DUSHANBE , January 18, Asia-Plus - Over US$1 million have been provided to investigate corruption, and strengthening the role of the parliament and of the citizens in the fight against corruption

According to information from the UNDP Dushanbe Office, with support from the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), UNDP Tajikistan will intensify its work to help the country tackle corruption.  While SIDA contributes with $1,1 Million, UNDP will contribute about $120000 of its own resources for the project, which consists of three different components, which will help Tajikistan get rid of corruption.

After studying corruption in Tajikistan using methods such as surveys and focus groups, UNDP will present a white paper, analysing the situation and providing a menu of possible activities to tackle corruption.  The white paper is intended as a tool for the government, civil society, the media and other concerned groups or individuals to formulate strategies against corruption.

The second component of the projects consists of strengthening the parliament’s role in monitoring and controlling the state budget. Parliamentarians and key public servants will receive support to develop a policy for what role the parliament should play the budgetary process, as well as training in budget revision. The project will also support increased cooperation between the parliament and the revision function of the presidential administration.

Finally, the project will work to raise awareness among the public about corruption, and about measures to fight corruption. Not the least, the project will be directed towards the youth, through measures such as comics with anti-corruption- themes.

Taken together, the components of the projects should lead to increased knowledge about corruption, and provide with a framework for a deepened discussion in Tajikistan about how to fight corruption. The SIDA-sponsored project will last for three years.

Although most legitimate stakeholders agree that corruption is a serious problem, there is still a lack of detailed information about the phenomenon and its mechanisms. The results from a first study that UNDP has carried out together with the Institute for Strategic Studies, however, points to corruption being widespread in important societal sectors such as health care, education and the judicial system.