OSCE co-organizes conference on combatting corruption for customs officers in Kazakhstan
ASTANA, 10 September 2015 – An OSCE-supported conference promoting international experience in combating and preventing corruption in state revenue agencies began today in Astana.
The two-day event aims to encourage intersectoral co-operation in the fight against corruption and to promote good governance in the customs and tax administrations in line with the goals set in Kazakhstan-2050 Strategy and the 100 Concrete Steps reform programme.
Some 100 Finance Ministry officials from across the country, experts from civil society,, academia and the media as well as representatives of the World Customs Organization, World Bank and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime are taking part in the conference.
Experts from Georgia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Switzerland and the United States will present best practices in the field as well as discuss the ways to improve the implementation of the national anti-corruption strategies according to the international standards specifically in view of Kazakhstan’s accession to the World Trade Organization.
The participants are expected to develop a set of recommendations for enhancing the work of the host country’s customs administration and state revenue authorities.
Ambassador Natalia Zarudna, Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana said that the OSCE’s comprehensive approach to security includes good governance as an effective way to ensure stability and sustainable economic growth. “The rule of law, targeted anti-corruption measures and a strong civil society as a guarantor of government’s transparency are indispensable elements of a favourable investment and business climate as a prerequisite for prosperity and stability.”
Tleu Zangarashev, Deputy Chairman of the Finance Ministry’s State Revenue Committee said: “Our task is to create a monitoring system in which bona fide taxpayers and international businesses can apply the principle of "maximum trust" by using selective forms of control together with the risk management system while stopping unscrupulous importers by all means available.”
The conference was organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Astana in close co-operation with the Finance Ministry’s State Revenue Committee.
The event is part of the Office’s longstanding efforts aimed at promoting good governance and combatting corruption in the host country.