Andrew N. Vorkink Country Director for Turkey Conference on Anticorruption organized by tepav|epri July 7-8 2005, Ankara Andrew N. Vorkink Country Director for Turkey

Corruption is Society’s Cancer Corruption is the single greatest obstacle to economic and social development

Corruption Matters! Deters investment and hinders growth Spurs inequality and erodes macroeconomic and fiscal stability Reduces the effectiveness of public administration Erodes the rule of law and can lead to political instability and civil unrest

Corruption Hurts the Poor the Most Corruption increases wealth for the few at the expense of society as a whole, leaving the poor suffering the harshest consequences.

Effective Anti-corruption Strategy Structure of Government Political and Public Accountability Anticorruption Civil Society Voice & Participation Competitive Private Sector Public Sector Management

Key Elements in Combating Corruption Increasing government accountability Strengthening civil society participation Creating a competitive private sector Institutional restraints on power Improving public sector management

Turkey has achieved a lot Initial reform focused on public financial management and accountability But scope has recently been expanded to: Public sector administration Decentralization strategy Public sector governance agenda A longer-term agenda for implementation in order to change culture of management in government.

Some Important Achievements Public Finance and Debt Management law, Public Financial Management and Control law, Public Procurement law, Revenue Administration Law Freedom of information act Law for establishment of the Ethics Board for civil servants Regulation on the code of conduct for civil servants and principles for applications Turkey has signed the UN Convention Against Corruption and ratified the Council of Europe Criminal Law Convention on Corruption

Possible Areas for Action Judicial system Public personnel system Decentralization with accountability Civil society Government regulations and red tape Competitive private sector

In concluding… Corruption is everywhere – the objective is to reduce it and not eliminate it Reducing corruption is key to improve governance, strengthen public institutions and sustain economic growth and social justice Corruption reduction works