticipated implementation challenges, lessons learned from ACRC’s experience, and concrete next steps, including technical knowledge-sharing sessions.

The inception meeting marked an important step in advancing technical discussions on project implementation, confirming partners’ strong commitment to combating corruption and reaffirming the importance of international cooperation in strengthening whistleblower protection. Through this SDG Partnership, USPC will offer cross-cutting support that integrates its expertise in governance and digital solutions, drawing on the ROK’s whistleblower protection mechanisms as a key reference.

**UNDP Seoul Policy Centre (USPC) shares the Republic of Korea’s tested-and-proven policy tools with other countries through SDG Partnerships. SDG Partnerships provide a combination of support, including partnership development with Korean institutions, seed funding, technical assistance, and policy advisory services. It utilizes UNDP’s global network of country offices and the policy expertise and know-how of partner organizations.