The House of Representatives is hosting latter this weekan international conference, in Nicosia, on combating corruption and the role of national parliaments.
The conference entitled “Combating Corruption, Defending Democracy: The Role of National Parliaments” is organised with the support of the OSCE PA International Secretariat.
A House of Representatives press release said that the conference, taking place 27-28 May, aims to share best practices of national parliaments in combating corruption and enhancing transparency, with a particular focus on the contribution of independent institutions and journalists. It comes at the initiative of OSCE PA Vice-President Irene Charalambides Cyprus who has served as the Assembly’s Special Representative on Fighting Corruption since 2019.
“Political will is paramount in the fight against corruption,” Vice-President Charalambides said in announcing the conference, “and we will demonstrate this determination through the conference.”
Keynote speakers will represent the world’s leading anti-corruption organizations, including the World Bank, the UN, GRECO, and Transparency International. Journalists will also actively contribute to the conference, offering perspectives on the importance of the media in combating corruption, the OSCE PA website said.
It will include welcoming remarks by Charalambides, as well as speeches by Annita Demetriou, President of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus,Margareta Cederfelt, President of the OSCE PA, Ioannis Kasoulides, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, Ambassador Artur Dmochowski, Special Envoy of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office and Roberto Montella, Secretary General of the OSCE PA.
The first Session will deal with the role of national parliaments in preventing and fighting corruption with moderator Ambassador Igli Hasani, Co-ordinator of the OSCE Office for Economic and Environmental Activities and keynote speakers Anita Ramasastry, OSCE CiO Special Representative on Combating Corruption, Hanne Juncher, GRECO Executive Secretary, Brigitte Strobel-Shaw, UNODC, Chief of the Corruption and Economic Crime Branch and Charalambides.
The second session will concentrate on key policies to prevent corruption and foster transparency and accountability with Ramasastry as moderator and keynote speakers Roby Senderowitsch, Practice Manager, Governance ECA West, World Bank, Jon Vrushi, Transparency International, Research Analyst and Konstantine Vardzelashvili, ODIHR, Head of Democratization Unit
The third and final session will debate the contribution of independent institutions and the media in preventing and fighting corruption with Charalambides moderating and keynote speakers Costas Clerides, Former Attorney-General of the Republic of Cyprus, Drew Sullivan, OCCRP co-founder, Editor of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, Franz Wild, Editor of the Bureau of Investigative Journalism’s Enablers Project and Odysseas Michaelides, Auditor-General of the Republic of Cyprus.
Source: Cyprus News Agency