PRISHTINA, 25 November 2009 - Two-day conference "Sharing of experiences in combating corruption" was concluded today with the commitment of the representatives of anti-corruption agencies from the region to deepen cooperation and actions in the fight against corruption.

This event, the first of its kind organized by the Kosovo Anti-Corruption Agency and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), brought together representatives from different countries of the region, experts, representatives of civil society and media.

Hasan Preteni, Director of the ACA emphasized the importance of this conference and expressed confidence that this event was to gain useful experience and practices of similar agencies from the region.

On the other hand, Parviz Fartash, Director of UNDP in Kosovo, expressed his commitment to support partners in implementing the conclusions of the conference. "Corruption is detrimental to the development of society, economy, governance and future of our children" Fartash added.

The conference reaffirmed the importance of enhancing cooperation between anti-corruption agencies in the region, strengthening the legal framework to enable more effective partnerships and continuous process of exchange of experiences.

Representatives highlighted the importance of harmonization of anti-corruption legislation with European Union guidelines and standards, adoption of new laws that support the fight against corruption and the need for coordination of efforts of the judiciary and law enforcement institutions in the implementation process.

Participants also stressed the importance of civil society and media to support democratic institutions through supervision, bridging the concerns of citizens, cases and research education and awareness campaigns on the negative effects of corruption in the process of overall social development.

The importance of this conference was illustrated by the presence of numerous representatives of anti-corruption agencies from Slovenia, Montenegro, Albania, Croatia, (FYR) Macedonia, Turkey and the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI).

This event, organized within the framework of the UNDP project "Kosovo Anti-Corruption Partnership", offered an opportunity to share and discuss initiatives and missions by regional agencies in the fight against corruption, establishing liaison mechanisms and cultivating a multi-disciplinary approach to cooperation among them.