Human Rights and a New Culture of Public Service: Integrity Forum held in Kyiv

For the third year in a row, a separate day is dedicated to the topic of integrity within the Richelieu Forum of Public Service. This is a demand of Ukrainian society that will only become stronger. This was noted by the Head of the National Agency of Ukraine for Civil Service Issues, Nataliia Aliushyna, opening the event. 

The forum brought together experts and specialists who discussed modern approaches to preventing corruption and implementing integrity standards in the work of public servants. The event program includes panel discussions and speeches by leading speakers dedicated to ethical challenges, effective tools of honest governance and public administration. The important tone of the event was set by the speeches of Olena Shulyak, Chairwoman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Committee on Organization of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning, Viktor Pavlushyk, Chairwoman of the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption, Semen Kryvonos, Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, Oleksandr Tsyvinsky, Director of the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine. Top speakers shared their vision of what integrity is, why it is important for public service and public administration, and what is the basis for building citizens' trust in government. 

Matthew Murray, an anti-corruption advisor to various world governments and a professor at Columbia University, became a special guest of the Forum. He held high positions in the US government and the USAID Agency. His work was focused on promoting US economic interests through strengthening the rule of law and combating corruption. He also headed the competition commission for the selection of the Chairman of the NACP (2023). Mr. Murray’s speech focused on the study “Freedom from Corruption in Public Authorities as a Human Right”. He also shared his thoughts on how to build trust in government and what can be done to ensure the harmonious development of the public service.

The Forum itself consisted of several panel discussions, including: “International Practices and Recommendations of Public Integrity: Ukraine’s Path to the EU”. The discussion focused on the experience of European countries and the implementation of better standards of integrity in the Ukrainian public service. “Integrity in Action: A Competitive Procedure That Works”. The panel discussed updated legislation, the resumption of competitions, and integrity as a key condition for European integration. “Ethics and Choice in Public Service: Between Procedure and Moral Responsibility”. The participants discussed changes to the General Rules of Ethical Conduct, in particular regarding the use of AI, the inadmissibility of hate speech, and resolving ethical dilemmas. The panels included Elena Kontsevičiute, Head of the National Projects Division on Combating Corruption and Integrity in Public Administration of the OECD Directorate for Public Administration, Vitaliy Bezgin, Head of the Subcommittee on Administrative and Territorial Organization and Local Self-Government of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Committee on Organization of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning, Bohdan Kryklyvenko, Chief of Staff of the High Anti-Corruption Court, Lech Marcinkowski, Senior Policy Advisor at SIGMA – Head of the CSASD Group, Damir Akhmetovych, Public Administration Expert at the Center for Defense Integrity at the Norwegian Ministry of Defense (CIDS), Oleksandr Slobozhan, Executive Director of the Association of Ukrainian Cities, Anna Fedorenko, UNDP Specialist on Corporate Culture and Integrity. 

During the event, participants had the opportunity not only to hear speeches by interesting and authoritative speakers, but also to share their own experiences and supplement the “Forum Quotes Treasury” - a common platform for key messages and opinions. Overall, the Forum became a platform for exchanging experiences, presenting best practices and developing new solutions that will help increase the level of citizens' trust in public service and meet European standards of governance.