Anti-corruption in education and sport focus of OSCE-supported debate in Skopje

SKOPJE, 12 October 2012 – Supporting anti-corruption efforts and contributing to an effective fight against corruption in education and sport is the aim of an OSCE-supported debate which started in Skopje today.

During the event, organized by the OSCE Mission to Skopje in co-operation with Transparency International-Macedonia and the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (SCPC), the results of an OSCE-supported survey of citizens’ perception of corruption in education and sport were presented.

Participants from civil society and government institutions, as well as citizens and media representatives, exchanged views on the findings of the survey and discussed how to better tackle corruption in education and sport.

“In line with its mandate to promote good governance in public institutions at central and local levels, the OSCE Mission supported the research conducted to assess the perceived degree of corruption in selected sectors,” said Ambassador Ralph Breth, the Head of the OSCE Mission to Skopje. “This is a part of our support to the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption in the implementation of the state anti-corruption programme and raising the effectiveness of measures to be taken this year.”

He added that the debates would also help increase public awareness of corruption-related issues.

Ljubinka Koraboska, the President of the SCPC, said: “In our new state programme we have detected education and sports as sectors vulnerable to corruption and conflict of interest. In addition to the planned activities, the results of the research on citizens’ perception of corruption in these sectors will help the State Commission’s efforts to eliminate corruption.”